My Honda CR-Z Review
Discussion
I've had the Accord in for service today so the nice chaps at the local dealership have let me road test a CR-Z (to help me decide a replacement for my ageing MR2).
Cosmetically I think it looks great, except for parts of the interior that I don't think hang together at all (esp the passenger side dash). The rear seats are a joke, even for my kids, so the car must be looked upon as a 2 seater with a nice big boot. To be honest I don't mind the limited rear visibility although the inability to check your right shoulder is a worry. Otherwise it's spot on IMO.
Given the paper stats I wasn't expecting much at all but have been pleasantly surprised. In sport mode there is real urge and the car pulls more than the measly 122bhp would suggest. I'd say it feels like it's got another 20-30bhp. I have a mixed route to work with dual carriageways and B roads stretched over 25 miles. Using all 3 modes (econo, normal and sport) I managed between 47 and 53mpg doing a range of speeds up to 70mph. With a bit of restraint I'd say you could do better. Econo mode takes a lot of getting used to as there is literally no throttle response at all. This is great for start/stop and city driving but is no good on the motorway where you have to push hard down to get any response at all (or maintain constant speed). 'Normal' is therefore the best compromise as the keen response in sport mode is not always wanted/necessary.
Ride wise the car is excellent. Not quite up to my old EP3 Type-R in terms of sharpness/adjustability in the bends but very good all the same. Turn in is crisp/keen, steering is well weighted and it does a great job of ironing out surface imperfections (damping is superb). As usual steering feel is not great but I'm no driving god. As is typical of Honda the gearchange is slick and precise although not up to CTR/S2000 quality. On the open road the refinement is good too and wind noise is not a problem.
Overall I really like the car and compared to all the other hybrids on the market this is the best one of the bunch. I'm not sure the old "my diesel does 60-70mpg" argument is valid really (unless economy is your ultimate goal) as this is a petrol engined car, sounds great and is lightweight. I've driven Focus TDCi's and owned a Civic 2.2 CTDi and you really do feel the weight of the engine. The CR-Z is incredibly nimble by comparison and strikes a good compromise between performance and economy.
Would I buy one? It pains me to say it but no. I've really enjoyed the experience and love what Honda have done but given the excellent handling I'm still left wanting in the power department. Good as it is, if it just had that little bit more then it would be a great car but it's not quite good enough, especially when my MR2 handles better, is faster and still returns 40mpg. Now a Type-R version I would buy!
For those looking for a great handling/looking car with warm hatch performance/economy though I'd say it's ideal.
Cosmetically I think it looks great, except for parts of the interior that I don't think hang together at all (esp the passenger side dash). The rear seats are a joke, even for my kids, so the car must be looked upon as a 2 seater with a nice big boot. To be honest I don't mind the limited rear visibility although the inability to check your right shoulder is a worry. Otherwise it's spot on IMO.
Given the paper stats I wasn't expecting much at all but have been pleasantly surprised. In sport mode there is real urge and the car pulls more than the measly 122bhp would suggest. I'd say it feels like it's got another 20-30bhp. I have a mixed route to work with dual carriageways and B roads stretched over 25 miles. Using all 3 modes (econo, normal and sport) I managed between 47 and 53mpg doing a range of speeds up to 70mph. With a bit of restraint I'd say you could do better. Econo mode takes a lot of getting used to as there is literally no throttle response at all. This is great for start/stop and city driving but is no good on the motorway where you have to push hard down to get any response at all (or maintain constant speed). 'Normal' is therefore the best compromise as the keen response in sport mode is not always wanted/necessary.
Ride wise the car is excellent. Not quite up to my old EP3 Type-R in terms of sharpness/adjustability in the bends but very good all the same. Turn in is crisp/keen, steering is well weighted and it does a great job of ironing out surface imperfections (damping is superb). As usual steering feel is not great but I'm no driving god. As is typical of Honda the gearchange is slick and precise although not up to CTR/S2000 quality. On the open road the refinement is good too and wind noise is not a problem.
