Honda Is Entrusting CleanMPG With the 6-speed CR-Z For A Week :D

Hi All:

I was really surprised to see all the interest in the 2011 CR-Z from the membership but am certainly glad to see it!

Joesgot4, that 11 Sonata would be a good choice due to its insanely low cost, well equipped nature and excellent FE for its size.

Aburk4 and Bnther, will do.

Dr61, I will certainly do some hard turns in our local mall parking lot when nobody is there. I am interested in its feel and I can bet it would tear up some of the faster competition at any local autocross due to its short wheelbase, better than Civic handling and the Fit’s powertrain with IMA boosting its output even further.

Regarding the ECO mode. I suspect that reduces A/C load when in use, CC ramp up, improves AS functionality in colder temps, reduces ECU output with a given throttle input ( Tip-in is softened) . Some of these I can test and others I cannot but I am thinking along the lines of the Insight-II’s ECO mode vs. Normal and Sport. Honda added a lot of tweaking but how far they went with the CR-Z is anyone’s guess? The CR-Z’s 1.5L Fit motor and IMA are not that much different other than an additional .2L in displacement and tuned more for acceleration then FE as the Fit is.

JPleong, my sons graduation party is this Saturday but if you want to come up to the Northern Reaches (IL/WI border and 7-miles off of Lake Michigan), PM me! The two together would make a heck of a pic/ride and drive!

Ricardo, let me know if you are interested as we have some paperwork to file if you want…

Sean, I thought it had LATCH connectors built in but that may have been one of the pre-production prototypes we saw way back when??? Before they went to the two seat coupe for the US and Europe received the 2+2 with LATCH.

Robert, I suspect Honda threw away the book on the FE to move toward a far more sporty character. Manuel and I were talking about this before the podcast last night. Spoon and Mugen are doing a lot of body panel and wheel add-on work for the boy racers and the CR-Z could actually turn out to be a true CRX replacement. Not with 500 HP engine mods or anything crazy like that but as a really sharp looking hatch that can be made to look like it came out of a comic book… Sorry for the bad description but that is the only thing I can think of regarding the add-ons and wheels.

Weight. IMA is a 200 pound penalty just by itself. Today’s body structures are probably another 200 to 300 pounds for the safety improvements over the ancient tin cans we used to drive. Add the Airbags and HS Steels for roof crush strength and pretty soon you are talking a real 700 + pounds. The original Insight was an aluminum masterpiece of course but this is more along the lines of a mainstream fun car with really good FE. I have to keep reminding myself that it is not an HCH-II with 80 + mpg capability but a small and “Fun” sports car with Jetta TDI, 250H, and A3 TDI type FE.

Cd – IIRC came in at 0.28. I have yet to post a spec sheet for it and will include it when I do.

Eco / Normal / Sport was probably named as a much more benign term than Normal / Sport / Race. We have to remember that this is not a race car. It is a hot looking hatch that can probably rip up on an autocross course due to its size and power to weight but it is not going to be a high FE Insight or CRX HF replacement. The Emisisons requirments and Precious metal costs are way to restrictive for the Leanburn modes of the past.

The CR-Z by all appearances is simply a different direction that Honda is taking. Whether the CR-Z works out or not from a sales perspective, who knows but to get someone in a 34 or 37 mpg rated mild sports coupe vs. what they could choose to drive seems like an excellent idea and worth the risk imho.

Good Luck

Wayne

 

Hi All:

A beautiful white CR-Z EX w/ NAVI was just dropped off!

I have no-time to drive it today because we are prepping for my son’s Graduation party tomorrow but I did drive it around the block and it has some spirit in it! Familiar instrumentation with a twist, good seat adjustments and it is surely going to be fun… It just got back from the Playboy mansion with all the hotties in it earlier this week so it has to be hot, right

2011 Honda CR-Z EX w/ NAVI


Dave Knotts of G.Schmitts dropping off the little beauty!


Fits well, doesn’t it


A little artistic in the harsh afternoon sun…​

Wayne

 

Hi All:

First Drive to pick up an Ice Cream Graduation Cake at the local DQ with Great America Traffic really screwing things up…



The aFCD tops out at 199.9 mpg as I have an ~ 100’ elevation fall leaving my home with the same climb coming back when I head into downtown Gurnee, IL.

The Good thing is it is really a sporty looker and handler. I pulled into an empty parking lot and swung her hard over at the end to experience. The CR-Z is going to be seen at a lot of Autocross events in the future.

FAS’ing is instant; bump start is the best I have ever experienced. Whenever bringing the car up off the key or a after a FAS , it defaults to normal so you have to tap the ECO button to get it to go in Eco. A small bump in one gear taller than your speed and she comes up without a hint of anything going on. Auto Stop works from 18 mph on down just like the older Insight-I and HCH-I with a stick! Well, the Insight at 22 to 23 mph but still nice to see it vs. the CVT’s at the crazy 5 or 6 mph non-sense.

