No staffer here likes to see a small, light, nimble sports car disappear from the market, and when the CRX was discontinued in 1991, a certain emptiness in Honda’s line-up was created and has arguably existed ever since. Yeah, there was the Civic Del Sol for a few years, but it couldn’t successfully carry the spirit of the CRX.
For the 2011 model year, Honda is introducing a whole new model which, we hope (read: pray), will recapture the soul of that little two-seater that amazed us back when we were teenagers. We say hope because we’re still a few weeks away from driving it.
The brand-new CR-Z, which uses a shortened platform borrowed from the Fit and the Insight, is basically still a small car, still a two-seater, but with a hybrid powertrain. A 16-valve, 1.5-litre inline-4 is matched to a 10-kilowatt electric motor as well as a choice between 6-speed manual and continuously-variable (CVT) transmissions. The combined output is 122 horsepower, while torque totals 128 lb-ft with the manual gearbox and 123 lb-ft with the CVT.
In the CR-Z, the driver will benefit from a three-mode drive system; Sport, Normal and Econ modes all tinker with throttle response, steering boost and IMA (Integrated Motor Assist) effort.
No performance figures have been released, but the CR-Z will have a power-to-weight ratio of 21.6 lbs/hp, versus 20.2 lbs/hp for the 1988 CRX Si. We expect a 0-100 km/h time of about 9 seconds.
Fuel economy, however, is much improved. Honda claims city/highway figures of 5.6 and 5.0 L/100 km with the CVT, and 6.5/5.3 with the 6-speed. In comparison, the aforementioned CRX Si’s ratings were 9.8 and 7.8 L/100 km city/highway. Among today’s fuel economy leaders, only the Toyota Prius, the Honda Insight and the Ford Fusion Hybrid can flaunt better combined figures.
