Honda CR-Z: Misunderstood Hot Hatch in Disguise?
Honda CR-Z failed to deliver on its promise of eco performance. However, today, buying one makes a lot of sense.
By all accounts, the Honda CR-Z was a massive failure. Which is saying a lot coming from a company that doesn’t fail very often. And it’s also quite surprising given the fact that its very name makes it the supposed decedent of the much beloved CR-X. A car that Honda fans still covet to this very day. But as much hate as the Honda CR-Z has endured, it’s fair to wonder if it’s truly warranted. Could it possibly be that this supposed hot-hatch revival was merely misunderstood?
It’s a question that YouTuber JayEmm on Cars asks in this video. And now seems like a good time to do so, since there are so many cheap Honda CR-Z examples out there for the taking. And as our host points out, it was a little ahead of its time, at least in concept.
“This was essentially a statement car from Honda,” he notes. “At the time, eco cars were seen purely as something to help you achieve better C02 figures, better MPGs. They were not seen as fun cars. This is a car Honda wanted to change that.”
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The only problem? Well, it wasn’t very sporty. It looks like a CR-X, but it just doesn’t go like one. And given its low power output, it wasn’t very economical, either. But now, years later, is it a viable cheap performance buy? Well, maybe. “It isn’t very quick, at all,” notes our host. “But the car turns in quite nicely.”
Thus, he believes there is an ideal owner for the Honda CR-Z today. “If you’re 18-20 and you’re looking for sort of a semi-sporty car, I think you should consider this. They look really cool. And they’re very rare. They’re fairly cheap to insure. Service is cheap. Parts are cheap. It makes a lot of sense for a lot of people.”
Bottom line, the CR-Z is a nice car at one heck of a nice price. Even if it won’t exactly set your hair on fire!
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