Staying out of assist is way way easier than past Honda’s while in Eco. I mean you can actually accelerate some without it banging out Assist. I mean no assist until you are really wanting to move from a stop or going to get on it., not just the 4 bar type stuff we are always trying to avoid. Great job Honda!

Seat fabric is really upscale feeling and looking.

Sightlines are not so good through the B/C pillar section, there is no passenger side grab handle to assist people in and out of the passenger side, and there is no center arm rest. To grab the seat belt, you have to reach back behind you with your right hand. No way to get it with your left unless you are severely double jointed.

Eco Assist is done really nice as it’s a small ring section around the speedo/tach vs. the whole area behind the speedo like on the HI-II.

Up and downshift indicators are about as they should be. It has even asked me to upshift twice during the run. Asked three times to downshift as well

Not sure about this one but Three birds over the 6-miles almost committed suicide into the CR-Z while going down the road? Not sure if that was a fluke as I have not experienced that but maybe twice a year in all my travels over the years.

I have to go pick up the Chicken for the party now and will be driving the CR-Z again… Of course

Good Luck

Wayne

 

Hi Ricardo:

It really does look nice... Still playing with the efficiency as I am now down to 67.0

I found a setting to keep Eco on and we'll see if it holds the next time I head out. Possibly tomorrow.

Also, I was in a FAS into the Browns Chicken, Stepped on the Clutch and shifted into gear and it started back up! From a FAS! I tried to repeat that but could not. Also, the NAVI continues live through any manipulation as well. Well designed indeed!

Also, it is your left hand you have to reach back for the seat belt, not your right. It sits about 6" behind the seat and you cannot reach over your body to grab it. You have to reach back with your left, pull it forward and then cross it with your right.

Good Luck

Wayne

 

Hi Ricardo:

With all the people over at my son's graduation party today, the comments from the kids (12 to 23-year olds) were the most catching. Here are just two of them...

Especially with the younger crowd, this thing may be a real sleeper?

Sean, the lower bracket is way back as well so its a grab with the left hand from behind and then move it to your right to cross over.

Also, there is no sun glass holder and the fan for the battery fan runs a lot with temps in the mid 80's to low 90's. With just plastic (no cloth rear seat) in the rear, you can hear the fan running now whereas before in the rest of the Honda hybrids, it was much harder to hear.

Tall sixth gear? Unfortunately not. 55 mph showed > 2K already IIRC First gear is low enough to allow a new driver to get it moving without too much trouble but I am already in fifth gear by 23 mph... Sixth at about 28 mph and the shift indicator at low LOD is already asking for the up-shift from 5th at 30 mph. If only they could have broadened its ratios by at least another 15% or more. It would do us proud but I have to keep reminding myself that this is made for a unique generation of driver. It is not made for 35 to 60 + year old auto journalists, it is truly made for the young hip crowd that wants to be seen and be noticed. And noticed they will be in the CR-Z! I also have to keep reminding myself it is as fuel effcient as the Jetta TDI, TCH, 250h... And from my perspective so far, it can topple them. We will see on the longer highway stretches later on this week...

This is the slickest 6-speed Honda has ever made. While slightly notchy, ICE isolation through both an IMA Key or Bump can be made seamless at any speed.

I think I will take it out towards Iowa on Monday to get a feel for it on both the Interstate and long country roads. I have to get out to a cemetery that my Grand Parents are buried to snap some pics for my dad plus walk down memory lane through my dad’s side of the family’s history in Woden, Iowa. What is left of it anyway?

Wayne

 

Hi Sean:

Someone could drop in the 2+2 seating from Europe or Japan but I do not see it happening. This car is a college student type car, not for a family vehicle other than a third vehicle to drive around and have some fun in.

While I have not looked up or posted the specs yet, its Turning Radius has got to be close to 30' as I pulled a left turn lane U-Turn on the Highway at a light. I went from center of the lane facing North to center of the adjacent lane facing south with maybe a 2' median between the two.

Because of its initial setup to go back Normal on any restart, when you hit Eco, you could feel the pedal input to output change within a 1 second of the switch.

Good Luck

Wayne

 

Hi All:

JPLeong stopped by this morning as he was in town to pick up his wife with his 2010 HI-II.

JP and his 2010 HI-II

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We did some some drives through the neighborhood, local inner city loops and some highway work to see what the Honda CR-Z could do out on the open slab. She may not be the next coming but these 65 to 70-mpg segments keep falling and in my book, that is not half bad!

And while he was here, we may as well take some pics of the brother and sister next to each other, right?

The Two Honda Hybrids standing at Parade Rest



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It was really neat to see the two side by side like this.

JPLeong should be along when he gets back to Cincinnati to give his impressions of the CR-Z possibly tomorrow.

Wayne