Just some things after driving the CR-Z roundabout 12.000km now around Europe on our Road Trip [
www.ori10k.de]
Today we got our twittering CR-Z ([twitter.com] - it is the second tweeting car in the world *g*) to 58 MPG / 4.9 litres per 100km. It was the average on a 212km leg of our trip.
I will deliver the video proof later, when the hotel WLAN works better.
10. I guess that EVERY Car-battery (and I mean the 12V Battery - not the battery for the Hybrid) can produce explosive hydrogen under some conditions. That is the reason why you should never charge one in a closed room
8. Yepp, totally agree. The navigation is a bit old fashioned and the european database could get an update. in fact the streets in portugal get updated SO often, that there is a Honda dealership built on newly build landmass near a harbor. So when you drive there, you are actually standing in the atlantic ocean with the car
Unfortunately we heard this story when we where to far away from the dealership to go back there and shoot a picture
7. WOAH! I am looking forward to THAT one! i even would like to have a 2.0litre Type R CRZ with a 50HP electric motor in it
4. After driving the roadshark around the whole western european continent I can tell you that this is not true. Actually I haven't managed to emtpy the hybrid-battery yet. No matter if in sports, ECON or normal mode.
2. thats a good one
but hey - it feels pretty sporty
1. We already met some US and Canadian Tourists during our trip around whole Europe who recognized and really liked the car. And I didn't realized any confusion in their face ,)
Here are some things I can tell you about the car you should be aware of:
11. the dashboard produces some blinding refelctions in the windscreen when the sun is in front of you. I would really think of an alcantara cover
12. when you have the A/C on and stop in ECON at a flashlight - the windows start to get really foggy
13. the CR-Z and the rain... DON'T open a window in the rain, because the water runs down the sides of the roof and end up in the car quite easily. I am really interested how this looks when getting into the CR-Z after a snowy night
14. if you tend to stear with your left knee like I do quite often on the highway, you suddenly switch the navigation off or change the mode of the stereo
15. the right seat is far too low. my girlfriend is quite short and can hardly look out of the window. she feels like the navigator of a Leopard II
16. the A/C air outlets on the right side should be able to close them completely. otherwise you find yourself in constant discussions about temperature and how fast the vents may run
Believe me, I know what I am talking about.
17. personally I would like to have a hole for my thumb in the steeringwheel. especially in the lower radius
but those are just little things compared to the fun you can have with the car. For example:
you instantly feel like James Bond in it as soon you start thinking about when to go in which driving mode. Imagine you are driving in ECON. Easy and relaxed. Then there is a truck suddenly which you want to overtake. You get into the slipstream, switch the SPORT mode on and feel how the Revs go up slightly and the VTec starts to work. Then you shift down in 3rd and hit the pedal to the ground. The sound of the little 1.5 gets really fierce past 5000 RPM - you switch to 4th and after passing the truck you take the foot from the gas, lean back and go to ECON again.
SPORT mode reminds me a lot of the good old Lethal Pursuit Mode of the good old Knight Rider times. Long before Mr. Hasselhoff started to eat Burgers on his bathroom floor.
And I can approve that the car is a really nice travelling partner. As I said - after 12K km around Europe's coast and 41 days in it it, it is more spacious as I thought when we started.
Last thing: The LOOKS! I have to admit - normally I dont care so much about how a car looks like because I only see it for 5-10 seconds a day, when I get IN to the car. For me the interieur is much more important and in this matter I like the CR-Z really much. It is cool looking, greatly processed, you are more feeling like in a shuttle of the enterprise than in a car and it is REALLY comfy. We just realized that the last 3 days in Czech Republic and Poland where it is getting freaking cold. The heater is doing a good job without making the air to dry and the seatheater is just AWESOME! You are sitting there and think you have a campfire on the backseat which is emitting a nice and cozy heat to your back.
But what I started to say was normally I do not care so much about how a car looks. But the CR-Z not only looks cool in my opinion (ok, the back could be more spectacular, but you cant have everything). The little shark gets you the looks! I have driven a lot of cars in the last 3 years. But the CR-Z gets the attention everywhere - at least in Europe. There were people taking pictures of it. Waving to stop us and ask what kind of car that is or just waiting on a parking lot to ask us. Be aware of it: It's an attention magnet
Ah and concerning your choice of color:
The white one looks gorgeous. But I also have to admit: After 6 weeks of driving - and only to opportunities to bath the car - I can recommend to take a black one
Although you couldn't call him little white sharky then as we do on [facebook.com]
Join our journey! (As long as it is lasting now... sadly we only are on the road for 8 more days now
)
Greetings from Torun, Poland today,
Alex Kahl - @probefahrer
