2011 Honda CR-Z Overview Change Vehicle

This 2011 Honda CR-Z review explains changes for the model year, provides a summary of the 2011 CR-Z, and includes Honda CR-Z safety, reliability, and fuel economy information.

The 2011 CR-Z is one part hybrid, one part sports coupe, and all Honda. Styled to serve as a long-awaited replacement for iconic Honda CRX and packaged similarly to the original Honda Insight, the new CR-Z is a two-seater with a big trunk and the latest version of Honda’s Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) gasoline/electric hybrid powertrain. Designed to provide distinctive style and entertaining performance combined with great fuel economy and low emissions, the CR-Z is a niche model that could elevate Honda’s “green” positioning better than the Civic Hybrid and Insight.

Buying a CR-Z is easy, because it comes pre-packaged in standard CR-Z and CR-Z EX trim levels. The base CR-Z gets power door locks with remote keyless entry, power side mirrors with integrated signal indicators, power windows with automatic operation for the driver’s side glass, automatic projector beam headlights, LED brake lights, a rear wiper and washer, and 16-inch alloy wheels with P195/55 all-season tires. Inside, the CR-Z has automatic climate control, cruise control, a tilt/telescopic steering wheel with illuminated controls, sport seats with a manual driver’s seat height adjuster, a cargo cover, and a cargo area light. A 160-watt stereo with a CD player, MP3/WMA playback capability, an auxiliary audio input jack, and a USB port supplies the soundtrack, and the CR-Z also includes a trip computer and a maintenance minder.

The CR-Z EX adds heated side mirrors, high-intensity discharge (HID) headlights, fog lights, Bluetooth hands-free link, a shift knob trimmed in aluminum and leather, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, aluminum pedals, polished interior trim, dual illuminated vanity mirrors, ambient console lighting, and a premium 360-watt sound system with a subwoofer. The EX is exclusively available with an in-dash, touchscreen navigation system with voice recognition and a digital audio-card reader.

Honda dealers offer numerous accessories to personalize a CR-Z. Among them are 17-inch wheels with P205/45 performance tires, XM satellite radio, an auto-dimming rearview mirror with compass, a center storage armrest, a cargo mat, and a plethora of spoilers and moldings and appliques.

Equipped with the latest iteration of Honda’s Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) hybrid technology, the new CR-Z combines a gasoline-fired 1.5-liter iVTEC four-cylinder engine with an electric assist motor and a nickel-metal hydride battery to produce a combined 122 horsepower at 6,000 rpm. Unlike many hybrids, Honda’s IMA system does not allow the CR-Z to accelerate or operate strictly on battery power.

Honda offers a choice between a six-speed manual or a continuously variable transmission (CVT), and the combined engine torque measures 128 lb-ft between 1,000 and 1,750 rpm with the manual and 123 lb-ft between 1,000 and 2,000 rpm for the CVT. Both transmissions drive the approximately 2,670-lb CR-Z’s front wheels, and the manual includes Hill Start Assist technology to make it easier to get going on hills. Fuel economy estimates are 31 mpg in the city and 37 mpg on the highway with the manual transmission, and 35 mpg city/39 mpg highway with the CVT.

The CR-Z’s features three driver-selectable modes, called Normal, Econ, and Sport. These modes modify the way the electric throttle and steering respond to driver inputs, and how the air conditioning and idle-stop functions operate. As you may have surmised by their titles, Econ mode helps the driver to conserve fuel, while Sport mode makes the CR-Z more fun and responsive. Eco Assist, which adds visual cues to the instrumentation to communicate how efficiently or inefficiently the car is being driven, accompanies the three-mode system.

The CR-Z is equipped with a MacPherson strut front suspension and a simple torsion beam rear suspension. Weight distribution is nose-heavy with almost 60 percent located over the front wheels, despite the placement of the battery pack and hybrid components under the CR-Z’s cargo floor.

Considering that Honda bakes its Advanced Compatibility Engineering (ACE) right into the CR-Z’s structure, and that the little hybrid sport coupe is equipped with dual front, dual side, and dual side curtain airbags along with active head restaints, you’d think it would post better crash-test scores than it does. Let’s hope the standard antilock brakes and stability control system keep CR-Z owners out of trouble.

Granted, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) decided to make it harder to, ahem, “ace” its crashworthiness tests by raising the bar for 2011, but in the new tests the car receives a 3-Star rating for a male driver in the frontal impact test, a 3-Star rating for a male driver in the side impact test, and a dismal 2-Star rating in the frontal impact test for a female passenger. That’s simply unacceptable, especially in a small, lightweight car like the CR-Z that is likely to collide with something larger and heavier.

As for reliability, J.D. Power and Associates thinks it will perform similar to other Honda models, past and present. In other words, the market research firm says dependability will be above average. Consumer Reports does not rate cars during their first year on the market, and has no prediction at this time.

If you’ve known and loved the old Honda CRX, gone from showrooms for nearly two decades, the new Honda CR-Z’s styling is familiar but a little disappointing, having taken on the double chin and thick mid-section that all of us do after 20 additional years on the planet. It’s like walking up to a former flame at a class reunion – the sporty Honda is instantly recognizable, but isn’t as appealing as it used to be.

Slip inside, and you’re transported into Tomorrowland, so futuristic are the styling, materials, and detailing. The front seats are comfortable, too, fronting handy storage bins and a large cargo area. Rear visibility is compromised by the two-piece glass tailgate, so be sure to position the side mirrors properly.

Twist the key, and grab the EX model’s hard, cold, aluminum shift knob. It snicks precisely into gear, and as you release the light clutch, maximum powertrain torque is available almost immediately after you dip into the throttle. The CR-Z isn’t very fast, but it does feel peppy with the manual transmission, and it’s great to drive a hybrid that doesn’t emit the constant, steady state droning of a continuously variable transmission. We managed to get 32.7 mpg on our mountainous 55-mile test loop, running the car is Normal mode and driving it hard on the twisty sections.

In the mountains we discovered that the CR-Z labors up hills and that its simple torsion beam rear suspension struggles with weight transfer and impact absorption. Unfortunately, when driven with vigor, the CR-Z’s handling becomes uncertain, the rear end feeling disconnected and loose on rumpled mid-curve pavement, or when weight transfers during an upshift out of a bend, or when trail braking into a hairpin.

This is disappointing because the CR-Z’s electric steering responds crisply and rarely feels artificial, the driver issuing commands via a perfectly sized and shaped steering wheel. Similarly, the diminutive Honda’s brake pedal provides instant response and better feel than most regenerative braking systems found in other hybrid cars. Combined with the firm and sporty ride quality, these dynamic characteristics make the CR-Z genuinely fun to drive.

It’s too bad the suspension isn’t ready to play.

The 2011 Honda CR-Z is a cute and comfortable city car, ready to carry some cargo. It’s fun to drive in urban and suburban environments, and can blast down a freeway with ease, all the while returning decent fuel economy. The design is stylish, and the interior transports you straight into the future. It’s got a whole bunch of jaunty personality. But, there are shortcomings. First, the NHTSA crash-test scores indicate that occupant protection in a collision is not what it should be. Second, the CR-Z’s handling is not secure enough, in our opinion. Third, Honda’s IMA system is not the most sophisticated hybrid powertrain on the market; it doesn’t even have the ability to run solely on electric power, which is a basic expectation in a modern hybrid. Clearly, there are issues that need to be addressed with this otherwise excellent little green machine.

-- By Christian Wardlaw