Honda and Toyota have been building hybrid-powered automobiles for retail consumption since 1996. The acknowledged leaders in this engineering segment — combining small internal combustion engines with electric motors and sophisticated battery packs — each maker has pursued different avenues with varying degrees of success.
Honda’s first hybrid was the diminutive Insight two-seater, the master at maximum fuel efficiency, but sorely lacking in flexibility and family practicality. Toyota countered with the oddly styled (as if the Insight was conventional) Prius, a more utilitarian four-door design with more packaging space and room for up to five. While the Insight earned its wings with big highway fuel economy, the Prius attracted a whole lot more buyers and vaulted Toyota into the hybrid forefront.
Honda then countered with the hybrid Civic, a nice compact package that really differed little from the run-of-the-mill Civic. A powerful Accord with a V-6/hybrid powertrain debuted next — easily the fastest hybrid we’ve seen commercially, but it didn’t get the marketing push it needed. Lacking the distinctive body of the Prius, both the Civic and Accord hybrids languished in showrooms.
Sensing that individualist styling is an essential component of the hybrid phenomenon, Honda is returning to the future with another small hybrid offering based on a previous model that earned its renown as a sporty coupe. In the 1980s, Honda sold a small car called the CRX. In Si trim, this was a sporty small hatchback that was thrifty as well as a fetching handler that did very well for a front drive car. A passionate following resulted.
The new compact hatch is called the CR-Z, a take on the previous model’s sporty name — and its zippy appearance — with the addition of electrical backup power.
With modest sales expectations — only 15,000 units a year — Honda’s sport-hybrid concept almost seems like a contradiction. Are sporty car buyers going to embrace a meager 122 hp? Are fuel miserly drivers going to be attracted to a cute compact that ‘only’ gets 39-mpg highway?
The key answer to both questions might lie somewhere in the middle — like in the middle of the car, where a polished gearshift lever protrudes from the center console. The CR-Z is the first hybrid car sold here that sports a real, honest to goodness six-speed manual gearbox; a slick close ratio transmission that sporty car drivers will really like to utilize and hyper-milers know maximizes fuel economy.
Sure, there is a CVT automatic transmission too, the boring choice for most hybrid manufacturers, bless their picked little engineering heads. Given my druthers, the six-speed transmission makes the CR-Z not only entertaining, but more sensible as an economy car, too.
Like other Honda hybrids, the CR-Z has three selectable modes, ECO, Sport and Normal, each of which changes the car’s operating performance to suit the driver’s choice. Sport mode offers higher revs, quicker steering and delayed nanny system intervention, while ECO mode helps the CR-Z more quickly enter its most fuel-efficient operation with idle-stop technology and less power on tap.
Most of the CR-Z’s electric power comes from the regenerative braking system, while a large bank of D-cell sized nickel-metal hydride cells hide under the rear cargo compartment ready to render power assistance. Like the original CRX, as well as the Insight, the CR-Z is strictly a two-seater with a modest cargo area under the rear hatch, plus added cargo space directly behind the front seats. By appearance, it seems that Honda could have added two jump-seats here, something suitable for small riders ala Porsche or Jaguar, just by adding a couple of inches. But Honda wanted to keep the car small. There is no denying that they reached that goal, as the CR-Z is barely 160 inches long while riding on a small 95.9-inch wheelbase. Flip down the center cargo divider and there is a relatively long, flat load floor under the rear hatch.
Ah yes, the hatch. For all intents and purposes, the CR-Z has a horizontal glass roof panel that might be considered a sunroof on most cars. But this one comes with an elongated wiper and you actually look through it to see objects behind you — and not very well either. As with the hideous configuration on the Prius and Honda’s current four-door Insight, there is a narrow lower window slot just below the large crossbar in the rear hatch — right where you want to be looking. This car cries out for a rear-view camera.
Operators will find the CR-Z’s cockpit quite a blend of buttons and switches closely integrated onto the steering wheel hub or on dash extensions surrounding the three-spoke wheel. Blue-illuminated dials and gauges lend an electronic air of sophistication, but some of the information seems superfluous.
Clutch action and shifting are swift, light and efficient in a way that is synonymous with other sporty Hondas of old. Steering feel is surprisingly engaging for an electronic system, earning the CR-Z kudos for mastering an art that often seems lost.
Unfortunately, the CR-Z also reflects Honda’s historical lack of road noise suppression. The interior is plain loud at highway speeds, making stereo output muffled and conversation strained. The Honda seems louder than the recent Jeep, which doesn’t even have a roof liner. The optional navigation system proved easy to use, but satellite radio is not included.
Visibility to the rear and the sides is also stunted in the low-riding CR-Z. This will not bother most buyers, as the car’s zoomy exterior styling and modern interior layout will win points.
I think the younger generations among us will be the primary buyers of the CR-Z. It looks different from other small cars, plus it boasts enough fuel efficiency and technology to attract drivers who admire the latest electronic gadgets. With the stick shift, the CR-Z is also fun to drive, not something you can say about the other hybrid cars.
Honda wants all of its products to be more fuel-efficient and the CR-Z reaches that goal. For drivers who want a little edginess with their miserly driving, then maybe the CR-Z can fill a profitable niche.-fenceviewer.com
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