First Drive: 2011 Honda CR-Z

2011 Honda CR-Z – Click above for high-res image gallery

Let's get this out of the way right now: the 2011 Honda CR-Z is not a CRX redux. To compare the two – no matter how much Honda may want to – is to misunderstand the former and besmirch the latter.


No, the hybrid CR-Z is an entirely different beast. Despite its three-door shape and two-seat configuration, it has about as much in common with the O.G. hatch as a big-screen remake of your favorite childhood TV show. The basic components are there, but the whole concept has been throttled to within an inch of its life with high-tech gadgetry, odd casting decisions and a questionable demographic.

But to Honda's credit, its rhetorical comparisons to the CRX have died down considerably since the CR-Z debuted in concept form and then progressed into a production model. Honda may have recognized after a lukewarm introduction outside the U.S. that glomming onto nostalgia will only get you so far (see: Dodge Challenger and Chevrolet Camaro). And to make something special – a vehicle that transcends the emotional baggage of its predecessor – you've got to evolve the concept and avoid relying on rose-tinted sentimentality.

To an extent, that's exactly what Honda has created. It hasn't built another hot hatch – the lightweight, K20-powered three-door enthusiasts crave – and instead it has attempted to meld the technology of the moment into a greenified competitor to the Mini Cooper. Think of it as the rogue lovechild of the original and current Insight, with a few sporting genes spliced into its DNA. But can a hybrid hatch be an entertaining steer? We took to California's twisties and clipped a few cones to find out.
If you were completely smitten by the CR-Z concept from the 2007 Tokyo Motor Show, the retail model may leave you a bit cold. Viewed side-by-side, the basic elements are there – high hatch, wedge shape, massive snout – but as with so many designs rotating on pedestals, everything's been watered down in the production process.

The deeply recessed grille and its center mounted "H" have been dispatched for a more pedestrian-friendly nose, while the blistered fenders, glass roof and aggressive haunches have all been relegated to the designer's trash bin. We won't call it neutered, nor will we result to the roller-skate cliche, but the CR-Z's 16-inch wheels (the only hoops available) and higher ride height have laid to waste the concept's edgy aggressiveness. And the first time a state-mandated front license plate is fitted, crouching Bugs Bunny references won't be far behind.



On the positive side, the blacked-out A- and B-pillars combined with the highly contoured windshield and greenhouse provide a pleasant wrap-around effect, while the high, split-glass hatch and triangular taillamps lend the CR-Z a more purposeful stance. The visibility afforded by the thinner A-pillars – something that's largely absent on modern vehicles – is a breath of fresh air, but on the flip side, the tall hatch and massive C-pillars make lane-changes a double- then triple-check affair.

Viewed as a whole (and if you hadn't seen the concept), it's a smart, youthful design with dozens of subtle stylistic elements that catch your eye over time. The only thing that's obviously missing is a visible exhaust outlet – something akin to the integrated exhaust tips on the Euro-market Civic would've been a nice touch.



The interior does a better job of tipping you off to the CR-Z's sporting pretenses, beginning with a pair of sufficiently bolstered seats and a small diameter steering wheel. All the controls are canted towards the driver, including the optional sat-nav, standard climate controls and drive mode selectors. The dash doesn't extend as far forward as we would have expected given the steeply raked windshield, nor does it completely encompass the occupants (note the odd cliff-face on the passenger side of the dash).

Mercifully, Honda has decided to ditch the Civic's two-tiered instrument panel for a center-mounted pseudo-3D tach with a technicolor digital speedo mounted in the middle. Battery and charge status, shift indicator, fuel level and real-time consumption flank the sides and look both futuristic and slightly half-baked. If you must, think of it as a low-rent version of the Ferrari 458 Italia's driver command center, complete with a user-customizable Multi-Information Display for standard trip readings, along with an Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) flow indicator, "Eco Guide and Eco Scoring" and exterior temperature reading.



