It is a Honda and the repair and maintenance cost should be lower than a Subaru. And it should has a better gas mileage than the Subaru. AWD should always has a higher maintenance cost than fwd cars IMO.
Also it is not like an electric car, you don't need to charge it overnight. It will get charged when you are driving.
Crz is a fun car to drive

Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App

 

Also i read that the battery charges while you're driving, does that mean you don't have to charge it overnight/externally?

It's not a big battery, it charges fairly quickly and discharges quickly. The Prius has a huge battery, it also has a huge electric engine that needs to be powered. I like to think of it this way, Prius is 50/50 gas/electric and the CRZ is 80/20 gas/electric, respectively.

I have a 100 mile commute everyday and have gone 15k miles and only 1 oil change was done. Almost a year and one oil change, commendations to Honda.

 

My commute is similar. About 100 miles a day, and I'm a little over 9,000 miles so far. Not a single maintenance to my car yet. I did put more air into my tires though, since they were at 25psi.

 

It's near the top of the list along with a few other hybrids for most reliable. My typical synthetic oil change/tire rotation runs <$50, so three times a year isn't bad at all. The battery on the '13s and up are Lithium Ion. As Leitz said, they discharge and charge very quickly depending on the situation. I was once stuck in traffic in Chicago during a storm and was moving car lengths at a time for a half hour. My battery depleted and I got nervous (this car is a different beast without that IMA assist). Within a few blocks of freely moving traffic it was charged back up. I have built the Impreza in the past on their website and it looks overall to be a nice car since the recent refresh. The deciding factor for me was fuel economy. Depending on how you drive, you could see above the EPA ratings on the CRZ. If you NEED the AWD though, fuel economy is the compromise.

Edit: Also if someone tells you the hybrid component will be expensive to replace (which is true), it is covered for 8yrs/100k or 10 yrs/150k in CARB states.

 

Edit: Also if someone tells you the hybrid component will be expensive to replace (which is true), it is covered for 8yrs/100k or 10 yrs/150k in CARB states.

I just want to post a slight correction to this: the IMA system is considered part of the Emissions system for warranty purposes according to Honda. The battery is one of the main components covered by the longer 8/100 warranty. I had asked customer service on Twitter and received that as an official response.

The warranty booklet has the best breakdown per part as to what is covered for how long.

 

Specifically it recharges by capturing the energy that normally gets wasted as heat in the brake pads during braking, by using the "motor" as a generator. Then it gives it back as a kind of boost during acceleration. It can also "trickle charge" while in motion from the gas engine.

It's not a Prius, nor like most other hybrids on the road. It's not fun to drive - it's *very* fun to drive

The main things you'll give up compared to the Subaru will be AWD and the rear seat.

 

Can't say that I am the typical driver, but this is what my maintenance is like..
Currently at 25,000km, been about 2 1/2 years with the car.

All Services are at my local Dealer

3 Oil changes at 5K, 12K and 21K via Maintenance Minder (except the 5K one)
= $ 270.00
Minor Maintenance at 12K
= $ 160.00
K&N Performance Filter with Cleaner at 20K
= $ 65.00
Cabin Air Cleaner replacement at 15K and 25K
= $ 40.00

That's it for now... Its looking like my next service will be around 30K.

Hope this helps.

 

Oh... As for Battery and charges.. nothing to do, just drive the car normally, its all automatically done for you as you drive.

 

I had a 2001 Insight for 12 years, 160,000 miles. Similar IMA (electric motor/battery system) except slightly smaller and NiMH batteries instead of Li-Ion. Same commute I have now ~60 miles daily.

The car had normal Honda maintanence for those 12-years. Tires, brakes, fluids. I don't think I ever needed to replace the rear brake pads though. The Insight had rear drum brakes and the drums were still OEM when I sold the car. Gas engine just required normal maintenance.

The IMA system never needed any maintenance - no electric motor/generator issues. No Battery Issues. Nothing. I expect the CR-Z will age similarly. So far, a year in I've changed the oil once at about 10k miles and love the fun-to-drive feel of the car. I actually look forward to my morning commutes! :thumbsup: