My CR-Z Review
04-07-2011, 05:15 AM
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My CR-Z Review
Last night I took out a 2011 CR-Z 6MT for a bit of a test drive. I spent 45-minutes with the car, alone, so I had the freedom to really test it out. I subjected it to everything from a parking lot to the expressway to a speed blast. Overall, it’s an interesting car for sure.
First off, looks. Well, as far as I’m concerned in stock form it has the look of a real hot hatch. Add some aftermarket goodies to it, and it takes hot hatch to another level. We always hear people say they’ll have to see a particular vehicle in person before they can really judge it; well the CR-Z is a bit like that. Once you see it in person the incredible width and lowness really show up. I’m really impressed with the look, and I cannot get over how wide and muscular it is at the back.
Dash Layout- All the gauges are well laid out and easy to see. The digital dash display is a beautiful, well organized, stunning visually, as far as I’m concerned; this is the best dash layout of any current Honda. I prefer it with out the navi screen, and I assume I’m in the minority on that.
Windshield Wipers- OMG! Finally American Honda has decided to not screw us on something. It must be because it would have cost too much money to dumb down the controls. Finally, the intermittent switch is variable. My pickup trucks have had this feature for over 16-years, about time American Honda. And I say American Honda because it is well documented cars like the S2000 have this feature on the other side of the pond, but not here.
Horn- Are you kidding me? A horn is supposed to demand attention; it’s a safety device. This one is pathetic; it’s too quiet and sounds way too girlie. As a guy I would be embarrassed to lock the car in a public space and have his little girlie thing beep back at me. I can only hope that can be over ridden like on the S2000 and the Frontier. Just pathetic…
Interior Colors- Honda is f’ing retarded for not offering us the darker interior option and the black cloth seats. The grey seats are way too light and I’m not a fan of the extreme contrast on the dash and doors caused by the very light grey materials.
Seat- It was only ok, I was not real comfortable, the headrest feels too far forward and there is not enough lumbar support. I think I would have been much more comfortable if the back of the seat was not so squishy or cave in so much. I think it could be fixed, but right now I just know I would not be comfortable on a long trip. I like firm and supportive, I’m not a big fan of sofa cushions in my vehicles.
Steering Wheel- Great controls, well laid out. I miss the wide extensions towards the inner part of the wheel just above 9 and 3 like both the S2000 and the Frontier have, this wheel was a uniform thickness all the way around, I was amused by the fact that my pickup is more sporty. The best part though, holy cow, I loved it, tilt and telescopic. I think, no, I know this was the first Honda I could get both the seats and the steering wheel set correctly. Apparently my legs are too long for my arms and I always have to sit a tad too close for my legs just so I can get a hold of the wheel, but not in the CR-Z, very well done.
Storage Space- Well done. I hate a vehicle that has a non-flat floor when you fold the seats down. The Fiat 500 was a good example, that hatch floor was at about a 15-degree angle, give me a break, I want a flat floor back there, the CR-Z is perfect, just like my CRX-Si. And although I would prefer a little 2+2 back seat, I do like the storage bins in what would be the back seat bottoms, and as I would always have the back seat like thing folded down flat that forms a good deal of totally out of sight storage.
Back Hatch Release- Really Honda? Really. You cheap tards… There is none, no hatch release on the inside of the car. None. Retarded.
Transmission- There is nothing more to say other than it is another flawless 6-speed tranny. Just a dream to use, felt great, any S2000 owner should feel right at home with this tranny. Well done Honda, well done.
Visibility- Well you can see out of the front window fine, and you can see left and right fine, but that’s about it. This is a car that demands you adjust the side view mirrors correctly which most Americans can’t seem to do, and then use them. If you try and turn your head to see what is next to and just behind your door, you will not see anything outside the car. The interior tri of the B-pillar is very thick, so you cannot actually see the back window on the left, and on the right the passenger’s seat blocks it. Then the view out the back, the top window is useless, if you get any benefit from it, it’s only from a very few inches of it at the very back of hatch. The little vertical back window though is your friend; it’s where you get the most clues about what’s behind you. For me, I can get adjusted to all of these things because to me, the great looking exterior shape is worth these challenges. But, there is one more thing, if you see a CR-Z on the street, just remember, there is a very, very good chance that driver does not see you, so give it a wide berth, especially you motorcyclists!
Handling- Remember this thing is rolling on narrow crappy hard as rock tires. What a blast this car was to drive. It does indeed know how to scoot through the corners. I was impressed; it was a lot of fun. I have to admit, the antiquated cheap beam axle on the rear did a much better job than I thought it would. With some wider wheels, sticky rubber and some stiffer springs or shocks this thing could be taken to some really high cornering loads.
The Whole Hybrid Thing- You have 3 modes to choose from, Economy, in a word, scary, the halo around the speedometer glows green; Normal, not too bad, clearly better than econ, the halo around the speedometer glows blue; Sport, much, much better, the halo around the speedometer glows red. The switches to select these modes is on the dash to the left, easy to use, once selected you get a popup on the right lower dash that indicates what you just changed and then the word shows up in the left lower dash to confirm it in words in case the whole obvious green, blue red things escapes you.
Economy- The only time I would use this is on the expressway on a long trip. When you use this mode in 35mph to 45mph traffic everybody hates you. People are right up your butt, you can’t see anything in the rear view except for grill and headlights, and you just know that want to bump you out of their way. To me this is just scary slow, I felt very vulnerable in traffic.
Normal- Honestly I don’t see myself ever using this mode. I would be in one of the other two. For me this is a pointless mode.
Sport- This would be the mode my car is in 90-95% of the time. Once you experience the other two modes it becomes obvious when you hit this switch that the engine and IMA system finally wake up. It’s not a huge change, but it is clearly better.
Performance- The specs on this car lead you to believe this is just going to be a scary slow slug, well I’m surprised to report, in a way, the numbers lie. The Insight is a scary slow slug; the CR-Z in sport mode is nothing like that at all. Clearly this is no S2000, and I know for a fact my CRX-Si would eat this thing alive and spit out the bones, but it does have some interesting characteristics, and overall, really is not too bad, clearly better than what I was expecting and here is why. Push the sport button and get into the right mode, push and hold the VDC for a second or so till it beeps, the dash light comes on, and the system is turned off. Give the revs a few bumps, let out the clutch, and bury the gas pedal into the floor, and the front end just lights up, the front tires spinning, and spinning, and wow, are still spinning. Off the line this thing has a good deal of grunt. A hotter version of this drive train could very produce one serious hot hatch. Off the line in this mode this thing is a real surprise, so why then are the 0-60 times in the 8 to 10-second range? Well that’s because at about 45mph this thing just runs out of steam. The engine does not have much pull at the higher end of the rev range. I thought I was going to fall asleep between 45 and 65mph, and getting it up to 90 took a lot, and I mean a lot of pavement. I think the 2,600-2,700 pounds is just too much for the 122 horses, but clearly the 128 ft-lbs. of grunt at only 1,000 rpm is felt and is fun.
Overall- I gained some respect for this car. If I did the vast majority of my driving in an urban area where most of the speeds were 45mph and below, this would be a rather decent fun car just as it is now. But, I live and drive in much more rural setting, I want to be able to bounce up to 70mph easily, I want to be able to run 60mph on roads that are clearly not flat and this car cannot offer that type of performance. In addition I was very happily surprised with the handling, especially considering the crap wheel tire setup. In conclusion, if Honda R&D chief Tomohiko Kawanabe was being honest in the Autocar interview, and Honda is determined to give us a real performance hybrid, then I think it is only a matter of time before I have a CR-Z “Si” in my fleet.
First off, looks. Well, as far as I’m concerned in stock form it has the look of a real hot hatch. Add some aftermarket goodies to it, and it takes hot hatch to another level. We always hear people say they’ll have to see a particular vehicle in person before they can really judge it; well the CR-Z is a bit like that. Once you see it in person the incredible width and lowness really show up. I’m really impressed with the look, and I cannot get over how wide and muscular it is at the back.
Dash Layout- All the gauges are well laid out and easy to see. The digital dash display is a beautiful, well organized, stunning visually, as far as I’m concerned; this is the best dash layout of any current Honda. I prefer it with out the navi screen, and I assume I’m in the minority on that.
Windshield Wipers- OMG! Finally American Honda has decided to not screw us on something. It must be because it would have cost too much money to dumb down the controls. Finally, the intermittent switch is variable. My pickup trucks have had this feature for over 16-years, about time American Honda. And I say American Honda because it is well documented cars like the S2000 have this feature on the other side of the pond, but not here.
Horn- Are you kidding me? A horn is supposed to demand attention; it’s a safety device. This one is pathetic; it’s too quiet and sounds way too girlie. As a guy I would be embarrassed to lock the car in a public space and have his little girlie thing beep back at me. I can only hope that can be over ridden like on the S2000 and the Frontier. Just pathetic…
Interior Colors- Honda is f’ing retarded for not offering us the darker interior option and the black cloth seats. The grey seats are way too light and I’m not a fan of the extreme contrast on the dash and doors caused by the very light grey materials.
Seat- It was only ok, I was not real comfortable, the headrest feels too far forward and there is not enough lumbar support. I think I would have been much more comfortable if the back of the seat was not so squishy or cave in so much. I think it could be fixed, but right now I just know I would not be comfortable on a long trip. I like firm and supportive, I’m not a big fan of sofa cushions in my vehicles.
