Like you, we're a little skeptical of the Honda CR-Z's ability to uphold the reputation of the CRX that came before it. After all, the CR-Z has a mere 122 horsepower and its hybrid drivetrain probably doesn't help much in the weight department.
Word is the folks at Honda are thinking the same thing, so they've commissioned a serious look into developing a more powerful CR-Z Type R. Don't expect big-time horsepower, though, as the Type R version will retain the hybrid layout and 1.5-liter gas engine.
One scenario suggests a modified version of the 1.5-liter engine that adds another 20 horses or so. The electric side would get a boost, too, with a larger motor that could push the car's total horsepower closer to the 160-170 range.
In addition to the revised powertrain, the CR-Z Type R would also get some mild suspension upgrades like revised dampers, more capable brakes and a larger wheel/tire combination. A classic white-and-black color scheme and a modest body kit would finish it off.
Sales of the standard CR-Z Hybrid are scheduled to begin late this summer, so if Honda decided to go through with the CR-Z Type R it probably wouldn't make it to the U.S. until this time next year at the earliest.
clarkma5 says:
04:51 PM, 02/18/10
I really doubt this would be worth the Type-R badge as described here...unless it was WAY more than the sum of its parts. Otherwise I'd call it a Type-S and not water down a great line of vehicles.
robert4380 says:
05:19 PM, 02/18/10
As a hybrid, this car doesn't deserve the "Type-R" badge. At best, I could see this as a CR-Z Si. Boosting the power level will only further reduce the already meager benefits of the hybrid powertrain. After having seen the mileage estimates for the base CR-Z, it's as if the hybrid bits do nothing but add just enough efficiency to make up for the weight of them being there. So I have to ask, what's the point in this being a hybrid again? I do not call adding 2 or 3 grand in hybrid parts progress when the car barely gets better mileage than a plain Civic EX.
orangutan says:
05:25 PM, 02/18/10
I see the CR-Z being a failure just as its 4-dour version, the Insight, is.
siarizona says:
05:33 PM, 02/18/10
Yeah, they need to stuff a high output 2.0L or so with some real torque to call it a type-R.
rsholland says:
05:38 PM, 02/18/10
They definitely need a sportier version than the CR-Z, as it's been shown.
herrstreet says:
06:04 PM, 02/18/10
Well they fixed the looks (except the silly carbon trim but it's a show car...)
Why does Honda refuse to go the turbo/direct injection route? This car needs over 200 hp.
robert4380 says:
06:15 PM, 02/18/10
Another point to consider is competition for this car. If they do make a Type-R version and it can't match the performance of something like a Mazdaspeed3 for under 25k, then Honda might as well not even do this car. It's their own fault if it's too expensive. People have said time and time again that they don't want this car to be a hybrid, but Honda refuses to listen. Hybrid components add cost and weight, and in this case, hardly any increase in fuel efficiency. It's like they never learned from the Accord hybrid...
lautomobile says:
06:37 PM, 02/18/10
If by "20 horses or so" you mean "50 or so" Honda might have something. Might. Also, it better get about 40mpg... minimum. Otherwise just put a non-hybrid drivetrain in it Honda. Also about that torsion beam rear suspension...
deadviper says:
06:46 PM, 02/18/10
Type R? How about type W for 'weaksauce'
From the NSX glory days to this. O how the mighty have fallen...
dougtheeng says:
06:53 PM, 02/18/10
Type 'F' for fail
parkerct says:
07:24 PM, 02/18/10
haha. I love how all the people commenting on this story from their basement in their pajamas think that they know better than a multi billion dollar international mega-corporation. honda knows the car market like the back of its hand. the crosstour (that all these same blog and facebook trolls) were panning a few months ago is selling like hotcakes and getting rave reviews from the people buying them (look at the edmunds consumer reviews). the CR-Z will be a huge success. I'm 23, and I fully intend on trading my Jeep in for one. Ill let all of you buy antiquated gm/ford pieces of crap, overpriced overrated eurotrash, nissans with pathetic gas mileage, and toyotas that...well...do I even need to finish that statement? Me, ill be going with Honda.
compressor says:
07:46 PM, 02/18/10
Does the "r" stand for ridiculous blind spot.
Honda's used to be designed with good visibility in mind. To bad this is no longer held in high regard during the design process for a lot of their vehicles, especially rearward adn over the shoulder visibility.
greenpony says:
07:51 PM, 02/18/10
Right. Because "a multi billion dollar international mega-corporation" knows what's best for everyone.
baloo1983 says:
08:01 PM, 02/18/10
I can't see a Hybrid being a sports car .. then again thats what I said about electric cars too... I think Honda has managed to suck passion out of its lineup and thats a shame. Come on Honda .. wheres the love!!!
jakea4 says:
08:17 PM, 02/18/10
The idea that Honda would attach thr R-Type moniker to a "car" produced soley as the result of a global hoax is repugnant. Hey, I get it. More power from less fuel with less pollution is a great thing. But seriously??? The CR-X was a great little, entertaining car, not a pandering social experiment designed to test our limits of degradation. Do us all a favor. Sh#t can this thing and give us a high powered, feather light weapon to destroy the guy (or girl) in the next lane.
hybris says:
08:42 PM, 02/18/10
Who here thinks that people if they buy thing in the first place will start doing engine swaps almost immediately?
