Test drove a CR-Z.

[foamypirate]

and I liked it! Didn't have long to test drive it, but I enjoyed it. Test drove the 6spd. Shifter was very precise, fairly short, and the clutch was very natural. I didn't even have to think about it, even though it was completely different from my Accord. I spent most of my time in sport mode, which provided plenty of pep. The bottom end is pretty strong, but not as strong as some people might expect with a torquey electric motor assisting. The engine sounds in the cabin were very nice, it wasn't buzzy like the Fit, instead, it was very (tough) and surprisingly bassy and nice sounding. I could definitely get used to it. Economy mode was...sad. Those little hamsters just couldn't pedal fast enough! I think I left it in economy mode for about 15 seconds, then switched right back to sport.

The suspension was very compliant. I definitely didn't have time to toss it around some corners, but it seems like it would do OK, though the more compliant suspension may be a little loose in the corners.

Fit and finish was very nice, and the controls were all very nicely placed and easy to understand. It took me about 3 seconds to figure out the A/C and stereo controls. The doors were pretty cool looking, with what looked like a metallic "mesh" cloth on the inserts. Very attractive looking.

Overall, I was impressed. I think it succeeds at being "sporty" and a "hybrid" at the same time. It's a fun little car to drive around, and it doesn't feel like a hybrid. It gets an A in my book.

[Tippey764]

Man... they wouldnt let me test drive it unless i did all this crap

[rexload]

Interesting. I would consider this car if they had a high performance model/ not a hybrid. IMO they could have put a cooler engine in it. Perhaps something small displacement turbocharged or supercharged that revs to the moon. Plus factory packages for power/handling (like stage1,2,etc)
IMO it should have been a car that is as fast as the turbo Cobalt but at the same time more fuel efficient and with better handling. Then it would be "sporty" enough for me.

[deevergote]

The Insight Si.


I saw two of them on the highway yesterday. They really are nice looking cars. I'm curious to see how they drive. The concept of a sporty hybrid is cool... but I agree with rexload, Honda really does need something sporty in addition to the Civic Si.

[Julianachos]

[rexload]

So what happened to CR-Y?

[tommi]

So what happened to CR-Y?

[owequitit]

Drove a CRZ too

I literally just got done test driving a CVT model, so I will just add my impressions to this thread.

Frankly, I also came away super impressed. Since I live in geriatricville, the salesmen are having a hard time convincing management to get a 6 speed, but I am on the list to test drive it if they do.

First, the car looks far better in person. The proportions are actually really good, and it has a pretty distinct sense of motion while sitting still.

The interior is very nice and pretty impressive at this price point. The amount of information available to you in regards to getting best MPG is pretty phenomonal. The graphics are good, the overall design is VERY sporty with its central tach and speedo. It has a very pleasing, driver centric feel. The materials are leaps and bounds beyond the Fit. The switch gear feels more substantial, the metallic trim almost looks still molten, and has pretty cool polished clear black plastic buttons. Everything has a well weighted, refined and substantial feel to it. The wiper/blinker stalks move with precision, and fluid, smooth movement. Mostly everything is pretty soft touch, and the metalloid trim is really neat. There are cubbies and storage nooks all over, and everything is well assembled. The ambiance is very similar to a modern, more high tech CRX. The feel once in the car is much like the CRX. The seats are supportive, but not as much as the Civic Si's. The aluminum pedals are pretty neat, and really sort of puts the car somewhere between a pedestrian model and the Si. The steering wheel is fantastic, with soft, high quality leather, a thick rim, and a much more pleasing style than the wheels in current Fit and Civic products. I am glad Honda has been addressing the thin rim issues, because they are uncomfortable, including that in the Si.

The powertrain starts immediately, courtesy of the 14HP starter, and once running idles pretty smoothly. The autostop feature is kind of neat, but takes a little getting used to as the engine comes to life when you press the gas to step off. The thing that surprised me the most was the car's ability to get effortlessly up to speed. It really does feel like a bigger engine in normal driving. Very smooth, very quiet, and pretty sporty sounding. The CVT's ability to simulate ratios was appreciated, as I hate the power delivery of CVT's when they are functioning normally. I personally though 7 ratios were a little excessive, but since the trend is more these days, what can you do?

The downside to the powertrain is that it really doesn't feel much stronger as you wind up the revs. It doesn't exactly suck, but you have to recalibrate what you expect from a Honda powertrain. It pulls pretty linearly to redline, but really has no rush like a typical Honda engine. The L15 also gets a bit thrashy above about 5500 RPM, but never sounds bad. It maintains a pretty good engine note all the to redline, with a pretty good exhaust growl. Frankly, I think a hybrid K20Z3 would be fantastic, as you would still get the high end rush, but the IMA would just about perfectly fill in where the K20 is weakest. Acceleration isn't overwhelming, but isn't exactly tepid either. Going from the Si to the CR-Z, there is definitely a loss in power, but honestly, when driving the Si around town, the CRZ would have not had any trouble keeping up. Apparently, the 6MT makes the car much more lively. Hopefully, I will get to try one.

