Honda CR-Z

[germdoc]

I drive a lot in my new job (50-60 miles a day) in all kinds of traffic, and am thinking about a new car, so Monday I test drove a brand-new vehicle--the Honda CR-Z.

http://automobiles.honda.com/cr-z/

It is a sporty hybrid 2-seater that gets 37 mpg (average) and has 3 modes--Eco, Normal and Sport. I found it very peppy in varied traffic around Omaha, very nicely handling and a lot of fun to drive. The sound system was nice too.

I really, really wanted to get one the first day they were available, but I talked myself out of it until my finances improve (new job, recent move, etc.). I think this is the coolest thing since sliced bread. The price--$19,000 base, $23,000 loaded--is also unbelievable--even cheaper than a Civic hybrid, which it definitely outperforms. My son has done work on hybrid design at the U of W and is very impressed with the technology in this car.

Anybody else try one yet?

[dbhost]

Just FWIW, My 10 year old Saturn sedan, 5 seater gives me 32 MPG when I stuff my foot in it, 35 when I drive like a rational person... That 37 mpg for all that new Hybrid stuff just seems like a lot of promise, and very little delivered...

[germdoc]

Hehe, I don't want to take away your Saturn--it's a CLASSIC!

The CR-Z is rated at 39 mpg for the highway, but with careful driving most people can get more than that from Hondas.

The attraction isn't necessarily the gas mileage per se, but the fact that it's sporty and stylish and cheap for a hybrid.

[chopnhack]

It is an eye catcher, isnt it! My one fear is small car survival.... I just can't see surviving an accident in one of them the way other people drive. It's a physics thing for me, just not enough mass...

[JSUPreston]

It is an eye catcher, isnt it! My one fear is small car survival.... I just can't see surviving an accident in one of them the way other people drive. It's a physics thing for me, just not enough mass...

You're right about that. My daily is an '05 Ram 1500 Crew Cab 2wd. Weighs over 6600 lbs. A couple of months ago, I had some idiot cut me off on the interstate while I was doing 70 in one of those little Smart cars. They then hit their brakes. If I hadn't been paying attention, I would have run over that car and killed the moron driving.

My point, with the smaller car, be careful around those of us who drive land yachts. Don't be the moron in the small car, and watch out for all the morons in the trucks and suv's.

Looks like a fun little car to drive. I would love to add a smaller car for the gas mileage, but I drive so little (less than 6,000/yr) in the truck that I would lose money on just about anything I would buy. Plus, I just recently got an '86 Trans Am to restore with my son (11), so any car money I might have come up with is going to the resto.

[Cochese]

Hate it, to be perfectly honest. The CR was supposed to be a modern version of the CRX - a pocket rocket.

Instead they've saddled it with Hybrid technology and made it anemic. I don't know who is calling the shots at Honda lately, but with this, the Crosstour/ZDX and Platinum Plenum design abominations, they've driven a large number of potential buyers away.

I think they ruined the new Odyssey as well.

[bruffc]

That's kind of a cool looking car but in the Sport video what is that guy, about 5ft tall? He's all over the steering wheel.........

[wft3]

Jetta Tdi

I was able to take advantage of cash for clunker’s last summer and traded my 1991 Jeep Wrangler for a 2009 TDI Jetta. (Great torque for pulling a small harbor freight flat bed trailer and also able to get around mid-40’s MPG with diesel)

[jonathan55]

Ok, so how long a board can you fit in it? Gotta get wood home somehow!

I've seen one park at the Honda Dealer here I think. Nice looking!

Jonathan

[Rand]

I read about the CR-Z in Road and Track. 0-60 in 10 seconds. Yikes.

Spoon Sports (a Japanese Honda Tuner) is developing their version of the car to make it perform better. For several thousand more dollars you can get a Spoon CR-Z that does 0-60 in 7 seconds. It also drops the mileage down to 30 mpg on the highway.

Those numbers are exactly what my 95 Acura Integra GSR got with a 1.8 liter vtec engine.

THat's progress for ya.

[germdoc]

Well no offense guys, you can't criticize it for what it's not. It isn't a Subaru WRT or a Mustang or an Acura. It is way cheaper than most of those cars and a lot safer than an old CRX.

It got a nice writeup in Automobile magazine. It is the 5th most fuel efficient car being sold now, and if you are familiar with Honda hybrids many people can push it another 10-20% more mpg.

It handles well and is a lot of fun to drive. For the type of commuting I do--highway to city to suburbs, some stop and start with long stretches of highway, it seems just about perfect. I go from 0 to 60 in about 20 seconds now, so this would be quite an improvement! ;-)

IMO this is all about outdoing the Prius and pushing hybrids in the direction of sportier vehicles. I'm sure faster hybrids will be produced, but I'm sure they will cost a heckuva lot more than $19,000. For the money I am very impressed with this car.

[Cochese]

If it was about fuel economy, we'd have the clean diesels. Hybrids are all marketing.

[germdoc]

My son who is an engineering student at UW was a member of the Hybrid Team and helped design a hybrid that gets almost 100 mpg. I don't dislike diesels but I think hybrids and advanced battery technology are an important part of addressing future energy needs.

On a related note, one of the problems with my old Honda CR-V was extremely annoying road noise. I decided it wouldn't be wise to buy a new car right now, so I upgraded my old car with new tires and a new Alpine stereo. The change in tires DRAMATICALLY cut down on road noise. I can't believe how much noise I was getting from a moderately worn set of Goodyear Triple Treads.

My commuting comfort has gone up about 200%...

[sailor55330]

The car has nice lines and if it is what you want, then good luck and hopefully you can get it.

My thoughts on Hybrids......I'll pass for now. I live in a very cold climate (MN) where it often reaches -20F and stays below 0 for weeks at a time. I have fears that the batteries weren't designed with this in mind. Let's face it. Cold kills batteries--or so we've always been told.

Plus, I have to admit, I'm not that impressed with the mileage. I remember a year or two ago I read an article that said basicially to cover the cost of the premium you pay for a hybrid with fuel savings alone, you had to drive an average of 68K a year for five years. That's a lot of mileage. My other concern is that when the batteries crap out, what is the replacement cost? They will ultimately die and I'm pretty sure you can't pick those up at just any parts store.

I personally drive a large SUV that weighs nearly 6k pounds, has almost 400hp, can tow a small house, and gets very close to 20mpg. Considering that most hybrids weight approximately 1/3 of that and usually get less than double that mileage with very little towing or hauling, I'm good where I'm at.

political comment deleted by staff due to request by a member.......

I hope the car works out for you!

[billwmeyer]

It sounds like you are sold on the car so go for it! Good luck.

Bill