Depending on how big the batteries are if you junk them I wonder if you can have rear mounted small block V8?
inlinesix says:
08:51 PM, 02/18/10
How about a competitor for the ft86?
estreka says:
10:19 PM, 02/18/10
As much as I'd like a Type-R, I'm prepared to accept a hybrid Type-S. Type-R should remain synonymous with weight. Anything else is heresy.
This as an Si would be great and I'd love to drive one.
johnnyr3 says:
04:02 AM, 02/19/10
[SMH]
Honda. Seriously. How hard could it have been to put a 200 horse K20 motor in a Fit, shorten the wheel base to make it a 2-door, make all the chassis reinforcements necessary and call it good?
The bloody thing could still probably get 25-30mpg!!! You're killing me Honda! You're killing me!!
mrbacon says:
05:37 AM, 02/19/10
I would take a CRX over this thing any day of the week.
Basically all new vehicles suck though (too heavy, too big, too expensive, too ugly), so whatever.
BUY USED.
ahsanman99 says:
05:43 AM, 02/19/10
I heard that the horse power will be around 200hp or more.thats what they say at motortrend.i think this car look awesome.I think they should make this car RWD then grab S2000 motor which is 240hp NA 4 banger and tune it to 250-260hp then it will be a serious beast and call it a Type R then.I will be happy with 200hp K20 motor and FWD,call it Si then.That is still awesome considering Type-R weigh less than 2700 pounds
gtijake says:
06:53 AM, 02/19/10
OMG Honda, this is getting silly. What do you have against turbos??? Let's stick some big bad rims on this POS and give it a whopping 20 more hp. Type D for giving me douche chills.
o_or30_0 says:
06:57 AM, 02/19/10
I think this car is trying to create a new niche - hybrid sport compacts? Maybe, but I like the car. A lot of people don't like the idea of sacrificing HP in the name of mpg or benefiting our planet.
A type R badge would be disrespectful to the name. Si is more appropiate. Type - S i believe is reserved for Acura's in the US. Maybe Honda may create a new name for this new niche.
In any case stiffer suspension, appropriate dampers, spring rates, tire and wheel combination turning from a regular hybrid to a sport hybrid is appropriate of a sport something but I'll tell you it sure does dilute the idea of "sport" anything
wikiwiki says:
07:19 AM, 02/19/10
I think it looks pretty awesome and I imagine it will perform. Wait until a road test before making a decision. Honda makes great cars. A little too boring looking lately, but that seems to be changing. No need for a 500+ HP dope mobile that gets 14 MPG these days. A little social responsibility is a good thing. GO HONDA!!!
hondacura4 says:
07:35 AM, 02/19/10
If Edmunds knew anything about the CR-Z they would know that IT IS NOT a CR-X successor as it's clearly targeted to a whole different audience. Honda has stated that several times.
The Type R moniker doesn't belong anywhere near the CR-Z as it's bare bones doesn't have the necessary parts to even think about becoming a Type R. Just like the European Honda Civic "Type R" hatchback, this....."CR-Z Type R" is only a Type R in name not substance. There are NO Type R performance strategies implemented in the car above as it's not even a DOHC engine.
The only real authentic Type R that's currently available is the JDM Civic Type R sedan that's available only in Japan. That's the real deal Type R as the engine, chassis, suspension and brakes (among countless other items) have seen the necessary upgrades to ensure the package as a whole lives up to the Type R name.
The true definition of the Honda Type R concept:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda_Type_R
sabastian says:
08:11 AM, 02/19/10
Honda, call back when you decide to drop the Civic Si engine in this car. Then we'll talk.
mike_honcho says:
10:07 AM, 02/19/10
Can anyone say torsion beam? I still see this car as a non starter or a sucker trap. 'Ohhh, it's shiny!' To create a 'sporty' car with a market we need wishbone suspension in the rear, and more HP. I don't see any reason to choose this over a Civic SI, save maybe 5 average mpg.
mike_honcho says:
10:09 AM, 02/19/10
Can anyone say torsion beam? I still see this car as a non starter or a sucker trap. 'Ohhh, it's shiny!' To create a 'sporty' car with a market we need wishbone suspension in the rear, and more HP. I don't see any reason to choose this over a Civic SI, save maybe 5 average mpg.
aznraptor says:
12:22 PM, 02/19/10
ehhhh, I'm not sold
a real Type R now would need at least 240hp, and be quicker than the civic si.
maybe they should come up with a new name for this car. like a Type S or Type H for hybrid or something, but not a type r. don't make the same mistake that they did in Europe with a type r that was worse than it's predecessor
xorbe says:
05:38 PM, 02/19/10
Ditch this, and make a 6-speed 150HP turbo Honda Fit 1.5T - many problems solved all at once (eliminate this crappy CR-Z, manual Fit has too short gearing in fifth presently, and Fit in general needs more TQ under 3500 rpm.)
