2011 Honda CR-Z leak

2011 Honda CR-Z leak

Recently, news came across our inbox that the CRX reminiscent hybrid Honda CR-Z now has a price in Japan. This news means that we have come a long way from our original report back in April of last year. As you might recall, we posed the question: The future of the Sports Car? Since then we have seen the confirmation of the CR-Z from Honda and news that the Euro Spec version isn’t like the proposed U.S. model.

2011 Honda CR-Z

2011 Honda CR-Z

At the time, the specifics were still a little fuzzy and now with the Euro Spec version being unveiled at next months Geneva Motor Show, we definitely have more information.  As we alluded to above, the Euro CR-Z is a tad bit different that what we saw at the Detroit Auto Show back in January. The major difference is the 2+2 configuration and daytime running lights (DTRLs). So this goes back to our original question almost a year ago—is this the future of the sports car?

The answer to that is—it depends. IF you are very environmentally conscious and are looking to drive a small, sporty and stylish car, then the Honda CR-Z makes a lot of sense. However, if you are looking for performance and a real sports car feel, then maybe not. The CR-Z that is to be announced at Geneva is said to achieve an average fuel consumption of 47 mpg U.S. That isn’t too shabby, but the performance figures have yet to be released. If you compare the CR-Z to the Euro VW Scirocco Coupe with the 2.0-liter diesel engine, the CR-Z would need to have a 0-62 mph sprint somewhere in the neighborhood of nine seconds.

Bottom line—in Japan they have announced a $25,500 starting price, which will inflate to $28,100 on the high-end. That is pretty good value for the money, especially being a hybrid. If the performance numbers come in near, oh say…a Miata, then Honda will have quite the futuristic sports car in their line-up.

 

Be sure to check out the links referenced above for all of our coverage on the Honda CR-Z over the last year, and then be sure to stay tuned for more news on everything AllSmallCars.

 

[Source: CarScoop & InsideLine]