Overall I really like the car and compared to all the other hybrids on the market this is the best one of the bunch. I'm not sure the old "my diesel does 60-70mpg" argument is valid really (unless economy is your ultimate goal) as this is a petrol engined car, sounds great and is lightweight. I've driven Focus TDCi's and owned a Civic 2.2 CTDi and you really do feel the weight of the engine. The CR-Z is incredibly nimble by comparison and strikes a good compromise between performance and economy.
Would I buy one? It pains me to say it but no. I've really enjoyed the experience and love what Honda have done but given the excellent handling I'm still left wanting in the power department. Good as it is, if it just had that little bit more then it would be a great car but it's not quite good enough, especially when my MR2 handles better, is faster and still returns 40mpg. Now a Type-R version I would buy!
For those looking for a great handling/looking car with warm hatch performance/economy though I'd say it's ideal.
Edited by Fatman2 on Friday 18th February 13:55
You missed out the most important factor......The Price.
At over £20k you would have to be retarded to buy one of those over all the other models of car availabe at the same price.
I like the looks, and the interior, but its at least £6k overpriced and that doesnt make it a worthwhile option.
Ive seen only 2 on the roads, both driven by Women, one of which was in the outside lane of the M1 and refused to move over. When I flashed her to get out the way she gave me the finger like its my fault she was driving like a
!
At over £20k you would have to be retarded to buy one of those over all the other models of car availabe at the same price.
I like the looks, and the interior, but its at least £6k overpriced and that doesnt make it a worthwhile option.
Ive seen only 2 on the roads, both driven by Women, one of which was in the outside lane of the M1 and refused to move over. When I flashed her to get out the way she gave me the finger like its my fault she was driving like a
!Cheers guys 
The version I drove was a Sport so was the middle of the 3 trim levels (about £18k). I thought the cloth seats were excellent both in terms of comfort and bolstering. Not quite Type R bolstering but noticably more supportive than regular seats.
I think the GT spec is fantastic but comes at a price (about £20k). They had a fully spec'd up CR-Z with about £5k of extras and whilst it looked superb, don't think I'd pay £25k for one.
It was quite sad for me that it lacked that extra bit of power but I think it's very easy to forget that this car has a 1.5l engine and is capable of 50+ mpg. Taken in context it's a great car and I think it only a matter of time until sports hybrids are a properly developed technology (kind of like diesels nowadays compared to 5-10 years ago).
Nottyash: it's only the GT spec that's over £20k. The base model can be bought for £17k, which in this day and age, is not that bad when the Focus Eco 1.6 TDCi is also £17k. Whilst the Focus is a decent car will definitely not handle anything like the CR-Z, which is a properly sorted car, handling wise.
Compared to my old EP3 Type R the CR-Z has been screwed together much better. Some of the trim plastics are poor but it's a solid car with no rattles, squeaks or flimsy bits of trim. To suggest it should be £12k is wrong IMO as it really is a quality car.
The version I drove was a Sport so was the middle of the 3 trim levels (about £18k). I thought the cloth seats were excellent both in terms of comfort and bolstering. Not quite Type R bolstering but noticably more supportive than regular seats.
I think the GT spec is fantastic but comes at a price (about £20k). They had a fully spec'd up CR-Z with about £5k of extras and whilst it looked superb, don't think I'd pay £25k for one.
It was quite sad for me that it lacked that extra bit of power but I think it's very easy to forget that this car has a 1.5l engine and is capable of 50+ mpg. Taken in context it's a great car and I think it only a matter of time until sports hybrids are a properly developed technology (kind of like diesels nowadays compared to 5-10 years ago).
Nottyash: it's only the GT spec that's over £20k. The base model can be bought for £17k, which in this day and age, is not that bad when the Focus Eco 1.6 TDCi is also £17k. Whilst the Focus is a decent car will definitely not handle anything like the CR-Z, which is a properly sorted car, handling wise.
Compared to my old EP3 Type R the CR-Z has been screwed together much better. Some of the trim plastics are poor but it's a solid car with no rattles, squeaks or flimsy bits of trim. To suggest it should be £12k is wrong IMO as it really is a quality car.
I was quite impressed with the CRZ. As a Mk1 Insight driver and previously a DC2 i feel its a nice middle ground of both cars. Keen to steer on the throttle yet was reasonable 44mpg on test drive with plenty of full throttle, including dispatching a A3 TDI 140 on a sliproad 
deal breaker is the rear seat size 
seem happy to cruise in high 50s at 70 for the short section i tried. Looking forward to see what appears from the 1.6 turbo rumours.