Steering Wheel- Great controls, well laid out. I miss the wide extensions towards the inner part of the wheel just above 9 and 3 like both the S2000 and the Frontier have, this wheel was a uniform thickness all the way around, I was amused by the fact that my pickup is more sporty. The best part though, holy cow, I loved it, tilt and telescopic. I think, no, I know this was the first Honda I could get both the seats and the steering wheel set correctly. Apparently my legs are too long for my arms and I always have to sit a tad too close for my legs just so I can get a hold of the wheel, but not in the CR-Z, very well done.
Storage Space- Well done. I hate a vehicle that has a non-flat floor when you fold the seats down. The Fiat 500 was a good example, that hatch floor was at about a 15-degree angle, give me a break, I want a flat floor back there, the CR-Z is perfect, just like my CRX-Si. And although I would prefer a little 2+2 back seat, I do like the storage bins in what would be the back seat bottoms, and as I would always have the back seat like thing folded down flat that forms a good deal of totally out of sight storage.
Back Hatch Release- Really Honda? Really. You cheap tards… There is none, no hatch release on the inside of the car. None. Retarded.
Transmission- There is nothing more to say other than it is another flawless 6-speed tranny. Just a dream to use, felt great, any S2000 owner should feel right at home with this tranny. Well done Honda, well done.
Visibility- Well you can see out of the front window fine, and you can see left and right fine, but that’s about it. This is a car that demands you adjust the side view mirrors correctly which most Americans can’t seem to do, and then use them. If you try and turn your head to see what is next to and just behind your door, you will not see anything outside the car. The interior tri of the B-pillar is very thick, so you cannot actually see the back window on the left, and on the right the passenger’s seat blocks it. Then the view out the back, the top window is useless, if you get any benefit from it, it’s only from a very few inches of it at the very back of hatch. The little vertical back window though is your friend; it’s where you get the most clues about what’s behind you. For me, I can get adjusted to all of these things because to me, the great looking exterior shape is worth these challenges. But, there is one more thing, if you see a CR-Z on the street, just remember, there is a very, very good chance that driver does not see you, so give it a wide berth, especially you motorcyclists!
Handling- Remember this thing is rolling on narrow crappy hard as rock tires. What a blast this car was to drive. It does indeed know how to scoot through the corners. I was impressed; it was a lot of fun. I have to admit, the antiquated cheap beam axle on the rear did a much better job than I thought it would. With some wider wheels, sticky rubber and some stiffer springs or shocks this thing could be taken to some really high cornering loads.
The Whole Hybrid Thing- You have 3 modes to choose from, Economy, in a word, scary, the halo around the speedometer glows green; Normal, not too bad, clearly better than econ, the halo around the speedometer glows blue; Sport, much, much better, the halo around the speedometer glows red. The switches to select these modes is on the dash to the left, easy to use, once selected you get a popup on the right lower dash that indicates what you just changed and then the word shows up in the left lower dash to confirm it in words in case the whole obvious green, blue red things escapes you.
Economy- The only time I would use this is on the expressway on a long trip. When you use this mode in 35mph to 45mph traffic everybody hates you. People are right up your butt, you can’t see anything in the rear view except for grill and headlights, and you just know that want to bump you out of their way. To me this is just scary slow, I felt very vulnerable in traffic.
Normal- Honestly I don’t see myself ever using this mode. I would be in one of the other two. For me this is a pointless mode.
Sport- This would be the mode my car is in 90-95% of the time. Once you experience the other two modes it becomes obvious when you hit this switch that the engine and IMA system finally wake up. It’s not a huge change, but it is clearly better.
Performance- The specs on this car lead you to believe this is just going to be a scary slow slug, well I’m surprised to report, in a way, the numbers lie. The Insight is a scary slow slug; the CR-Z in sport mode is nothing like that at all. Clearly this is no S2000, and I know for a fact my CRX-Si would eat this thing alive and spit out the bones, but it does have some interesting characteristics, and overall, really is not too bad, clearly better than what I was expecting and here is why. Push the sport button and get into the right mode, push and hold the VDC for a second or so till it beeps, the dash light comes on, and the system is turned off. Give the revs a few bumps, let out the clutch, and bury the gas pedal into the floor, and the front end just lights up, the front tires spinning, and spinning, and wow, are still spinning. Off the line this thing has a good deal of grunt. A hotter version of this drive train could very produce one serious hot hatch. Off the line in this mode this thing is a real surprise, so why then are the 0-60 times in the 8 to 10-second range? Well that’s because at about 45mph this thing just runs out of steam. The engine does not have much pull at the higher end of the rev range. I thought I was going to fall asleep between 45 and 65mph, and getting it up to 90 took a lot, and I mean a lot of pavement. I think the 2,600-2,700 pounds is just too much for the 122 horses, but clearly the 128 ft-lbs. of grunt at only 1,000 rpm is felt and is fun.
