2012 Honda CR-Z Overview Change Vehicle

This 2012 Honda CR-Z review explains changes for the model year, provides a summary of the 2012 CR-Z, and includes Honda CR-Z safety, reliability, and fuel economy ratings.

The Honda CR-Z is a two-seat hybrid styled to recall both the old Honda CR-X of 20 years ago and the original Insight that debuted a decade ago. Relatively fun to drive as hybrids go, and affordable to boot, the CR-Z has no direct hybrid competitors in its bid to entice driving enthusiasts who are looking to go green.

Honda CR-Zs painted Crystal Black Pearl now get black cloth seat fabric, replacing the gray mesh upholstery. All other CR-Z’s keep the gray interior décor. Otherwise, the 2012 Honda CR-Z is unchanged from last year.

Few things in life are as simple as selecting a new 2012 Honda CR-Z. Standard and EX trim levels are available, and the only factory option is a voice-activated, touch-screen navigation system for the EX model.

All Honda CR-Zs are equipped with automatic climate control, power windows with automatic operation for the driver’s side glass, power door locks with remote keyless entry, power mirrors with integrated turn signal indicators, cruise control, and a tilt/telescopic steering wheel. Both occupants sit in cloth-trimmed sport seats, and the driver gets a manual height adjuster. The stereo boasts 160 watts of power, and features a USB port, an auxiliary audio input jack, MP3/WMA playback capability, and if you’re rocking it old-school, a CD player. A trip computer lets you keep an eye on fuel economy, a maintenance minder system lets you know when its time for service, and the cargo area is equipped with a cover and a light. Automatic on/off headlights, LED brake lights, and a rear window wiper/washer system are standard, and the CR-Z rolls on 16-inch aluminum wheels.

While the standard CR-Z is nicely equipped in its own right, the CR-Z EX provides compelling reason to upgrade. This model supplies Bluetooth hands-free connectivity and a premium sound system, along with heated side mirrors, high-intensity discharge headlights, and fog lights. Additional upgrades include an aluminum and leather shift knob, aluminum pedals, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, fancier interior trim, ambient lighting, and dual illuminated vanity mirrors. Choosing the EX model is also the only way to get an in-dash, touchscreen navigation system with voice recognition and a digital audio-card reader installed in a CR-Z.

If that’s just not enough stuff, Honda dealers are happy to equip a CR-Z with a range of accessories. Highlights from the extra-cost catalog include satellite radio, an auto-dimming rearview mirror with a compass, a cargo mat, a center storage armrest, 17-inch alloy wheels with P205/45 performance tires, and a variety of body trim add-ons like spoilers, moldings and appliques.

While the Honda CR-Z’s racy bodywork might be the reason some people are drawn to the car, others find the hybrid powertrain appealing. The CR-Z is equipped with a 1.5-liter gasoline-burning four-cylinder engine assisted by an electric motor powered by a nickel-metal hydride battery that’s recharged through a regenerative braking system.

The resulting Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) system makes a combined 122 horsepower. Torque output is dependent on transmission selection. With the standard six-speed manual gearbox, the CR-Z generates 128 pound-feet between 1,000 and 1,750 rpm, and with the available continuously variable transmission (CVT) this Honda sport coupe provides 123 lb-ft of twist between 1,000 and 2,000 rpm. Either way, this level of output is adequate enough to make the 2,670-lb., front-wheel-drive CR-Z feel speedy enough. Notably, models with the manual gearbox are equipped with Hill Start Assist, and the CVT includes paddle shifters for greater control over power delivery.

Because it is a “mild” hybrid rather than a “full” hybrid, the CR-Z cannot accelerate or operate strictly on battery power. The idle-stop feature shuts the four-cylinder engine off as the CR-Z comes to a halt and while it is not moving, and fires it back up again the moment the driver steps on the accelerator.

Sometimes the idle-stop feature doesn’t engage at all, depending on which of three modes the driver has selected: Normal, Econ, or Sport. These settings determine the way the drivetrain and steering respond to driver inputs, and how the air conditioning and idle-stop functions operate. Econ mode helps the driver to conserve fuel, Sport mode makes the CR-Z more fun to drive, and Normal model is somewhere between the two. Eco Assist technology is designed to encourage greener driving habits through visual cues included in the instrumentation.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Blah, blah, blah. What about fuel economy, you ask? The EPA says the manual transmission will return 31 mpg in the city and 37 mpg on the highway while the CVT is expected to get 35-mpg city/39-mpg highway.

Unfortunately for Honda, the 2011 CR-Z chalked up a pretty big fail in the form of crash-test scores from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Despite the fact that Honda engineers developed the CR-Z’s structure employing the tenets of its Advanced Compatibility Engineering (ACE) philosophy, and even though the CR-Z is equipped with dual frontal-impact, dual side-impact, and dual side-curtain airbags, it produced a dismal 2-Star performance in the frontal-impact test for a female passenger.

As this review is written, the NHTSA has not carried the CR-Z’s frontal-impact crash-test scores forward for the 2012 model year, indicating that the car will be re-tested at some point. Other scores – a 3-Star side-impact rating and a 4-Star rollover resistance rating – are valid for 2012.

In testing conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the CR-Z turns in a better performance, receiving the best rating of Good in the offset frontal-impact, side-impact, and rear-impact evaluations and an Acceptable rating for roof crush strength.

Like those IIHS crash-test scores, reliability predictions from Consumer Reports and J.D. Power and Associates are favorable. In fact, Consumer Reports gives the CR-Z its highest possible predicted reliability rating, and J.D. Power expects the CR-Z to provide well above average reliability.

The Honda CR-Z’s weight distribution is nose-heavy with almost 60 percent of curb weight located over the front wheels, despite the placement of the hybrid components and the battery pack under the CR-Z’s cargo floor. Models with the manual transmission are slightly better balanced than models with the CVT.

Speaking of cargo, the CR-Z can carry a healthy 25.1 cubic-feet of stuff behind its front seats. That’s huge for a car like this. Of course, it can also only carry two people.

Thanks to the Honda IMA hybrid powertrain, the Honda CR-Z is rated as an AT-PZEV vehicle, or Advanced Technology Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle.

Last year, our primary concern about the Honda CR-Z was directly related to its substandard front-impact crash-test scores from the NHTSA. This year, the NHTSA does not assign the same scores to the car as it apparently plans to crash another one to see if it does better. Also, ratings from the IIHS are, literally, good. That leaves us to grouse only about the fact that Honda’s IMA hybrid system cannot power the CR-Z on electrical juice alone, and that the sport coupe’s handling feels a little unsecure when driven with gusto. Otherwise, we’re fans of the stylish, futuristic, fuel-efficient, and fun-to-drive 2012 Honda CR-Z.

By Christian Wardlaw