Fit and finish is on par with anything from Honda in the $20,000-25,000 segment, with soft-touch materials lining the major touch points and an interesting vacuum-formed metal coating the door handles (an industry first). The rear cargo area was obviously designed with kid seats in mind for the European and Japanese market, but in the U.S. we get a pair of recessed, carpeted plastic trays in their stead. The upright panel can be folded down to expand the standard 25.1 cubic feet of cargo space, although the only way to fold or snap it into place is to move the front seat forward and reach through the door opening. Thankfully, it's a single-handed affair.

With all the techno-tidbits available inside (along with standard USB audio and a 12V power source), oddly, our favorite interior feature came in the form of a configurable cargo cover. You can mount the vinyl overlay in three different ways to either completely obscure the cargo area or leave it open for luggage, golf bags or small bodies. But the third setup – humorously dubbed "Secret Mode" – creates a small parcel area at the very end of the hatch to hold smaller items (grocery bags, laptop and camera cases) so they won't shuffle around during spirited sprints. Speaking of which...



If you're not already aware, the CR-Z's roots are based on the new-for-2010 Insight hatch. You can groan now if you wish, but take solace in the fact that Honda has managed to shorten the wheelbase to 95.8 inches, widen the track to 59.6 inches in front and 59.1 inches in the rear, with a total length of 160.6 inches. MacPherson struts work in concert with 18-mm front and rear stabilizer bars, and the whole setup has been fitted to a suitably taut chassis. The bad news: We're stuck with a torsion-beam suspension in the rear. The worse news: the curb weight comes in between 2,637 and 2,707 pounds depending on the transmission and equipment levels. For reference, the four-passenger, five-door Insight tips the scales at 2,734 pounds, which isn't much difference at all.

As you'd expect, Honda's focus lies on the CR-Z's Integrated Motor Assist hybrid system and its 1.5-liter i-VTEC four-cylinder pulled from the Fit. In the five-door runabout, the four-pot is good for 117 horsepower and 106 pound-feet of torque, but combined with the IMA system's Ni-Mh battery and brushless DC motor, Honda rates the CR-Z with the six-speed manual at 122 hp at 6,000 RPM and 128 lb-ft of torque from a deceivingly shallow 1,000 to 1,750 RPM. Honda says the electric motor is good for 13 hp and 58 lb-ft of twist on its own, so we're not entirely sure how the maths work out on that. We've left it to our engineering-savvy Mr. Abuelsamid to parse out the details, so let's get to the driving.



Judged by the stats alone, we started up the CR-Z with more than mild trepidation. In the Fit, the 1.5-liter isn't exactly an inspired engine and sadly, that hasn't changed in this application. The engine note is more hotel-grade Oreck than the manic, high-revving Hondas of yore, and as you move up through the rev-range, the wasps under the hood get angrier but fail to deliver a sting.

With the traction control switched off, the IMA delivers just enough torque to spin the tires when you launch around 3,000 RPM. Acceleration through the first two gears is on the high-side of acceptable as the four-pot strains towards its 6,500 RPM redline, but by the time you reach third, most of the steam has escaped the engine bay. Our best guesstimate on a 0-60 mph time is somewhere in the 10-second range. Hardly stirring, but not unexpected.

However, off-the-line performance isn't the CR-Z's forte. If Honda's "Hybrid Cafe Racer" line is to be believed, this hatch's true calling is in the canyons. And here, a faint light shines through.



In Normal and Eco mode, the CR-Z trundles along as you'd expect; a lazy commuter focused on efficiency. However, press the Sport button and the steering and throttle tighten. Inputs are more direct as you crank the quick ratio steering (2.5 turns lock-to-lock) and the shifter effortlessly slips through the gears. The six-speed manual tranny is slightly notchier than other Honda 'boxes, but it inspires you to row up and down the ratios to find the meat of the powerband. Lay into the throttle in third or fourth and there's more noise than motivation, but when the first corner appears, the brakes haul down the CR-Z at a decent clip. On the road, brake fade remained absent, but during a few hot laps around a makeshift autocross course, pedal feel got progressively mushier as we pushed harder and braked later, particularly when attempting to stop in a cordoned-off cone box.

