Search
Close this search box.
Sign up for our weekly Newsletter

Revised Honda CR-Z hybrid from January

CR Z 1
The new Honda CR-Z gets a power boost but economy and emissions are unaffected

Share

7 December 2012

The Honda CR-Z
The new Honda CR-Z gets a power boost but economy and emissions are unaffected

HONDA says the CR-Z is the world’s first sporty hybrid. It’s all relative, of course but the CR-Z is the only proper hybrid you can buy in the UK with a manual gearbox, and its design and name recall those of the Honda CR-X, one of the most popular hot hatches of the 1980s.

Now a revised version of the Honda CR-Z hybrid is on its way, priced from £20,550 (on the road) for the Sport model and £23,050 for the top-of-the-range GT. Model for model, that’s a bit of a hike compared with existing version, and the previous entry-level model, the £18,045 S, will no longer be offered. The updated cars will arrive at dealers in January.

The big plus for business motorists attracted by the idea of trying something a bit different is that the improved CR-Z gets a useful boost in power and performance that doesn’t affect its official fuel consumption and emissions numbers.

The CR-Z’s petrol engine gets a power boost from 114 to 121 PS – but that’s not all. The electric part of the hybrid drivetrain gets an upgrade in the form of a switch from the previous nickel-metal hydride battery to a lithium-ion type, and the electric motor now delivers 20 PS instead of 14.

That means the Sport, which is slightly quicker than the GT, can accelerate to 62 mph in a pretty respectable 9.1 (previously 10.4) seconds. Top speed is 124 mph. There’s also a new Sport Plus (S+) button on the steering wheel, which activates an electric boost function that provides up to ten seconds of increased acceleration

Share this article

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
WhatsApp
Reddit
Email

Want more motoring news?

Sign up here for our free weekly serving of motoring.

Sign up here for our free weekly serving of motoring.

Ralph Morton

Ralph Morton

Ralph Morton is an award-winning journalist and the founder of Business Car Manager (now renamed Business Motoring). Ralph writes extensively about the car and van leasing industry as well as wider fleet and company car issues. A former editor of What Car?, Ralph is a vastly experienced writer and editor and has been writing about the automotive sector for over 35 years.

Latest news

Top