Next used car coming in: Honda CR-Z

In the continuing saga of 'what car I'm I taking pictures of today', checked in at the used dealership and he has a Honda CR-Z coming in. I always dismissed these as not quite and will never be a CRX but after doing some research they don't sound half bad. The CR-Z hasn't come in yet but when it does I plan to take it for a test drive and get some pics for the ads. My MINI Cooper continues to piss me off as I now have a clunking steering rack and a leaking exhaust. How are these CR-Z's? Anybody have any experience with them and how long are batteries expected to last? It's a Honda so it should last for awhile, right? The funny part was when I said 'so you bought a hybrid' and he didn't realize it was one. At least it has a slick shifting 6-speed gearbox, not a rubber band style transmission. I'll update when the car arrives.

I found them to be really underrated as well. Certainly not a deal at MSRP, but considering you can get them lightly used for about half that, different story!

I was in the process of arranging financing on a red one when I was just informed it sold today. I am looking for another (but also open to other options).

They are very much a car that only fits a certain kind of person/lifestyle/commute, though.

My folks owned a CRZ from new. It replaced a very low mileage first gen Honda Fit. After two years of ownership, the CRZ's value had plummeted to half its purchase price, and they couldn't sell it privately after many months at below KBB value. So they basically bent over and traded it in for a new third gen Fit, plus an absurd amount of money.

In the time they owned it, it averaged less mpg than the first gen fit, and less than their current fit. It also was not even remotely fast, quick, or sporty. Had a pretty miserable ride, huge blind spots, and threw three different check engine lights in the 14,000 miles they owned it.

One of Honda's worse offerings, imo. Not great mpg, not sporty, and terrible resale value.

When my wife bought a car in 2011, she test drove a Prius and was horrified. Next was a Lexus CT200h that looked better and still didn't excite. Next was a CR-Z, and it seemed OK after the first two cars. It made an obvious droning sound at certain speeds that wasn't the sort of engine noise you enjoy. After driving a MINI Cooper S, all thoughts of buying a hybrid were dismissed. It gets better fuel mileage than the CR-Z and beats it in every other way IMO (except for maybe reliability).

That said, there's a guy in our local autocross club that enjoys his. If it floats your boat, go for it. Personally I'd rather have a used Fiesta ST any day.

Battery life should be pretty good. It seems Priuses are good for about 10 years before the battery falls off, and you have that ten years of R&D on your side. Should be better with a 2013 and up, because the battery went lithium ion.

I generally like mine, but it's not perfect.

The S+ button (2013 feature, kinda like a hybrid KERS, dumps more battery for a short boost of power) doesn't really work on a LHD manual car - the S+ mode cuts out if you lift, hit the brake, or drop below 19 MPH. The button doesn't react to a quick tap, and it seems to take a moment to think about engaging. It's also low on the right side of the wheel, under then hand you use to shift. So, on the CVT, get to 19 MPH, hit S+ and push the pedal in. On the manual, get to 19 MPH, hit the button, shift and have it turn off, move you hand back to the wheel, hit the button, shift before it engages, watch it turn off, repeat. If you have a good long pull in a higher gear, it's nice, but it is completely useless under 40 for street driving. There will almost always be a reason for it to be off, and if you can't rely on it, what's the point?

There is little clutch and gas pedal "feel," so it's a little hard to drive smoothly until you're used to it. The three drive modes can make this worse.

It lacks some of the cushy features of its contemporaries. For example, even with automatic headlights, those puppies are off when you take the key out - you can find your own damn way to the front door. The bluetooth on anything without nav won't get you Siri, Google Now, or whatnot. The remote doesn't roll down the power windows. The key is huge, sits on your knee, and there is no keyless option.

It is really fun to drive though. It feels light, and has a fairly crisp turn-in. It shines on steady highway driving. Some people get great MPG, but my usage is heavy on stop-and-go and aircon, so I'm averaging about 32 MPG across my ownership. Trips do better, and I can get into the 50 MPG range. When I'm driving aggressively on short trips with lots of stop signs, I'll see 25 MPG. I really like the seats.

Oh, and there is an A/C vent in the glovebox, so you have that.

Jackson Racing makes a supercharger for it.

https://jacksonracing.com/shop/supercharger-systems/cr-z-supercharger-system/

That's all I got.

subrew wrote: My folks owned a CRZ from new. It replaced a very low mileage first gen Honda Fit. After two years of ownership, the CRZ's value had plummeted to half its purchase price, and they couldn't sell it privately after many months at below KBB value. So they basically bent over and traded it in for a new third gen Fit, plus an absurd amount of money. In the time they owned it, it averaged less mpg than the first gen fit, and less than their current fit. It also was not even remotely fast, quick, or sporty. Had a pretty miserable ride, huge blind spots, and threw three different check engine lights in the 14,000 miles they owned it. One of Honda's worse offerings, imo. Not great mpg, not sporty, and terrible resale value.

I think this may be one of the biggest issues the CR-Z has, the fact that the Fit exists. The Fit is just as fast...er...slow, gets as good or better mpg, handles as good or better, is pretty much the same size dimensionally yet loads more practical. Unless you have to have that body style, the Fit makes much more sense.

I got to ride in one last month. This was at our Nite Series Autocross and I was working as an instructor. I hop into his car and sit there quietly while he is doing something on his cellphone. Me (old guy) waits patiently while he (young guy) finishes his business. Then he turns to me and says he has a warning light on his dash that indicates the batteries are not charging. He is trying to reboot his car with his phone.

Time to go for his first run (first autocross run ever) and he does the old right hand on shifter, left hand steering. He shifted to first at every corner. It wasn't good! We have the post run review. Okay, get into second gear, leave it there. Both hands on steering wheel. He gets the car to reboot now, but not enough time to charge batteries before next run. Second run is way smoother but not too much faster.

Third run he is on his own as I watch from outside the car. After 5 runs, he dropped 5 seconds from his first. He did a great job and had a big smile!

The car looked great. He added a front splitter and rear wing. Looked faster than it was. Neat looking car.

I just know how I am with computer issues on my home PC and am not ready to reboot my car with a phone.

In reply to trucke:

Probably some kind of Hondata or generic OBD setup. There is no way you can "reboot the car" with a phone, the assist battery is either charged or it isn't...

subrew wrote: My folks owned a CRZ from new. It replaced a very low mileage first gen Honda Fit. After two years of ownership, the CRZ's value had plummeted to half its purchase price, and they couldn't sell it privately after many months at below KBB value. So they basically bent over and traded it in for a new third gen Fit, plus an absurd amount of money. In the time they owned it, it averaged less mpg than the first gen fit, and less than their current fit. It also was not even remotely fast, quick, or sporty. Had a pretty miserable ride, huge blind spots, and threw three different check engine lights in the 14,000 miles they owned it. One of Honda's worse offerings, imo. Not great mpg, not sporty, and terrible resale value.

Damn, that's terrible. The one upshot to Honda, to me, is that they hold their value, you put up with boring and cheap but when it gets crashed and insurance cuts you a check for 80% of the new cost you sort of feel better. Sucks to hear that car depreciated like a rock. At least with the Fit it's a walking piggy bank.

In reply to Coldsnap:

A walking, slow, reliable piggy bank that has the best stock sound system I've ever experienced in a small car. I hate the clutch delay valve with a burning passion, but can't bring myself to get a more suitable vehicle for my wants. Yet.