Steering is typical Honda: direct, if slightly overboosted. Initial turn-in and mild mid-corner corrections were encouraging, as is the additional weight of the rear-mounted battery pack, allowing the CR-Z to rotate quicker than other short-wheelbase three-doors we've sampled. That additional pounds and 60:40 weight split inspired confidence through high-speed sweepers, but the downside is a fair amount of body roll through trickier, twistier bits and a penchant for understeer without a good flick of the wheel or a fair amount of trail-braking.



We only had a brief stint in a CVT-equipped model, and the seamlessness of the start-stop system in the manual version was replaced with a more abrupt shudder when switching back on from a stop – exactly as we've experienced on the Insight. As with most CVTs, the "elastic band" sensation is there, albeit slightly more refined, holding the revs at around 6,000 rpm when matting the throttle and allowing you to shift through seven faux ratios when the mood strikes you. As you'd expect, the manual is easily the more sporting setup, but Honda estimates somewhere between 70 and 75 percent of all CR-Z's will be equipped with the quasi-automatic. Which brings up the obvious question: Who's the CR-Z for?

If we were a cynical bunch, we'd assume it's yet another vehicle designed to improve overall CAFE ratings. And with fuel economy ratings of 36/39 mpg city/highway with the CVT and 31/37 on the manual model, it's certainly going to help. But that's too easy. If you believe Honda, it's estimating that the average buyer will be a style and eco-conscious consumer between 25 and 35, smitten by the small size and blue Hybrid badge on the boot. That we can almost buy, particularly given that Honda will be pricing the base model under $20,000 and the fully-kitted EX with Navi will slide in under $24,000 when it goes on sale August 24. But is it an enthusiast's vehicle? Hardly. With more power, bigger brakes and a more sophisticated suspension (we're sure Hasport is working on a engine mount kit as you read this), this could've been the CRX for the 21st century. Instead, it's a capable fuel miser that can muster some sport when summoned. Unsurprising, but disappointing nonetheless.
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2011 Hyundai Sonata Officially Revealed: First High-Res Photos and Details

Who would have imagined a few years back that there would be so much interest in a new generation of the Hyundai Sonata that it would be totally justified for us to stay up until the early morning hours to write a post on the car... But times change, GM went in and out of bankruptcy protection, the Fiat Group acquired Chrysler and surprise, surprise, Hyundai overtook the Ford Group in the first half of the year to become the world's fourth largest automaker.
So there you have it. But let's wind back back to the Sonata. After more leaks than a New Orleans levy, the Korean maker formally introduced the four-door sedan in its home market today.
"The Sonata will set a new standard for world class mid-size sedans with state-of-the-art technology, superior build quality and emotional design," said Euisun Chung, Hyundai's Vice Chairman at the launching ceremony for the car in Seoul. "The new Sonata will raise Hyundai's brand values."
It might not be an Alfa Romeo, but compared to its dull and unimaginative predecessors, we'd say that the sixth-generation Sonata makes a huge step (call that a leap) forward in terms of design. Some will even claim that it clearly adopts styling cues from the so-called four-door coupe segment such as the swooping roofline and the stubby rear end, and they're probably right.
The Sonata also boasts a fresh interior with a contemporary styling that's in line with the Korean firm's latest products such as the new Tucson / ix35 SUV that was revealed at this week's Frankfurt Motor Show.
Size-wise the Sonata is 4,820mm long, 1,835mm wide and 1,470mm tall with a wheelbase of 2,795mm making it a little longer and wider but slightly lower than the outgoing model.
The Sonata, which may be sold under a different name in some regions (e.g. i40 in Europe), will be offered at launch in its home market with a 2.0-liter Theta II MPi gasoline engine with 165HP and an LPG version that makes 144HP. Both engines are paired to a new six-speed automatic transmission.
Hyundai said that it plans to add 2.4 liter Theta II GDI gasoline engine to the range in January next year. This engine will be offered as standard on the U.S. market model.
All versions of the Sonata will be equipped with a standard Vehicle Dynamic Control with Hill-start Assist Control and Brake Assist System functions. Other highlights include an available three-piece panoramic sunroof and a new Parking Guide System (PGS) that allows the driver to avoid obstacles during parallel parking or when driving in reverse - or so the company claims.
Hyundai said that it began developing the new Sonata in 2005 under the codename YF with the project costing a total of 450 billion won (US$ 372 million) to go from concept to production.
The company plans to sell 60,000 units of the new Sonata in Korea this year. With the addition of production in its U.S. plant in Alabama plant in early 2010 and in China the following year, Hyundai expects that number to raise to 450,000 units annually worldwide from 2011.
In South Korea, the new Sonata's prices range from 21.3 million Won to 25.95 million Won (US$17,600 to US$21,450).

