I've always felt the CR-Z was just that LITTLE BIT off from being a decent sports compact, with the lack of power being the major issue. For next year, it gets a wee bump (+13) in HP. Doesn't sound like much, right? But that's about a 10% increase and I know a lot of y'all would give your back teeth for a 10% bump in Fitpower, amirite? (It's both an engine improvement but also a switch to a Li-Ion battery, which I would guess will lighten the car as well!) And it's a nice cosmetic freshening too - subtle changes move it from "drooling" to "smiling".

I don't expect this to make any difference to sales really - what counts is first impressions and automag reviews, and Honda always shoots itself in the foot by delivering the complete package only when the car is halfway aged already. I wonder if this is now a car that an enthusiast would seriously consider .. what do you think?

2013 Honda CR-Z is a greener shade of purple

 

Needed K20 from the jumpoff, the CRZ remains the most confused "sports car" ever released and it looks like it will remain that way.

Ecophiles get the Insight and Hybrid Civic, why in the world they released this car like this will forever be beyond me, and apparantly Honda as well.

 

hey, i thought honda was going to make a non-hybrid one. :( oh well.

 

"If the battery is at least 50-percent full, a push of the S+ button engages additional electric boost for up to ten seconds."

Kind of sounds like it has KERS. That's kind of cool

 

This is going back a few years mind you, but back in the late 80's early 90's, Ford wanted to produce a bare bones car. Kinda like the old Road Runner. But this car was going to have no interior to speak of. One race seat. 3 gauge cluster. No radio. No A/C, no electric nothing. We are talking about a shell, a seat, and an engine that was so simple that anybody could work on it. They were going to sell this car for $7 000.

Perfect for DIY'ers, modders, you get the idea. They were trying to get the 16-24 guys as a demographic.

Well the industry was all abuzz. Then, Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) got involved and the project died at the auto show. They said to many kids would end up in a ditch. The insurance companies agreed and ford backed down. It never got produced.

That CRZ looks nice. But there is so much technology in that thing that it takes the fun right out of it IMO.

I think Honda needs a bare bones, race inspired, DIY friendly little racer.

 

I do agree that is kind of cool, "push to pass" button.

Would be unneeded if it had a K, you could just push the gas pedal lol

Nice addition anyway.

 

I really like the CRZ, always have. I think it's a sharp looking vehicle.
Probably the only thing that keeps me from owning a CRZ vs. The Fit, is that for me? I only can afford to own and operate 1 vehicle. The CRZ is just not practical enough. The Fit, gives me a sporty interior....at least a sporty "feeling" to drive....and I can actually use it on a daily basis for tasks as mundane as shopping and hauling.

 

I think I'll bypass the CRZ til they get right with Sochiro and bump hp to at least 175.
Even ford knows better; the hybrid C gets 47 mpg with 188 hp priced at $26k due by november.'There's absolutely no reason why a forced induction CRZ 1.5 wouldn't make the car a worthy successor to the CRX. Call it the everyone's sports car answer to the Porsche hybrid..
Keep on, Honda til you fall back in the pack. Its even rumored Hyundai/Kia is developing a proper CRZ. That'll be funny, Koreans scuttle Honda. As for sales, whats the current CRZ got? a hundred day supply? If they'd done the job the way Sochiro would have, we'd have a 200 hp hybrid CRZ and a 90 day waiting for cars. Hybrids are great but the real market is for performance hybrids.
Honda always had the economy performance leadership but noiw seem to be giving it up.

FYI: resale values of CRZ's are not looking up. The CRZ sales in 2012 only 3126 cars and only 392 in August going down from 961 in July; Mazda Miata sales were 4576 this year, 560 in August; Subaru BRZ 2210; and Toyota FRS 6332. A supercharged CRZ is likely the quickest route to making up for lost time. Honda needs to get with it.

 

You might be surprised on supply. The dealer I bought from said they always sold them within a few days. Then again, they also don't order very many. I can't blame them - what % of buyers are looking for a two-seater? Even Mazda is light on the MX-5 inventory at dealerships; they're just too impractical.

Hyundai already HAS tried to make a CRZ-beater - the Veloster. And it will beat it, in sales. But the reviews always say that the steering is limp, the shifter imprecise, and suspension control not so good. These are exactly the same criticisms of the Genesis coupe, the Tiburon, the Elantra GT, the Genesis luxury sedan.