Overall- I gained some respect for this car. If I did the vast majority of my driving in an urban area where most of the speeds were 45mph and below, this would be a rather decent fun car just as it is now. But, I live and drive in much more rural setting, I want to be able to bounce up to 70mph easily, I want to be able to run 60mph on roads that are clearly not flat and this car cannot offer that type of performance. In addition I was very happily surprised with the handling, especially considering the crap wheel tire setup. In conclusion, if Honda R&D chief Tomohiko Kawanabe was being honest in the Autocar interview, and Honda is determined to give us a real performance hybrid, then I think it is only a matter of time before I have a CR-Z “Si” in my fleet.
04-07-2011, 06:38 AM
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Yes and no
Yes- I would indeed buy it as is, if the next best option does not happen, Ford Fiesta 3-door with EcoBoost
No- I would not buy new, I would hope good clean ones could be found very slightly used, the money saved would go towards forced induction, tires, wheels, and suspension
04-07-2011, 06:42 AM
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I'm really holding out hope because of this
And although I have always advocated pure gas power for the performance version, now I have to admit, making a more powerful hybrid version is more appealing to me now. I'm very ok with the direction Tomohiko seems to be talking about.
Honda R&D chief Tomohiko Kawanabe has confirmed that the firm is working on a high-performance CR-Z hybrid.
In an exclusive interview with Autocar, Kawanabe admitted that development work on the more powerful two-door has started, and that — contrary to earlier reports — it will keep its IMA hybrid system.
“It’s true: we are working on a more powerful CR-Z,” he said. “Our problem with the car as it stands is that it looks very good, but it doesn’t have the performance some customers expect.”
http://www.autocar.co.uk/News/NewsAr...llCars/255962/
In an exclusive interview with Autocar, Kawanabe admitted that development work on the more powerful two-door has started, and that — contrary to earlier reports — it will keep its IMA hybrid system.
“It’s true: we are working on a more powerful CR-Z,” he said. “Our problem with the car as it stands is that it looks very good, but it doesn’t have the performance some customers expect.”
http://www.autocar.co.uk/News/NewsAr...llCars/255962/
04-07-2011, 07:29 AM
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>> Seat- It was only ok, I was not real comfortable, the headrest feels too far forward and there is not enough lumbar support
That is exactly the problem with my Civic
This is the first Honda I have ever owned that was NOT comfortable!
That is exactly the problem with my Civic
This is the first Honda I have ever owned that was NOT comfortable!
04-07-2011, 08:21 AM
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Apparently though I made an error
According to the CR-Z owners the dash glow in Normal is green, it only goes blue when your are outside the parameters for Eco
Thus I laughed at this and said ok, clearly then all the time I drove it in Normal I was outside the parameters because it was blue the entire time
According to the CR-Z owners the dash glow in Normal is green, it only goes blue when your are outside the parameters for Eco
Thus I laughed at this and said ok, clearly then all the time I drove it in Normal I was outside the parameters because it was blue the entire time
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04-07-2011, 08:29 AM
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Oh, one other thing, wait, maybe two
ONE- recharging
Driving along at a good clip coming up to a stop
Push the clutch in, keep the car in a gear, get on the brakes
Creates zero recharging of the battery
This needs to be addresses, and I believe it is going to be
Driving along at a good clip coming up to a stop
Keep the car in a gear, get on the brakes
Creates maximum recharging of the battery
This is fine, but I wish full coasting and brakes regenerated also
It's kinda fun in a gaming sort of way to see how you are doing on battery charge, battery recharge, and amount of assist being used
TWO- auto shutoff
Pull up to a stop, clutch in, foot on brake, car in gear, life is normal
But, if you then pull the car out of gear and let the clutch out as if you are going to be waiting for a while, like for a train, and the engine shits off
As soon as you put the clutch in, and get the gear lever into 1st, the engine comes back to life, the most quiet engine start I have ever experienced in life
ONE- recharging
Driving along at a good clip coming up to a stop
Push the clutch in, keep the car in a gear, get on the brakes
Creates zero recharging of the battery
This needs to be addresses, and I believe it is going to be
Driving along at a good clip coming up to a stop
Keep the car in a gear, get on the brakes
Creates maximum recharging of the battery
This is fine, but I wish full coasting and brakes regenerated also
It's kinda fun in a gaming sort of way to see how you are doing on battery charge, battery recharge, and amount of assist being used
TWO- auto shutoff
Pull up to a stop, clutch in, foot on brake, car in gear, life is normal
But, if you then pull the car out of gear and let the clutch out as if you are going to be waiting for a while, like for a train, and the engine shits off
As soon as you put the clutch in, and get the gear lever into 1st, the engine comes back to life, the most quiet engine start I have ever experienced in life