Honda CR-Z : First Drive

Metallica, Guns N’ Roses, Bon Jovi, Back to the Future, MTV, Atari, Group B rally cars and Fuel Injection – the 1980s was probably the most influential decade for the current generation. It also saw the end of the Cold War, the Chernobyl disaster, the assassination of John Lennon and the massacre at Tiananmen Square. The IBM 5150 which is highly regarded as the first ever personal computer was released in 1981. But why exactly are we talking about things that happened 30 years ago apart from the fact that a major chunk of the ZigWheels staff was born back then? Well, it was also the decade that saw sub-compact sports cars become a cult - small, light, powerful and fuel efficient - these cars were the quickest and cheapest way to get closer to fast acceleration figures for citizens of growing economies. And among these was the Honda CR-X - a two-door hatch from Japan with a 2+2 layout that raked in huge sales figures in the US and in Europe as well as the Middle East. But the CR-X' biggest success story isn’t really from all those years in the past. It is in fact one that has taken place in the present day - in the form of the Honda CR-Z - Japan's 2011 Car of The Year, spiritual successor to the legendary CR-X.

That said the CR-Z is as different a car to the CR-X as a zebra is to a horse. Standing in the cold chill of an approaching Japanese winter, the blood-red CR-Z basked in the warm sun and showed off its curves in splendid galore. The basic body style harks back to the original car from the 80s with its low bonnet-high boot config, but that was just about it. The best part is that Honda’s designers haven’t attempted a CR-X redux, but started afresh with heavy 21st century technology injected in its DNA. Modern-day norms have dictated the CR-Z’s styling quite a bit as can be noticed in the absence of a sharp front end or even the missing flared wheel arches - all sacrificed in the name of increased pedestrian safety, but none of that takes away from the fact that the CR-Z is a super-hot I’d-exchange-one-for-my-girlfriend kind of car. All the way from the horizontal slats on the massive front grille to the split-window rear, it's as if the CR-Z is just tempting you to take it for a drive, and that we did. Strapped into the driver's seat you immediately notice how the CR-Z has been designed around the driver with all the necessary controls centered towards making life behind the wheel as less of a stretch as possible. The small-diameter steering wheel and the funky three-pod instrument cluster that changes colour depending on what mode you’re driving in and how efficiently you’re using your right foot extends the sporty feel that the car's styling starts out with on the outside. The air-con controls are all next to the cluster mound and even the optional sat-nav screen is ever-so-slightly biased towards the driver's view. Then you slot the 6-speed manual transmission into gear and your life changes.

The boffins at Honda's R&D centre have been spending quite some time around researching for advanced engine technology and alternate propulsion systems. We’ve had a taste of their hybrid drive technology right here in India as well in the form of the Civic Hybrid. They call it Integrated Motor Assist or IMA for short and what it does is mate an electric motor to a gasoline engine to help with acceleration and heavy-traffic situations - basically driving conditions that tend to burn up a lot more fuel in a gasoline-only setup thereby bringing emissions down and efficiency up. While the Civic Hybrid may have left yours truly a tad disappointed with the complete lack of performance compared to the normal Civic (going hybrid shouldn't mean sacrificing on driving pleasure now, right?), and the likes of Ferrari and Porsche's hybrid programmes may well be within out of reach, what the CR-Z has attempted to do is bring the performance-hybrid genre within the reach of the more common man.

An estimated 0-100 km/h time of sub-10 seconds is testimony to that fact. I know what you're thinking, but even though the CR-Z isn’t as quick off the line as we enthusiasts would want our rides to be, it still brings about a great balance between going fast, saving the earth and being able to afford doing so. The trick lies not only in the 1.5 litre petrol engine making 124 PS @ 6000rpm and 174 Nm between 1000-1750 rpm but also in the electric motor that is capable of making 13 horsepower and 79 Nm all on its own. With growing environmental responsibilities, this setup has enabled Honda to reduce the driving component of CO2 emissions as far as possible through the life cycle of the CR-Z.

With the little bit of tree-hugging conscience that I have put at ease with knowledge of the CR-Zs clean obsession, there was just one question that really clouded the mind - is this really a sports car? Well, Yes and No. Like we said, it’s a sub-compact sports hatch and with the driving modes in 'normal' or 'eco', the CR-Z will amble along traffic just like any other car with a 1.5 litre engine under the hood. The steering is light and everything is focused at making your commute a little more stress-free. But there is a third switch there which very devilishly says 'Sport'. Flick that and the steering tightens, the throttle stiffens and the CR-Z changes character. The instrument cluster changes to red and with the combined effect of all that, taking corners in the CR-Z just brings a huge smile on your face - so what if it's got a torsion beam suspension setup at the rear! The six-speed manual gearbox does feel a little notchy, but as is with all of Honda’s ‘boxes, was a sheer delight. The CR-Z is even equipped with a start-stop mechanism, so as long as you're in neutral and stopped, the engine shuts off only to start again the moment you engage first gear - and surprisingly, the start up is pretty smooth as well - not irritatingly evident as in some other cars we’ve driven equipped with the micro-hybrid system.

The Honda CR-Z achieves what it set out to do – just like the CR-X did in the 80s. It is priced around the $20,000 (approx. Rs 10 lakh) mark in the US which makes it pretty affordable as well. The styling and hybrid tag will appeal to a hoard of buyers in their 20s and early 30s and the IMA system will reward you with a claimed overall efficiency figure of over 14 kmpl. But more than that, the CR-Z is a car that is truly the stepping stone into the future of the automobile. This is real world stuff folks, 'cause while the likes of the fuel cell propelled FCX Clarity may be some years into the future before the technology can be made cost-friendly, the CR-Z is already here in flesh and blood - and as green as can be!

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Blast from the past!

Born as a sub-compact sports hatch for the Japanese market, the CR-X was also sold in other countries and was a huge hit. With its small frame and FF layout, the 2+2 2-door hatch was a gorgeous vehicle for its time – a design direction that grew on within Honda Motor Company's premises to influence the shape of the Insight, and now the CR-Z so many years later. Debuted in 1984, the CR-X employed a 1.3 litre petrol engine which was later upgraded to a 1.5 and 1.6 litre option as well. Power figures weren't too impressive with the first generation 1.3 making only about 60 PS. By 1991 Honda was installing a 1.6 litre VTEC engine in some markets though and that unit put out around 150 horsepower, giving the CR-X the performance it deserved. Unsurprisingly then, the CR-X moved on to become a big preference for varied forms of motorsport in the late 80s and early 90s and even bagged itself quite a few awards in the process.