The car rode very solidly and seemed pretty quiet, with good suspension compliance. What surprised me most was how substantial and refined this chassis felt, especially for the size of car, and at the pricepoint. The structure was super solid, and the ride quality was pretty fantastic, especially when compared to the fit. The car handled like it had a nice, low CG and didn't seem to roll over too badly in turns, although I know that its ultimately limits aren't very high, and I didn't get to take it on any majorly bad roads, and although I did some curvy driving, it was pretty limited. The visibility to the rear corners is pretty bad. The side windows are all but useless. Visibility to the rear is about like the CRX, so that didn't bother me much.

Overall, I was able to average REALLY impressive MPG according to the instant readout. It is also sort of cool how the display changes colors as you change modes/driving style. I don't think in normal driving around town, it would be hard to get 40MPG or more. On the highway, it should be slightly higher than that.

The 3 mode system is pretty cool too, because it really isn't gimmicky. There is a distinct change in the way the car behaves from one mode to the next. I agree that ECO mode sucks. It is flaccid, unresponsive, and doesn't really go anywhere. Normal mode still allows you to get nearly equal mileage, but is much more responsive. I think most people would find this mode to be OK for most situations.

Sport mode recalibrates the fuel mapping, throttle mapping, transmission responsiveness (this is the mode with 7 simulated ratios), and the steering effort/responsiveness. You can definitely tell a difference, as the car is a lot more responsive and eager in this mode.

Honestly, I was extremely impressed with this car. My only real complaint is that the gas engine isn't more capable, but if your thing is MPG, then it will be fine. It isn't exactly slow, but it isn't exactly fast either. Honestly, it is probably about like a stock CB7, but with way better mileage. If there was a sporty trim, with say a hybrid K20, I think I would be all over this car.

Feature content was really good for the price. Fully loaded with nav and CVT, the car stickered at just over $23K, but the 6MT model would be about $400 less. For that price it comes with power windows, locks and mirrors, cruise control, steering wheel audio controls, moonroof, HID headlights with auto on/off, foglights, led tails, variable intermittent wipers, USB, VSA, EBD, aluminum pedals, bluetooth, aux input jack, 360 watt audio system, and automatic climate control, as well as all the hybrid functionality features, as well as a ton of safety features.

It isn't a traditional "sporty car," but rather an interesting execution of a fairly new concept. It takes the relative perceived virtues of a hybrid, but actually makes it drive like a normal car. The car has some semblance of chassis response, the brakes are linear, the powertrain is linear, it looks nice and is in fact, "sporty." It isn't an Si, or a 911 turbo, but it is a good start to a product line that is surely going to include more products, thanks to Obama's greatly increased CAFE standards. The fact that it is able to give you the hybrid's virtues, without any of the weird driving issues, speaks very loudly for the car, and its potential.

Of course, from an enthusiast's perspective, if you were to get an L15 powered car, there is plenty of room to replace the exhaust downpipe and cat with a turbo, or even to supercharge the gas engine. As in the HKS link I posted, the car certainly has some potential, and apparently, much like the Fit, it responds incredibly well to suspension mods. It is very much a reincarnation of the CRX. Probably not an Si, but it certainly has potential. Here is to hoping for an Si version. The most encouraging thing for me, was that this shows that Honda CAN build an incredibly substantial, well equipped and refined car still. It is also very much a Honda, in that much as the original CRX seemed to allow impressive MPG, while still being a hoot to drive, this car manages to reconcile some of the same issues, with modern technology.

It won't be for everyone, but I would recommend giving it a try.

[wherm]

I just saw one driving today, I thought it looked way better in person than in pictures. What company is gonna be the first to drop a K series in one?

[bcjammerx]

well it looks good...I will give it that.

[sandman61377]

Interesting. I would consider this car if they had a high performance model/ not a hybrid. IMO they could have put a cooler engine in it. Perhaps something small displacement turbocharged or supercharged that revs to the moon. Plus factory packages for power/handling (like stage1,2,etc)
IMO it should have been a car that is as fast as the turbo Cobalt but at the same time more fuel efficient and with better handling. Then it would be "sporty" enough for me.

A car that's as fast as the Cobalt SS-SC with better handling and Honda quality fit and finish, and Honda reliability, would be a $35,000 car. At least. It'd end up being an Acura in the US, probably, instead of a Honda.

[ric3rboi23]