Engine perrformance/drivability questions

[jynx]

I am seriously considering a CR-Z but I do have one concern. How fast/peppy/nimble the car is. I do not have strict requirements. All I ask is that it is atleast as fast as my 2008 Honda Element (not asking all that much lol) I am having a little trouble because of the combined gas and electric engine making things more difficult.


The Element
166hp
161 ft-lb
3640 lbs
21.9277 lbs per hp


The CR-Z
122hp
128 ft-lb
2637 lbs
21.61475 lbs per hp

Just by power to weight ratio it should be a slight bit faster and obviously more nimble due to the lower weight. How does the additional low end torque from the electric motor factor in? I assume it would make it feel a little quicker. Finally is it true that the electric motor and batteries only store enough energy for like 3 ful throttle pulls?

[wicked1]

You can read my thread about running out of power when going up a hill, for the worst of it. That was driving w/ absolutely NO consideration for charging or anything. Taking the "sports" part of this sports/hybrid to its limits.

And I made a comment about 1/2 hour of fun driving and I was out of power, but w/out the long hill, I'd have gotten an hour of fun (no consideration for charging, floored whenever possible) driving for sure.

I've never had a problem w/ normal driving around town. Then if you do start thinking about charging, that's just icing on the eco cake.

It's the fastest car I've ever had, for where it matters.. Quick acceleration when you need it, during normal driving. I've never had fast cars, though. 2.0l hyundai elantra, mid 90's nissan maxima, mazda b-2000 pickup truck.
Also the best handling car.. (heh, obviously)

[David_PA]

The automatic Element has a 10s 0-60 about the same as the CVT CR-Z. The 6MT CR-Z is at least as quick as 8.5s. And, it's got excellent low-end torque so for 0-30 it's even zippier than its 8.5s time.

It should be noticeably quicker and, as you say, quite a bit more nimble.

[jynx]

Originally Posted by David_PA

The automatic Element has a 10s 0-60 about the same as the CVT CR-Z. The 6MT CR-Z is at least as quick as 8.5s. And, it's got excellent low-end torque so for 0-30 it's even zippier than its 8.5s time.

It should be noticeably quicker and, as you say, quite a bit more nimble.

I didn't specify but I have a 5 speed Element and would be getting the 6 speed cr-z. The 5 speed element is faster than the auto Element but how much so I am not sure. I figured since I am looking at both cars in manual transmissions it may be okay to compare engine numbers and leave out high loses associated with an auto or cvt. Also in the cr-z I figured the extra torque from the electric motor would make it seem faster during daily driving as it is available so low unlike a gasoline engine.

[Nick]

When I was first thinking about a crz the lack of power really turned me away, but when do some of us actually have the road or time to open up a car and use all that hp?

There are so many police/chp around here and with 25-40mph speed limits the crz is the perfect fit. Nice low end torque getting away from stoplights quicker than the minivan next to you...

[jynx]

Originally Posted by Nick

When I was first thinking about a crz the lack of power really turned me away, but when do some of us actually have the road or time to open up a car and use all that hp?

There are so many police/chp around here and with 25-40mph speed limits the crz is the perfect fit. Nice low end torque getting away from stoplights quicker than the minivan next to you...

I am not talking about speed like doing 90+ mph down the highway or doing 0 - 60 runs. I am far from a speed demon. I am talking about enough power to drive safely and comfortably. A car that is underpowered is a real drag. Something that struggles on basic lane changes and merging is unsafe. Like I said my Element is the slowest car I would like to drive. If this is the same speed or faster I am fine with it. It appears to be a slight bit faster which is great.

[David_PA]

My guess is that it's more than just a slight bit faster / quicker to pass, etc. than your element. But, it will depend a lot on where you want that speed. If you do a test drive of the 6MT, you'll get a much better idea than we can give you, jynx.

[Hound]

Its not underpowered for normal driving or even fun driving. The CVT is okay. I drove one first. My theory is that if the automatic is okay the manual will be better. The manual IMO is 2x better then the automatic.

I come from 340 horsies and my daily driver is an 8 cylinder boat beast.

Its a lot of fun. Zip and Pep are the right words for this car. I sometimes miss my ponies, but its almost always on the big mountain stretches when I used to step down and do 100mph up them. Now I settle at 70.

[RiseAgainst197]

98+% of the time you will not have a problem with IMA battery power. Where people get into trouble is driving in a straight line for miles and constant acceleration with no regenerative braking or deacceleration up to corners. If and when this happens to you, you can simply adjust your driving habits or style for this kind of driving route. I dont think this will be a problem.


As far as acceleration goes if your only requirement is that it as fast or faster than a Honda Element than you should like the CRZ just fine. With the IMA system 0-30 mph sprints will be much peppier.

Your handling and nimbleness of the vehicle will be greatly improved over your Element.

[macdave]

I had a 2004 element with automatic and just got my cr-z with cvt on Saturday and this feels much quicker than that was.