Fifth Gear Video Review Says Honda CR-Z Almost Works
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Honda claims that the Honda CR-Z is the first “sporty hybrid” according to the Graham, the tester for Fifth Gear Web’s first drive of the car. Those who were skeptical about this car being as fun as Honda wanted to emphasize, prepare to be justified.
First Graham does like the drive train. The claimed 122 hp combined power from both the 1.5L engine and the electric motor, he feels is too little. Plus the engine runs out of breath at a very un-Honda 6,500 rpm.
Because the car is a bit of a wash when it comes to performance, he looks to the greener side of the car Even here, he feels that the car doesn’t live up to the hype, as it gets about the same CO2 emissions as a European diesel.
However, the business case does seem to work for Europe. Graham claims the car is just as fast and economical as the Volkswagen Scirocco TDI (which America doesn’t get) while being cheaper. Plus the interior and six-speed manual transmission is better.
Driving impression is that it feels light, but when you realize that a 2600 pound car today is considered light weight, is not much of a complement. He also feels that the exhaust sound very nice. The car is apparently tossable, with “sport mode” giving better steering feel and throttle response. Go out of these modes, however, and the CR-Z becomes another boring hybrid. Why claim a car is sporty when you give the option to ruin the driving experience?
Plus it has the make you feel guilty for aggressive driving dash warnings as well. Imagine if you were eating a slice of cake in front of Dr. Roberts Atkins. He would tell you about all the bad things you’re doing to your body and would just ruin the pleasure of having something sweet.
Graham feels that the car is justifiably a sporty hybrid, but it seems that by catering to two completely different markets, Honda has ruined the CR-Z. It may work in Europe where similar cars segments are sold, but in the U.S. there isn't anything to relate to it. Here’s hoping a Type R/Si is on the way to correct its mistake.
For the full video, follow the link below.
[Source: Fifth Gear]
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