Wayne Gerdes has some pretty suprising hypermiling figures aswell.
Decent company car at 10% BIK.
deal breaker is the rear seat size seem happy to cruise in high 50s at 70 for the short section i tried. Looking forward to see what appears from the 1.6 turbo rumours.Wayne Gerdes has some pretty suprising hypermiling figures aswell.
Decent company car at 10% BIK.
thinfourth2 said:
I still think it's a poor replacement for the insight.
Why can't they build a more modern insight which was lighter and quicker instead of this which is heavier and uglier along with worse fuel consumption.
Sorry Honda but it's a fail in my eyes
Its quicker than the Insight.Why can't they build a more modern insight which was lighter and quicker instead of this which is heavier and uglier along with worse fuel consumption.
Sorry Honda but it's a fail in my eyes
The Insight was a fail as far as the shareholders were concerned! Pure halo car - no profit, circa £7k loss on each one!
Toyless said:
I was only musing today, given that the current fuel price situation isnt likely to imporve anytime soon, whats needed is a 1.3/1.4 vtec style engine in a nice light chassis that handles well.
I emailed Honda some time ago to suggest that they took the CR-Z, ditched the rear seats/boot, shortened the chassis and made a proper 2 seater convertible/coupe with a kerb weight of 1000kg.In a car weighing 1000kg the 122bhp hybrid would be as quick as my MR2 and would probably return 55-60mpg.
Honda wrote back to say that they had no plans to make a lighter sports hybrid
Fatman2 said:
Cheers guys
Nottyash: it's only the GT spec that's over £20k. The base model can be bought for £17k, which in this day and age, is not that bad when the Focus Eco 1.6 TDCi is also £17k. Whilst the Focus is a decent car will definitely not handle anything like the CR-Z, which is a properly sorted car, handling wise.
But compare the large discounts available on a new Focus to the minimal (if any) discount available on the CR-ZNottyash: it's only the GT spec that's over £20k. The base model can be bought for £17k, which in this day and age, is not that bad when the Focus Eco 1.6 TDCi is also £17k. Whilst the Focus is a decent car will definitely not handle anything like the CR-Z, which is a properly sorted car, handling wise.
Glosphil said:
But compare the large discounts available on a new Focus to the minimal (if any) discount available on the CR-Z
But we're not comparing apples with apples. I only used the Focus comparison to illustrate the forecourt price of a regular vs a higher quality car.The Golf blue motion 104bhp 1.6 TDI is £18k
The Scirroco 122bhp 1.4 TSI is £19.5k
The Auris HSD is also £19.5k
Ok so you'd probably rather slit your wrists than buy any of those three but for comparable cars I'd say the CR-Z is competitive.
Original review was very well ballenced and objective. As the owner of a CRZ GT Nav, I've been very happy since I changed it from a Jazz.
The CRZ easily gets mid 50 mpg and sports mode is good fun, especially with the changed exhaust note. It rides & corners well, the rear bench is just that. No room for feet.
I'm looking forward to taking it away from Surrey and onto the twisty Cornish and Scotish roads soon.
The CRZ easily gets mid 50 mpg and sports mode is good fun, especially with the changed exhaust note. It rides & corners well, the rear bench is just that. No room for feet.
I'm looking forward to taking it away from Surrey and onto the twisty Cornish and Scotish roads soon.
Glosphil said:
But compare the large discounts available on a new Focus to the minimal (if any) discount available on the CR-Z
You beat me too it.Ford has a silly pricing policy, you would have to be a fool to pay anywhere near the retail price. Expect 30%+ discount which is a different ball game.
When I went in the dealer and specced one up it was £24k. That was how I wanted it. If you buy a lesser model you drive around wishing you had this and that in the higher spec. I learned that lesson years ago.
If the Top spec model was £15k then it would sell, but as its so expensive thats why I dont see many on the road.
Oh and my niebour has just bought a brand new Scirroco TDI for £17000, apples with apples and all that. Its well overpriced. Scirroco TDI any day
Edited by nottyash on Saturday 19th February 10:47
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