"Detroit News Gets it Wrong About the Honda CRZ"

[JnC]

I apologize if this is a repost. It's an older article. But it's interesting to hear the mindset of how wrong this car is because it isn't like everything else.

http://gas2.org/2010/08/27/detroit-n...he-honda-cr-z/

If you encounter page loading problem with the above link you can also try the google cached page, which is also slow but eventually loads:
Detroit News Gets it Wrong About the Honda CR-Z : Gas 2.0

[Chris]

Haha, that was a really good article. I def enjoyed that, because I am not european, and I don't expect 1 car to do anything. Man, that was a good find lol.

Oh, and that was kind of wierd seeing a young David Coulthard lol

[JnC]

Yeah, young Coulthard surprised me too. Massive neck and all.

I thought the article was well deserved since so much of the press have been taking a similar stance like Detroit. I particularly identified with this section:

Make no mistake: the CRX is Honda’s Mustang, it is Honda’s Beetle, it is Honda’s Camaro. It is a nostalgia model, and if it helps Honda’s CAFE numbers, that’s great—but that’s not what this car, the CR-Z, is for… this car is a love letter from Honda’s current design staff to the original CRX, and the buyers of this car will be customers who would write love letters to the CRX themselves, if they had its address…

[Chris]

Yeah, that was the best part. But that whole thing hit everything perfectly.

[bizzybear]

lol, i read that original thread and i thought that guy was rather comical and wasn't really making fun of the CR-Z but making fun of Americans... it was good up until the last part about us being European to like the car

here's the original post (and yes this thread technically is a repost )

Originally Posted by TCroly

Another Newspaper review from a guy who "gets" the CRZ

detnews.com | Autos | Auto Reviews

Here is an interesting rebuttal of the above review

http://gas2.org/2010/08/27/detroit-n...he-honda-cr-z/

[91CRXTC]

Originally Posted by JnC

Yeah, young Coulthard surprised me too. Massive neck and all.

I thought the article was well deserved since so much of the press have been taking a similar stance like Detroit. I particularly identified with this section:

I almost started to tear up when i read that part

[JnC]

Originally Posted by bizzybear

(and yes this thread technically is a repost )

Yeah, I tried to search for the article but every word I chose kept generating so many hits, I decided to give up and let the mod do it.

[JnC]

Ok so I'll wax nostalgic for a minute...

What made the CRX Si astonishing in it's day was that it had performance similar to the Nissan 300ZX but at a fraction of the price. The 1985 300ZX was one of the more popular GT cars, also a 2 seater (or as a heavier 2+2).

What makes it tough for today's CRZ, is that the sport 2 seater bar has moved so much compared to what it was back then. So when the haters complain that the CRZ isn't as fast, it's really about just as fast as CRX Si but relative to the rest of the market, the benchmark has moved.

There's another article out there that mentions how distorted and mythological the performance of the CRX has become over time. People expect class leading acceleration, lateral g's, fuel economy, and ultra light weight when in fact it was a mix of CRX model variants (HF, DX, and Si) that created those perceptions.

Back in the day, Honda released the CRX with two engine options (and two different chassis types), and followed up with a third engine the following year. These days most auto makers just can't afford that level of expense associated with a cost effective sport compact development and introduction.

So instead of three car variants, we have one car with three buttons: Econ, Normal, and Sport. They might as well have been labeled HF, DX, and Si.

Will it have as much of an impact as the original? Probably not. But it does carry the spirit of the original car. A mix of sport with versatile hatch utility with a bit of economy thrown in. All at as much of an entry level price as possible. Which is likely why Honda sourced as many existing bits from their parts bin to create the CRZ, and concentrated what R&D dollars they had on making the most of the combination of what they had to work with.

The original car was not a high tech show piece. But it showed how an entry level sport compact could rival highly regarded GTs by removing bloat and complexity. I don't see that happening with this car, but it still has a lot of potential and certainly has created some buzz (and frustration from those that expected a lot more).

Admittedly the hybrid thing is a weird angle. Clearly $5 gas prices played a role during the CRZ development. But I don't see this car as a hybrid as much as I see it adopting Honda's current efficiency practices. It's a sport coupe that happens to be a mild hybrid.

[bizzybear]

Originally Posted by JnC

So instead of three car variants, we have one car with three buttons: Econ, Normal, and Sport. They might as well have been labeled HF, DX, and Si.

the best "simple" idea for adding a touch of uniqueness to the CR-Z...

i am for sure gonna figure out how to do this on my CR-Z (when i get it)

[JnC]

That might make a good idea for a site graphic: pic of the buttons with a bit of photoshopping.