Fun and green: Honda CR-Z
The hybrid Honda CR-Z puts in an lively performance with driving modes to encourage green motoring.
Try a word association test with hybrid. Economical and green are the most likely responses. Cynics might say ‘pc’ and car enthusiasts boring. About the last word you would come up with is fun.
Yet Honda is presenting us with this pretty little CR-Z coupe and tagging it as ‘the street racer with conscience’. They are challenging the stereotype that green has to be dull. Can this stylish and very drivable coupe really be a hybrid?
Yes, it is. Power comes from a 1.5-litre petrol engine, boosted by a small electric motor. When you brake or slow down the ‘wasted’ energy is stored in a big battery below the boot floor. This, in turn, powers the electric motor when you accelerate.
Unlike the Toyota and Lexus hybrids, the Honda is not able to run on electricity alone. The others can run for a few miles on electricity but Honda has dropped this marginal ability in favour of performance. The CR-Z gets around 112 bhp from its main engine and a further 13 bhp from its electric motor.
The effect is bigger than you might expect. As the electric power comes in almost instantly, the car feels that bit more responsive at lower speeds. This eagerness is surprising and is one element of how Honda has put the fun into this hybrid.
Added to the relatively lively engine, you get a delightfully short, slick gear change and good feedback from the power steering. It is just that much sharper to drive than the other hybrids. This comes as a pleasant surprise.
The 0-60 mph time of just under 10 seconds is not in the sporting bracket by today’s standards but is pretty useful in everyday driving. The reward comes with combined consumption of 56 mpg and emissions of 117 g/km. Whether you achieve these figures is all down to the driver.
Ah yes, the driver, the most important element of them all. Having given us a tempting lively sports coupe, Honda encourages you to be sensible. The CR-Z has three buttons to control driving modes from sporting, to normal or econ. These set the engine responses to match the chosen mode.
The main speedometer dial changes colour depending on which driving mode is selected. It shines blue for normal, red for sport and green for eco. If you are being a good driver, little green leaves appear on the display as a ‘reward’. A bit of a gimmick but you get the message.
Aside from its hybrid credentials the CR-Z is a highly-stylished 2+2 coupe. Front seats are comfortable but the rear is for kids only. The boot is fairly useful and can be extended by folding the back seats down.
The eye-catching looks are very individualistic and are a big part of the car’s appeal. But there are the usual sacrifices to be made in rear vision. At least you get beepers which are almost essential for uneventful parking.
So what do you get in the CR-Z? It is fun to drive, gloriously stylish and one of the most unique cars out there. And, of course, it is a hybrid. That means lower taxes.
The CR-Z costs from just under £17,000 in S-trim, and that is at the lower end of the hybrid price range.
