Hello from Hiroshima

[Hirotaro]

Hello Everyone,

I am very pleased to become a member of these forums. Why?

Because I took delivery of a Honda CR-Z on April 4 and have driven just over 900 km so far.

[MikeCR-Z]

Welcome to the site, the car looks great!

[SpoonCrz]

Welcome....and i hate u...

[bizzybear]

you are our new best friend

now...

[Hirotaro]

Hello,

It will be interesting to compare the versions Honda will offer outside Japan. Here we have two versions, with the price variation based on options. The Beta version has ABS, VSA, and automatic air-conditioning. The Alpha version adds to these discharge headlamps, cruise control, smart key system, half-shaded front windscreen, rear wiper, heated door mirror, and fog lamps. The trim is also slightly better. In my own car I had Honda's GPS navigation installed and will probably have Recaro seats fitted when the car is due for its half-year check-up. The engine is common to both options and my Honda dealer tells me that the manual gearbox is the preferred option for the car, which is why there is a waiting list here. The car came on sale on February 25, but I ordered mine late in 2009. I was told it would be delivered on April 4, which turned out to be exactly right. I also ordered some of the options offered by Modulo: front spoiler, rear spoiler, and sports pedals.

There are seven color options offered here: dark pewter metallic (which is my car's color), horizon turquoise pearl, white pearl, Milan red, brilliant orange metallic, black pearl, and storm silver metallic.

Before I drove cars here, I rode a succession of motorbikes, ending with a Bimota SB6 and a Magni Giappone 52. My first car was a Toyota Supra, the one with the big spoiler at the back and a twin-turbo engine. After that I turned to a hybrid and I much preferred Hondas to the Prius. So I drove the latest model Civic hybrid, which is the one with the Type R in Japan (not the Euro Type R). I was not really satisfied with the power delivery, so my friend at Honda (Mr Nakae) kept telling me about the CRZ. When the car came out, Nakae-san bought my Civic.

So far, the car is VERY nice. On the car with the manual gearbox there are sensors in the wheels (part of the VSA system) which hold the car on a hill as you move your foot from brake to accelerator. Of course, my preferred driving mode is sports mode, but having the other two is very convenient.

Apologies for the long post.

PAG

[yangshfmarine]

Hirotaro san,

Thank You for your wonderful sharing about the Honda CR-Z. I am still waiting the car to arrive at my country
However, it is great to hear some of its info from you. Just wondering are you planning to modify the car in any way(s)?

[Hirotaro]

Well,

When I had my Supra, I did not do much modification, beyond a front spoiler and 18-inch wheels. When I enquired of Toyota whether I could reset the car's computer to remove the limiter, the answer was that it would be illegal to drive the car on a public road here in Japan. Since I was a public official at the time, this would have been very difficult. The Supra is still a cult car here in Japan and you still come across beautifully maintained examples. The CRZ has the potential to become another CRX. I know that Honda will discontinue the Civic Type R, but it remains to be seen whether they will produce a more powerful, and non-hybrid version, of the CRZ. I have not yet thought about modifying my own CR-Z yet.

Best,

PAG

Originally Posted by yangshfmarine

Hirotaro san,

Thank You for your wonderful sharing about the Honda CR-Z. I am still waiting the car to arrive at my country
However, it is great to hear some of its info from you. Just wondering are you planning to modify the car in any way(s)?

[madkat]

I still have a Toyota Celica GT-Four RC on my driveway, next to my Mazda MX6 KL-ZE. But neither of them go at the moment and currently I drive ~110 miles every day, and I'm renting a Toyota Aygo to do it in (I'm sure that's Pig Latin) which is not particularly nice at 80mph, and has nasty hard plastic on the door inserts. I find my knees lock up when I'm driving a hatchback, and my ankles don't like the pedals in that position either, so I need something low & sporty but also efficient, with a warranty and more reliability than my 14/19 year old girls.

Really glad to hear that, as a "more accomplished" driver, you're enjoying the CRZ. I bike too, but currently only a CBF-125

I get the feeling that many will view this car as the next Nissan 100NX: Form over Function, Style over Substance. But I think the style is going to appeal to more people and the efficiency gains are going to stand for quite a lot.

Regarding modification... Well, I think I'll wait until after the warranty expires on its own before I start trying to increase the voltage through the electric motor

[DyeLooper]

Great looking car, Silver color?

[bizzybear]

Dark Pewter Metallic is his color i believe...