Honda CR-Z coupe first drive

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Honda are already in the petrol-hybrid market with their five door five seater Insight 1.3-litre C-segment hatch which will find around 5,000 UK customers this year and their Civic 1.4-litre four door family sized saloon which will attract around a 1,000 customers.

These of course sell against the Toyota Prius and the new British built Toyota Auris Hybrid. A Honda Jazz hybrid built will be added in 2011.

But just to prove that mainstream model hybrids, not the executive high performance Lexus types, need not be boringly efficient, Honda have gone sporty and edgy with their CR-Z 1.5-litre two door 2+2 Coupe.

The sporty CR-Z Coupe went on sale in the UK in June and Honda anticipates around 3,500 UK sales in a full year. Prices start at £16,999 and range up to £21,749 with four levels of trim and equipment, S, Sport, GT and GT Nav. The hybrid Coupe has just received a Euro NCAP 5-Star safety rating.

As the world’s first sporty hybrid, the CR-Z edgy looks stand-out from other affordable ‘green’ hybrid cars on the market. It combines the angulated front end closely resembling a Honda Civic with a sharp lined dual window rear hatch used for their Insight hybrid giving it an overall wedge shape side profile. Wide sculptured wheelarches give it a muscular stance and allows for wide front and rear tracks for good stability and cornering grip.

However whilst the looks are eyecatching and interesting the practicality of them means rear quarter and rear visibility are very poor. It is fun to drive having good driving dynamics thanks to the agile chassis, direct steering and a low driving position. With a six-speed sports gearbox with a short throw change, the electric motor element brings a very useful boost of torque in the low to mid range, much more than could be expected from a conventional 1.5-litre normally aspirated petrol engine.

Non executive type hybrids with their CVT auto transmissions are most at home in urban environments, but the CR-Z is quite capable of coping with the cut and thrust of driving on motorways and busy country roads. Expect city and town dwellers to be the early adopters, especially Londoners or commuters into the Capital, because as a hybrid it is currently exempt from the Congestion Charge. But that might change next year when it is likely the charges will be based on CO2 emissions whether the vehicle is a hybrid or not.

Whether the CR-Z owner is a retail buyer wanting the latest technology wrapped up in a sporty looking bodyshell, the environmentally concerned driver or the business driver promoting their company’s green credentials, the low-ish 117g/km exhaust emissions mean cheaper road tax, £0 for the new VED First Year rate and then £30 a year onwards. Company car users will enjoy the 10 per cent Benefit-in-Kind tax levy.

The CR-Z uses a 1.5-litre petrol unit, taken from the American versions of Jazz in conjunction with a six speed manual gearbox, not a CVT auto option as with other hybrids. Honda says this is to give the new model a sportier driving feel as well as extra performance. Top speed is a very respectable 124mph, 0-62mph takes 9.9 seconds and the official Combined Cycle fuel economy is 56.5mpg.

During a very brief first test drive at the introduction of the CR-Z I had an opportunity to use it at the Millbrook Proving Ground’s City Route. My car returned 42.8mpg and this included plenty of stop-start driving fully utilizing the Coupe’s standard fit Stop/Start system. But the CR-Z has no selectable electric drive only mode unlike some other hybrids so the vehicle cannot be used in a zero emissions city zone.

Now I have had another brief chance to drive the CR-Z 2+2 Coupe GT with Sat Nav specification and priced at £21,749 on real-life public roads. Fuel economy figures have to be important information for would-be hybrid owners. My CR-Z results are as follows; in Econ mode, driving in a realistic and sensible manner keeping up with the traffic the consumption was 56.8mpg, a shade better than the officially figure. In Norm mode the figure was 48.7mph and in Sport mode 44.7mph.

But those figures are no better than a new generation 1.6-litre turbodiesel engine and in many cases the diesel unit will give less CO2 emissions and better mpg. Take for instance the Volvo C30 DRIVe three-door Coupe, priced from £17,690, official Combined Cycle fuel consumption 74.3mpg, CO2 emissions just 99g/km and with a 13% Benefit-in-Kind tax rate.

The new VW family 1.6 TDI engine in a less sporty looking but roomier Golf BlueMotion three-door hatch offers 74.3mpg, CO2 emissions of 99g/km, BIK tax at 13% and the vehicle costs £18,100. Both the C30 and the Golf are better than the CR-Z for fuel economy and CO2 emissions and cost less to buy. There are also new generation direct injection petrol engines which have closed the gap in the advantage petrol/hybrids had over conventional engines in terms of fuel economy and emissions.

Going the hybrid route needs significant thought – there are other less radical ways to reduce your motoring costs and vehicle emissions by opting for the latest generation petrol and diesel engines.

For the technical readers the CR-Z has a 1.5-litre four cylinder petrol engine linked with an electric motor using Honda’s proven IMA hybrid technology including energy capture. The engine produces 114PS at 6,100rpm, the electric motor 14PS at 1,500rpm. Total peak power available is 124PS at 6,100rpm. As for torque, grunt that makes the car responsive, the petrol engine has 145Nm at 4,800rpm and the electric motor 78.4Nm from just 1,000rpm giving a total peak useable torque supply of 174Nm at 1,500rpm. It is this torque that swiftly moves the CR-Z from standstill and helps during overtaking at low to medium speeds. The power delivery is pretty seamless and with a manual gearbox there isn’t the normal hybrid issue where the CVT transmission absorbs power and makes the engine seem dull, lifeless and noisy.

The CR-Z driver has the choice of three driving modes selected by pushbuttons. All three are self explanatory, Sport, Econ and Norm. There is also an Eco Assist driving guidance setting which is used in Econ mode where the space-age controls show the driver through changing instrument colours whether they are driving economically or not.

If you are attracted by the exterior sporting good looks of the CR-Z you will be impressed even more by the Starship Enterprise control and instrument display. It takes time to learn but it all works. The CR-Z has more driving character than other current family sized hybrids, not so sanitised and its looks and feels sporty enough. Specification is high for all models and the GT Navigation version had all the ‘goodies’ I would expect. They include, navigation system, climate air conditioning, cruise control, panoramic sunroof, heated front seats, alloy pedals, good sound system, integrated Bluetooth handsfree system, front, side and curtain airbags, on board computer, electrically operated door mirrors and windows and folding rear seats.

MILESTONES. Honda CR-Z 1.5 IMA GT Navigation 3-Door Coupe. Price: £21,749. (Range starts £16,999). Engine/transmission: 1.5-litre four cylinder petrol with electric motor assist (IMA system), Total peak power is 124PS (122bhp) with total peak torque of 174Nm (128lb ft) at 1,500rpm, 6-speed manual. Performance: 124mph, 0-62mph 9.9 seconds, 56.5mpg (42.8 to 56.8mpg on test), CO2 117g/km, VED road tax First Year rate £0 then £30 a year onwards, BIK company car tax 10%. Insurance group: 17E. Overall length: 4,080mm. Boot space: 215-389-litres. For: Eye catching sporty exterior styling, even better inside - a real Starship Enterprise instrument layout, fun to drive, agile and sure footed handling, livens up the dull image of hybrids. Against: Styling that does not appeal to everybody, very small rear seat legroom, poor rear and rear quarter visibility, significant road noise intrusion, some new generation diesel powered models will offer less CO2 emissions and cost less to buy and run. Miles Better News Agency Girlracer magazine

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