Behind the Wheel of Honda’s Sporty 2011 CR-Z Hybrid

The Environmental Protection Agency’s suggested fuel economy figures don’t tell the whole story when it comes to the 2011 Honda CR-Z. The new two-seater hatchback is intended to reinvigorate the market Honda lost when the sporty CRX was dropped from its product line in 1991, but the CR-Z is a hybrid, utilizing Honda’s proven Integrated Motor Assist technology. Honda is calling the new model a ‘personal sport hybrid coupe,’ aimed at a youthful market with green sensibilities.

Putting a sporty spin on hybrids is a great idea, but we were initially surprised by the CR-Z’s projected fuel economy figures. EPA estimates have the CVT model delivering 35 mpg in the city and 39 mpg on the highway, with 37 mpg combined. The manual’s numbers are 31 mpg, 37 mpg, and 34 mpg combined.

The CR-Z has a three-mode drive system that allows the driver to select between Sport, Normal, and Economy driving. Pushing the Econ button left of the steering wheel tunes the car for maximum fuel efficiency, changing the IMA assist programming and reducing the air conditioner’s load on the engine. The problem is…EPA fuel economy testing was done in the Normal mode, not Econ, resulting in lower fuel economy estimates.

Fortunately, the CR-Z is capable of much better fuel economy in real-world driving than the EPA numbers suggest. This car looks like it should deliver about 50 mpg. At the Honda media introduction, EPA fuel economy figures were accurate when the car was driven without regard for fuel economy in Normal or even Sport modes. However, selecting the Economy setting and driving conservatively allows the CR-Z will sip fuel with the best of ‘em. We’ll reserve judgment for real-world testing with a production model, but it seems that frugal driving habits can easily push this Honda well into the upper 40 mpg zone, if not higher.

Output of the 1.5-liter i-VTEC four-cylinder engine and IMA hybrid electric drive is estimated to be 122 horsepower at a lofty 6,000 rpm, with 128 lb-ft of torque available between 1,000 and 1,500 rpm for the manual and 123 lb-ft for the CVT. Weighing in at roughly 2,700 pounds, that’s enough punch for spirited driving. The CR-Z we drove with the six-speed manual is a lot of fun to drive, with instant torque from the electric motor making acceleration through the first three gears quite satisfying. At higher freeway speeds, that torque isn’t available.

Honda designed the production CR-Z with its Advanced Compatibility Engineering (ACE) body structure along with other advanced safety features like standard dual-stage, multiple-threshold front air bags, front side air bags, side curtain air bags, and active head restraints. Other safety features include standard anti-lock brakes and a tire pressure monitoring system.

The CR-Z is a home run in the styling department, following the sleek lines of the CR-Z concept car Honda debuted several years ago at the Tokyo Motor Show. Green Car Journal will bring you a full review on the CR-Z when regular production models are available for testing.