This is not a Type-R, maybe a Type-Aargh though.
typer_801 says:
06:14 PM, 02/19/10
Honda please don't insult us by creating a Type-R version of this car. This will not be a model worthy of that badge.
If you're really looking for ways to get people excited, simply put the K20 into this car and market it as an Si. Or better yet simply start shipping the Civic Type R to us here in the states.
Jaydubz says:
07:57 PM, 02/19/10
As much as I would like to agree with the individuals who are loathing the use of a Type R badge or A Cr-Z Si badge, if the HP numbers are correct then we are really looking at the first production sports hybrid.
Despite the torsion beam out back the sorted chassis and a bit more HP should make this car a winner for the speedy greenies out there. Lets just keep out fingers crossed for a proper NA Si.
zeniff says:
07:20 AM, 02/20/10
If the Fit has 117 HP with the 1.5L engine, why is the layout in the CRZ only able to manage 122 HP, WITH the hybrid drivetrain? Makes no sense to me. I had high hopes for this car (looked awesome as a concept, then Honda botched the production version). This one looks really good, too, but then again, they'll probably botch it as well. I don't know what is going on at Honda & Acura, but I've long considered myself a loyal fan, but now I'm just searching for a different brand because Honda / Acura has left me completely disappointed (mostly in design) over the past 2-3 years.
erik25 says:
12:04 PM, 02/20/10
Why waiting for this type "R" who will never become a typer "R".Go and buy a Hyundai Genesis coupe,this one has a turbo and rear traction.You can bump this one easy to almost 300 hp and have still some room for the groceries.......and that comes from a honda driver for 18 years!!!!!
hondacura4 says:
06:55 PM, 02/20/10
"Go and buy a Hyundai Genesis coupe,this one has a turbo and rear traction."
Erik25, the current Si's performance is in line with the Genesis 2.0T and is a much more refined piece. There are more than a few publications who've completed performance tests between the 2 and have said the same thing.
BTW, the K20 in the Si can reach 250+whp without a lot of modifications while still maintaining it's high level of refinement and realibility.
kdoodoo says:
07:46 PM, 02/20/10
The Topgear tested on Prius vs M3 on the track.
The Prius was driven as fast it can as M3 just followed it after Prius goes.
Guess what? M3 had a much better fuel efficiency.
If one drives hard on the hybrid, the fuel efficiency would even worse than the M3.
SO
Who on Earth would drive type R slow? They would have driven extremely and would ended up much worse in efficiency than M3.
In conclusion, Just put nice 2000cc V-tec in that car.
trjnflip says:
08:22 PM, 02/20/10
yum!
bb49 says:
09:59 PM, 02/20/10
I hope Honda is paying attention because a lot of people are pointing out what should have been obvious to Honda-- the very little benefit that this system provides for the CR-Z is not worth the extra weight and costs that adds to this car. If a type R is really coming, at least maybe Honda is coming to its senses and realizes the CR-Z too slow. Why would anyone want a car that looks fast but can't keep up with minivans and econoboxes that costs thousands of dollars less?
Wake up Honda, dump the hybrid and put in powerful gasoline engine. Or even better just abandon this car as being Honda's sports car and revive the S2000 successor that will be more affordable then the model that was discontinued.
hollowtek says:
11:14 PM, 02/20/10
Oh Em Gee. Honda, you haven't pleased me like this since we first started dating.
powderhound says:
05:48 PM, 02/21/10
Yeah, this looks like it should be an Si. Honda lost me as a customer when they dropped the Integra and S2000 and decided to keep the CTR overseas.
xorbe says:
01:37 PM, 02/22/10
@kdoodoo - that was a flame bait clip by Top Gear ... they were flogging the Prius as hard as it could go, well out of its efficiency range. And had the M3 toodle behind the Prius ... interesting results, but nothing really applicable to the real world. You could duplicate those results with pretty much any econobox + any sports car. The sports car just hangs back a bit driving at mostly constant speed while the econobox is braking and accelerating for all its worth through corners.
acuracanada says:
09:40 PM, 02/22/10
Honda and acura need to bring back performance car's and stop making such boring and bland car's. They shouldn't be thinking about doing this, THEY NEED TO!
drivera1981 says:
03:58 PM, 02/24/10
not a fan of rice-mobiles but maybe the electric motor will give honda something its never had before, torque.
fefan says:
10:22 AM, 02/27/10
The Honda CR-Z fails to impress me. 38 MPG highway is subpar for a small car these days, especially for a two-seater hybrid. Honda needs to get its mojo back and focus on making the most efficient & reliable small cars on the planet.
bb49 says:
08:16 PM, 03/ 3/10
Hey Honda, maybe you should change the name of the CR-Z to Insight Coupe and then rebadge the Hyundai Velostar as the CR-Z. There problem solved, you'll give everyone what they want and it will free up the time of your engineers to develop a "real" sportcar.
bb49 says:
08:20 PM, 03/ 3/10
Hey Honda, maybe you should change the name of the CR-Z to Insight Coupe and then rebadge the Hyundai Velostar as the CR-Z. There problem solved, you'll give everyone what they want and it will free up the time of your engineers to develop a "real" sportscar.