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Review: 2010 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup Edition juggles fun and frugality

2010 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup Edition – Click above for high-res image gallery

Station attendant: "You sure you wanna put diesel in that?"

Me: "Yeah."

Attendant: "It doesn't look like a diesel."

Me: "That's kinda the point."

And so it goes. That wasn't the first time and it wouldn't be the last that we got quizzical looks when grabbing a plastic glove and topping up the 14.5-gallon tank on our Salsa Red 2010 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup Edition tester. After all, when you think diesel, a body-kitted sports sedan doesn't spring to mind. Particularly in the U.S., where (Cliche Alert!) old-school oilburners conjure the soot-covered nostalgia of smoke-belching Benzes, dirty shoes, smelly hands and searching for the appropriate pump at truck stops.

But in the 21st century – and throughout Europe for the last several decades – the modern diesel is a mainstay. Nearly half of all new cars sold across the pond swill ultra-low sulfur diesel, and after years of being hamstrung by California bureaucrats and the Feds, the high-mileage misers have finally returned to our shores.

But can a diesel really be sporty?



Volkswagen obviously thinks so, and after fielding "numerous inquiries" about offering a replica of its TDI Cup cars for the road, V-Dub has begun offering a kitted-out version of its diesel-powered Jetta to the fraction (of a fraction) of enthusiasts who want a more entertaining way to burn through a tank of ULSD.

So the Cup Edition certainly looks the part, but how's it get on? Let's find out.

After years of slogging through the SEMA Show, we've become justifiably jaded when it comes to various models' body mods – and that doesn't even cover the cars (*badum-ting*). So when the TDI Cup concept debuted way back in 2008, it barely registered on our radar. In the annals of the Las Vegas Convention Center, the side skirts, rear valance and redesigned front bumper with its comically massive air dam weren't extreme enough to stand out. But off the show floor and on the pavement, it's a different story for this oil-powered sports sedan costing $31,113 as tested (a far cry from its $24,990 base price).

Although the front fascia packs more mesh than a New Orleans Gentlemen's Club, take solace in the fact that this is the same body kit fitted to the TDI competition cars. It's got racing lineage, even if it's a decidedly less glamorous pedigree than some alt-powered rocket from Audi or Peugeot, at least it's more direct.



The remainder of the model's modifications are pulled from the VW performance parts bin and include the sway bars and stiffened suspension from the last Jetta GLI. The red-painted calipers are also carryovers, and they grip larger brakes (12.28-inches up front and 11.26-inches in the rear), framed by 18-inch, 10-spoke "Charleston" wheels. The hoops are right off the show car, but unfortunately the Yokohama 225/40R18 ADVAN sport tires have been swapped in favor of "all-season high-performance" Pirelli P Zero Nero's sized 225/40R18. They're mud and snow rated, for whatever that's worth.

Make your way passed the tri-colored graphics spanning the doors and you're greeted by another badge on the sill to remind you that the TDI Cup is more than a tarted-up aftermarket Jetta. Despite the "Interlagos" cloth inserts, the seats shouldn't be confused with the GTI's supremely bolstered thrones. Complete with lumbar support, they're adequate enough for diesel detail, but be prepared for impromptu forearm exercises while hammering around on-ramps.



