Among other claims, Honda will one day go down in history as being the first manufacturer to create, in the shape of the CR-Z, a hybrid sports car. This wasn't a ground-up exercise, since the CR-Z uses more or less the same drivetrain as the Insight, which to some of us might be thought of as an unpromising start but at least means it's definitely a hybrid.I say "more or less" because although the two cars share the same electric motor and battery pack, the CR-Z has a larger version of the four-cylinder petrol engine (1.5 litres rather than 1.3) and has a greater power output, from the engine and motor combined, of 124bhp. The top speed, naturally enough, is also greater at 124mph, and the 0-62mph time is around ten seconds. (Actually it depends on which trim level you choose - the more money you spend on equipment, the longer the car takes to get to 62mph, though since we're only talking about the odd tenth here and there it's not something you're going to be aware of.)On the other side of the coin, the CR-Z is noticeably less "green" than the Insight, with combined economy and CO2 emissions of 56.5mpg and 117g/km rather than 64.2mpg and 101g/km. In tax terms, both are exempt from VED in the first year, and the CR-Z costs £30 annually thereafter while the Insight costs £20. The greater fuel consumption will have much more effect on your wallet, though that still doesn't mean that the CR-Z will be particularly expensive to run.So much for the hybrid stuff. There's also the question of how good a sports car the RC-Z is. The performance figures quoted above show that it's not exactly a tarmac-burner, though in fact they're very similar to those of the 1.8-litre Mazda MX-5. Now, I'm not going to sit here and tell you that the two cars have comparable driving experiences, because they simply don't. An MX-5 is a delight to drive even when you're pottering around at little more than walking pace looking for somewhere to park. The CR-Z is dull and lifeless by comparison.However - and oddly for a car whose maker places such an emphasis on its environmental credentials - the CR-Z becomes a lot more interesting when you start to drive it hard. This is something you would never want to do in an Insight because the 1.3-litre engine sounds like a strangled duck when put under any kind of pressure. The CR-Z's 1.5, in great and pleasing contrast, sounds rorty and purposeful, and you might rev it to the red line simply for the fun of it.The handling improves as the stress levels increase too. Again, it never approaches MX-5 levels, but it does attain a condition which might conceivably be described as sporty. The steering, which is one of the best bits both of the CR-Z and of the Insight, is smooth and precise, and I never reached a point where the front end began to feel as if it was being pushed too hard into corners.The CR-Z is a more enjoyable car than I thought it would be before I first drove one for the purposes of our launch review. It does have its problems, though. It feels like a very low-quality car, built down to a price (which may have been a deliberate attempt to keep the most expensive model at around the £20,000 mark despite the cost of all the hybrid gubbins), and its rear blind spots are so hostile to the driver that I can't help suspecting Honda would have nailed planks of wood over the rear window if it thought it could get away with such villainy.This, I think, is a safety issue, since it would be all too easy to reverse into someone you couldn't see. In other aspects of safety, though, the CR-Z is very impressive. Euro NCAP gave it a five-star overall rating after crash testing it, and awarded very high scores of 93% for adult occupant protection, 80% for child occupant protection, 71% for pedestrian protection and 86% for safety assist, while also putting it in the top category for whiplash prevention.The CR-Z Sport reviewed here looks like being the best-seller in the range, though the entry-level S is £1000 cheaper. For £2000 more you can have the S, which comes as standard with a panoramic sunroof, heated front seats, automatic lights and wipers, auto-levelling headlights, front foglights and Bluetooth connectivity, but not with satellite navigation which is an extra-cost option, and isn't available at all on the S or Sport. Engine 1497 cc, 4 cylinders Power 114 bhp @6100 rpm Torque 107 ib/ft @4800 rpm Transmission 6 speed manual Fuel/CO2 56.5 mpg / 117 g/km Acceleration 0-62mph: 10sec Top speed 124 mph Price From £18026.00 approx Release date 05/06/2010
Our Rating