Hyundai, like Toyota, can make a perfectly good car at a very reasonable price. I respect both companies and I like their products. If you want to make a great car, you need the institutional (people) knowledge that only comes from decades of motorsports participation; from taking the time and money in the development process of every car to dial in the suspension (and learn something for the next one!); from not letting transmissions or engines out the door until they pass the test-driver-likes-it test (not just whether it hits the benchmarks). Honda, Mazda, Ford, Subaru get this.

Hyundai will make a driver's car one day. Just .. not today. :D

 

I'm trying to see where all the hate is coming from? I get by just fine DD'ing my CRZ. I've never had a problem with lack of room to haul stuff. The car gets better MPG than my Fit ever did. It's faster, handles better, and looks better IMO. But to each your own.

We'll all know most fit owners buy the car and do minor mods like wheels, tires, and springs and then comment daily about how they changed the oil to this or washed it with this. So I don't get why your bashing something so similar to your own vehicle.

 

I like the CRZ, its a cool looking car. I would really love to pick one up, then K swap it for a daily :D

 

Was already done. You can actually buy it now if you would like for 27k.

FS: K20 Swap CBP CR-Z (One of the fastest [HP] and most famous CR-Zs in the US) - Honda CRZ Forum: Honda CR-Z Hybrid Car Forums

 

The CRZ takes 73 days to sell 1000 cars; thats 14 days per; the miata takes 100 days to sell 2100 cars, or 21 days per, according to Automotive News. The Miata has been seriously affected by the Toyota-Subaru twins; theyt are better cars for less list prices.
The average big 3 has an inventory of 67 days supply. Japanese 50 and Korean 30 days, only recently improved from 24 days.
All manufacturers today use some form of Deemings and Scheingold's quality system to produce cars that test drivers like and have reliablity. And having driven several CRZ they are not as good as the CRX, mostly from being heavy, which is the single biggest problem with today's government decreed 'nanny' cars.
The tests I read and the cars I test all show exemplery driving ability compared to cars of 10 years ago or even 5. We have lap times to verify.
As you can see in you tubes 'sonata singing in the rain', even the Koreans are learning and their Kia competition is demonstrating. That Sonata was not caught until the rain ceased by even Corvettes, and 'hyundai sundae at vir' was not caught, even by several cars you mentioned cars that started directly behind. I think we read different test reports. And you left out Chevy, BMW, & Cadillac just as a start.
PS the Velostar is not a hybrid; the Genesis coupe is very good in stock form as are the Elantra and others. One thing you will see common in the tests publicized: watch out, the Koreans are coming. Even their hybrid sedan is doing well

 

My friend bought one last year and hated the thing because he felt it had no power. I was hoping to see him modify the thing and make it into something sweet but he got rid of it as soon as he could. I have to admit the Mugen CRZ is pretty sweet and I have seen other modified that really have me thinking there is a lot you could do to make them a great looking car. Totally agree giving it a K20 swap would be sweet!

 

or what it would cost to safely install a K20, you can throw away the CRZ and buy a Ford C hybrid and have enough change for a years of gas.
A supercharger is quite reasonable however.

 

Just for the record, I'm not hating on the CRZ. Infact, my first sentence is that I like it, always have.

But I think the reality is, The Fit offers a higher degree of potential utility.

And unfortunately? I need that.

It's not "hating" to a degree it's Apples to Oranges. The Fit, is Honda's entry level subcompact offering. The CRZ is Honda's "Sports" Hybrid offering.

There may be some similarity in audience and product, but I think there is considerable difference in the aim of both products.

 

There's no hate; its just those of us who enjoyed the CRX are thoroughly PO'ed that the CRZ was not a successor to the CRX. Obviusly, the product planners failed to see that need and we shrug off the CRZ as a nonsense vehicle not representative of Honda. We call it the CRX-HK (hoo kares).

 

I think both the fit and crz are hot and i wish i could afford both lol even without the bump in hp I've had alot of fast cars in my day but crz would be my cruiser for summer days to just look hot lol

 

But then your stuck driving a Ford. The really cool thing is that the flashpro works on the CRZ. So any modding you do to the engine you can then tune.

 

I love the new updates... especially the S+ (up to 10 seconds of push to pass/Kers). I just hope most of those JDM goodies make it over here with the USDM version.

Am I saddened that it's not a true CR-X successor... yes, but it's still a nice car.
If the new Jackson Racing supercharger works with the 2013 CR-Z, combined with Flashpro, it will be a nice car to build on. Real nice.

If I was buying now (between the Fit & the CR-Z), it would be a real close call... I'd probably go with the Fit as it's the only car in the household now, but trust me I've been crunching the #'s and seeing if I can get a CR-Z in addition. I've been really wanting one since they came out.