Honda will cease production of the HONDA CRZ - Not gonna miss it much actually.

One of the most disappointing Honda cars in recent history has recently been confirmed to be discontinued. According to some the Honda CRZ was being discontinued with the launch of the CRZ Final Label in Japan. Then we received word that Honda was officially ceasing production of this small hybrid sports car. So the CRZ Final Label is indeed the end of this hybrid sports car. The news mentioned that the CR-Z will be discontinued at the end of the year to make room for the Accord Hybrid and Clarity Fuel Cell cars. 

The CRZ to me was the most underwhelming Honda sports car in recent history. It was also the car that Honda did not realise it to its fullest potential. It was launched as a compact sports car with a hybrid powertrain. In 2010 when it was first launched everyone was all over it. People thought it was the second coming of the Honda CRX sports compact (below). The CRX was a real sporty little car with about 160hp in its most potent form that allowed the little CRX to really feel ballistic and fast. It was super light too - under 1000kg and the power to weight ratio made it pretty fast actually. I know as I had been in a few. I was one of those kids who played with cars in the 1990s remember?

 The CRZ however was heavier, over 1,200kg and was powered by a hybrid 1.5liter engine and electric motor powertrain that made 122 combined horsepower and 173Nm of torque (it later went up a bit to about 130hp). So in other words, this car was a poof compared to the earlier CRX. When it was launched, Honda wanted it to be sporty, efficient and inexpensive. It was barely sporty - 0-100kmh in around 9.5 seconds with a manual in 2010. Back then Honda sold it in Malaysia at under RM120,000 as it had a hybrid tax exempt. With tax it went up to RM189,000. Which was really pricey for a car that was slow compared to a Golf 1.4TSI (under 9secs 0-100kmh). But at the earlier price, it was still slower than a turbocharged Golf 1.4 at the time. It could be only slightly faster than a Honda Civic 2.0 auto actually. This was sad.

This car was more of a car for hairdressers as Honda did not shove in a 2.0liter inside it. It was all about efficiency and Honda trying to be environmentally conscious. I suppose this was the correct thing to do in the late 2000s when the car for designed. The world suffered from a slight recession and fuel prices were climbing. This was the time when Honda started its design on the really shoddy ninth generation Honda Civic. So this was the time Honda designed the CRZ. And this showed. The CRZ was all about saving the whales, saving the trees and not about anyone with the need for speed. You had to mod one yourself if you wanted a small  new Honda sports car experience. Or just buy one of the old ones and keep on driving them. Honda wanted us to hug trees and not go very fast in the CRZ actually. All flash and no dash.

So I suppose this is why I am not really mourning for the CRZ's demise. Honda did not unlock one single bit of its potential. They may have teased Mugen versions with it but it was never really promoted or sold. Too bad Honda. This car could have been talked about for generations in an epic way. Now, not many are going to do so. I mean what the heck could they talk about? Performance? The Ford Fiesta 1.0 EcoBoost makes 125hp and could even have better fuel economy than what the 1.5liter with electric coudl do. Maybe Honda should have done a 1.0liter turbocharged engine instead. But no. Honda at that point of time still needed convincing that boost was the way to go.  Honestly, I do not want to kiss a whale or hug a tree. I want a CRX replacement. 

It has taken Honda awhile to see and what I see is the missed potential of a proper sports car in the CRZ. Rust in peace CRZ. If only more were done at the factory by your makers. 


(c) 2016 motoring-malaysia.blogspot.com