The most awaited part of my week of coexistence with the Honda CR-ZGT, the moment of check how it goes this small coupé in the multiple situations that we can find ourselves in our day to day.
As soon as I put the key in the cláusor I see something that I don't like, or that seems silly to me. We have to turn the key to put the ignition on, but the engine starts by pressing a starter button. It is redundant. Luckily, the small 1.5 hp 121 engine comes to life quickly and with a suggestive sound, this is a very good engine signed by Honda. As I mentioned yesterday, the gasoline engine is helped by an electric 20 hp (137 hp combined). It's a hybrid, but cannot work in purely electric mode.
Four driving modes
The Honda CR-Z has four driving modes, ECON, Normal and Sport, in addition to Sport +. It's easy to guess what the differences are. Mainly varies throttle response. Depending on the way in which we circulate, the electric motor will push with more force. Sport + mode is activated via a round button on the steering wheel in the purest Fast & Furious style, and it only works when the battery charge exceeds 50% and is listed in the “Ready S+” box. When pressed, this reading will flash and just by accelerating a little more the electric motor will push with all its will. All this on paper, in practice is the same or even better.
Certainly ECON mode is pretty giddy. The accelerator is very insensitive and it is difficult to gain speed. For the city with relaxed driving it is perfect, yes, but on the road it is a true Sunday driver and we will all end up in Normal or Sport. Together with the gear change indicator (up and down) and the speedometer that changes color depending on the type of driving, we can achieve good consumption, as we will see later.
Normal mode is just that, normal. The throttle response is clearly higher than in eco mode and the electric motor is usually more present in acceleration processes. It is the most suitable way To drive on the highway or on the road in normal conditions, if we want a better response, we will have to go to Sport mode.
In Sport the box lights up red and we get a bad boy smile on our faces. The electric motor strongly pushes and the car moves with great ease, almost surprising. The models prior to the recent restyling were criticized for a lack of power. From my point of view, now, with a charge in the batteries (we will deal with this topic in depth), the car has enough power to have fun. It is true that it could have more and be a more fun toy, but it would also lose some of its green charm. By the way, you have to hear how it sounds near the cut located at 7.500 laps, glory.
The last mode of this Honda CR-Z, the Sport +, is a kind of overboost or KERS, which puts the electric motor to work hard to gain speed with ease. It is what I liked the most. It is surprising to circulate in the city in fourth gear at about 50-60km/h and to press the button. The car recovers much better than any turbodiesel or gasoline with similar characteristics. It is a bomb what this mode provides and what speeds up driving, allowing you to practice efficient driving but always with a reserve of power. In Sport mode this button is meaningless, because we can give the same commands with the throttle.
Already in any mode, if we go low turns and give gas the electric motor is what makes us gain speed, when in other conventional cars we would only be able to increase consumption, mechanical efforts and gain speed as if we were a snail.
The stop-start (non-disconnectable) will work in either mode, and is, to date, the best i've ever tasted, even surpassing those of PSA (not so other Hondas like the Civic 1.6 diesel). The stop and start are practically imperceptible and the engine only comes to life when we lock the speed, that is, drivers who are used to pressing the clutch at traffic lights would not cancel the automatic stop and start function. He waits until the last moment, but in any case he is faster than us and we will always be able to get out without problems. The only downside, if the car stalls, it doesn't start on its own.
Authentic sports car feel
Obviously the Honda CR-Z has a sporty look that makes the whole world turn in its path. People imagine that it has a very powerful gasoline engine and that it is a top-of-the-line sports car. In the first they are wrong, but in the second they are not misguided. The touch of the Honda CR-Z surprises.
As soon as we ride we see that the driving position is very sporty (short and stretched), although the seat, with good lateral grip, does not allow too many adjustments. We are far from a short gear lever with an exquisite touch, with short and precise routes and a book interlock. The steering wheel is small and pleasant to the touch, and best of all, it is connected to a very direct steering (2,5 turns between locks) with which driving around curves is wonderful, because it is also somewhat communicative. The feel of the pedals is also very comfortable, and especially the brake is very natural (something that does not happen in all hybrids with regenerative braking).
On the terrain
When we think of a sports car, we always think that it is going to be uncomfortable. Nothing is further from reality. It is true that for motorway trips it does not equal many cars in comfort, but kilometers are not heavy and the car has a good response, until we left the battery dry (you see that it is a recurring theme).
In the city it is the same where the CR-Z comes out worst. Going at ground level makes us lose visibility between traffic and at merges. The suspensions are not excessively hard, although the back is a bit dry in some bumps. When it comes to parking, everything from the B-pillar conditions visibility, because aesthetics and aerodynamics have prevailed more. Even so, helping us with the mirrors and parking sensors of this GT finish, everything is easier. This handicap is offset by the looks of passers-by and fellow traffic lights, it's fun, but it's even more so on winding roads.
With the Honda CR-Z GT I have had the opportunity to get from Vitoria to my town in a way that I had never imagined. Stability is really good, and although there are a few swings, the line does not break down. It's a real bully, which will only make us a stranger if we go too far, and that's where the stability control will appear. You like to go fast, because it gives confidence and you can have a lot of fun, because there are cars that go faster, but not everything is speed. This Honda CR-Z does reach the maximum it declares, and exceeds it.
Adjusted consumption
The Honda CRZ has surprised me by its adjusted consumption. On the highway and national, at legal rates, the consumption of the marker remained at 5.8 liters (favored by the last stretch of national), which when filling the tank remained at 6 real liters. Six liters is what the on-board computer marked after 1.200 kilometers of testing.
In a mixed city-highway use and at higher rates, consumption remained at 6.7 liters, while it should be noted that in 125 kilometers, from Boceguillas to Madrid on the A1, the marker stood at 4.6 liters, practicing efficient driving while driving at the maximum legal speed, even going up Somosierra. A lighter with Honda reliability.
The downside: A low-capacity battery
The only dynamic drawback of the Honda CR-Z is a few low-capacity batteries. On long highway slopes or ports where we require, the car will help them, exhausting them. In those moments in which we only have the 1.5-liter engine, we can notice a lack of power that disappoints us a bit, although we can verify that the delivery of torque is very linear. If we drive on the road, making use of brakes, retentions, ups and downs, at a fast pace it will be more difficult to spend them.
With all this I think it is clear that I liked the Honda CR-Z very much. It is not cheap for what it is (or expensive, mind you), nor as practical as almost the rest of the cars in the world, but it's cute, fun and addictive. Tomorrow will be the day that we review the range, prices included, and draw some conclusions taking into account the whole, beyond the dynamics, where it is a car with an excellent grade.
Most of the photographs that illustrate this article have been taken in the Minano Technology Park (Álava), whom we thank for their collaboration. The model in the photos is Monk Conception, who must also be thanked for his predisposition.
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