And it arrives this Friday!
Wayne Gerdes -
CleanMPG - July 6, 2010
2011 Honda CR-Z at the base of the famous San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge.
The all-new 2011 Honda CR-Z hybrid sports coupe is almost here and CleanMPG was just given permission to take one out for a drive. And it’s the beloved 6-speed stick no less!
While we may not have the backdrop to snap a pic like those in the San Francisco Bay area, I can tell you from first hand experience, the car looks even better in person. During the BMW 1200 GS ride late last month, we saw one of the first CR-Z’s heading to the Washington Press Fleet during a rest stop in Maryland. I spoke with the STI driver (a press fleet coordinator) and her exact word’s were “I love this car”. While she did not know about the aFCD or Eco Assist instrumentation, I cycled through the menus to have a look at the FE of this brand new CR-Z with less than 500 miles on the clock… What else would I be doing inside a CR-Z that was caught in the wild
Her FE was sitting dead on at 36.5 mpg while driving it like a bat out of hell down the I-95.
Although the CR-Z will not be available to the public until late August, its MSRP of just $19,200 makes it a somewhat attractive proposal. While it may not have the fuel economy of the HCH-II or HI-II, it is still as efficient as the rest of the segment but with an ever important additional factor that cannot be described in words just yet. That being it looks fast and should have included the ever important "F" in its moniker standing for “
Fun”.
As we know, the 2011 Honda CR-Z is a slick looking two-passenger coupe with much more aggressive handling characteristics than most hybrids we have experienced in the past. With the Fit’s 1.5L i VTEC 4 mated to Honda’s latest iteration of Integrated Motor Assist (IMA), more performance is all but guaranteed from this light weight 2-seater. The six-speed manual transmission is a first for any hybrid that we have personally ever experienced while the more sedate can choose to drive Honda's Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) including steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters. It is the stick we want and the stick we got that adds to the small sports car flavor while still offering a fuel efficient 34 mpg combined rating. We will be sure to test that rating out too
New for the CR-Z over and above the HI and HCH-II is a new gauge cluster. The Eco Assist indicators are still there but with a twist. Sport, Normal and Eco all have their separate switches and in Sport mode, the dash takes on a demon like red appearance vs. the soft blue and greens during Normal and Eco driving modes.
Infotainment
The CR-Z’s two trims include the well-equipped CR-Z (base)
which now includes Cruise Control standard and the loaded up CR-Z EX. Standard on the base is an AM/FM/CD/USB audio system with six speakers, automatic climate control, power windows, locks and mirrors and remote entry.
And right from the release, the CR-Z EX adds a 360-watt AM/FM/CD high-power audio system with seven speakers – including a subwoofer – Bluetooth HandsFreeLink, leather-wrapped steering wheel. The CR-Z EX is also available with the Honda Satellite-Linked Navigation System with Voice Recognition. All which we hope to experience in the CR-Z headed our way!
While I do not know if we will be driving the Base or the EX yet, the EX’s upscale qualities would be preferred for all the right reasons
Safety
The CR-Z like all recent Honda models before it includes their Advanced Compatibility Engineering (ACE) body structure helping to protect vehicle occupants in the event of a frontal collision. Additional safety tech includes Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA); standard dual-stage, multiple-threshold front airbags; standard front-side airbags with passenger-side Occupant Position Detection System (OPDS); side-curtain airbags; active head restraints; an anti-lock braking system; a tire pressure monitoring system; and a pedestrian injury mitigation design in the front of the vehicle.
MSRP and EPA Details
As we have previously reported, here are the really important details.
| Model | Transmission | MSRP | EPA City/Hwy/Combined (mpgUS) |
| CR-Z | MT | $19,200 | 31/37/34 |
| CR-Z | CVT | $19,850 | 35/39/37 |
| CR-Z EX | MT | $20,760 | 31/37/34 |
| CR-Z EX | CVT | $21,410 | 35/39/37 |
| CR-Z EX | With Navigation MT | $22,560 | 31/37/34 |
| CR-Z EX | With Navigation CVT | $23,210 | 35/39/37 |
MSRP
excludes tax, license, registration, $750 destination charge and options.
With FE matching that of the Audi A3 TDI, VW Jetta TDI and VW Jetta Sportwagen TDI with a stick, and even more when equipped with the optional CVT plus costing thousands less, I think this is going to be a really fun drive… Now I just have to come up with somewhere the wife and I need to go
.
Linear Mode