Thankfully, the leather-wrapped wheel is a nice thing to clutch, and comes standard with twelve (12!) steering wheel-mounted controls for the stereo and multi-function display between the tach and speedo. The buttons are more flush than you'd find in other applications, which should make mid-corner station changes and volume adjustments less of a hassle, but on more than one occasion we inadvertently skipped a track in our playlist.

If AM, FM, satellite radio or one of six CDs on order doesn't suit your tastes, VW offers three ways to port your digitized music into the touch-screen stereo. A small slot below the display accepts an SD card, while an auxiliary jack is mounted on the center console, aft of the cup holders and a "Media Device Interface for iPod® Integration" (read: $199 cable) is fitted inside the claustrophobic arm rest.



Our tester's nav-less touch-screen was easy to operate after a few days of exploration, and we've yet to crack the owner's manual in frustration. However, one thing to note about using an iPod along with a smartphone: You can't toggle between the two. If you want to use the 1/8-inch jack to stream tunes from your phone, you'll have to physically disconnect the iPod from its cable as there's no way to select an individual auxiliary source.

But enough of this prattling on about functionality and ergonomics. This is, after all, a Jetta. And we've got one question to answer and two of our favorite California test roads await.



The drive to our first paved playground involved a run across a few freeways, and here the TDI's Teutonic flavor shown through. Despite its stiffened suspension, the Jetta was equally at ease during high-speed passes and battle-scarred, right lane drudgery. The 140 horsepower offered up by the 2.0-liter turbodiesel won't set the world (or tires) on fire, but the 236 pound-feet of torque makes simple work of the six-speed DSG's ratios, catapulting you to freeway speeds with an assured quickness. Each successive gear is dispatched with the slightest (and we really mean slightest) pause, further proof that while ye ol' torque converter is alive and well in the new century, the dual-clutch gearbox continues to be a modern masterpiece (talk to Ferrari and McLaren if you're in doubt).

As you'd expect, the engine note isn't a sexy serenade – the idle is decidedly diesel and there's a mild racket at 75 mph (around 2,500 rpm), which is lessened/consumed by wind noise by the time you reach 80. However, the steering is sublime. The weighting is near perfect, corrections are rare and the feel is wonderfully direct, if not supremely communicative.



By the time we hit the off-ramp to tackle the first mountain pass, we were impressed. The power delivery is smooth, the gearbox's shifts even smoother. And then things started to get twisty.

Flogging a diesel in a performance setting is an odd one. As you'd expect with most any engine that's got a turbo dangling off the exhaust manifold, there's a fair amount of lag before peak torque arrives at 1,750 rpm. But when you're piloting a petrol-powered turbo, you muscle through the lag and are rewarded by a heaping helping of boost until redline (or near it). With the diesel, the powerband is so shallow and you've only got so many revs to work with before the transmission shifts at 4,500 rpm – 500 rpm revs below redline – that finding tractable power through low-speed bends is damn near impossible. And to exacerbate the situation, no matter what setting we put the gearbox in – Drive, Sport or Manual – the shifts always came 500 rpm shy of redline. With peak horsepower arriving at 4,000 rpm, that severely limits your options.



To make matters worse, most of our test road would normally be taken in second gear with an occasional upshift, but the gearbox boffins insisted on third, and combined with the tranny-imposed redline, we were out of the meaty powerband when the time came to get back on the throttle. It was remarkably reminiscent of the traction control issues we experienced in the Hyundai Genesis Coupe during our comparison test (throttle, wait, wait, wait, power!) and equally as frustrating, TC engaged or not.

So how do you have fun? Charge into a corner carrying a touch too much speed, brake with your left foot and try to keep the revs dialed in with your right. But then, despite loading up the front tires, the all-season rubber gives up the ghost and brake fade – something that was largely kept in check during our first run – came on (predictably) quicker. Entertaining? No. Rewarding? A bit. Frustrating? More than we can describe.



However – and this is important – high-speed blasts are a completely different beast. Keep things in third or fourth and you simply fly. The chassis, reworked suspension and, in particular, the larger rear anti-roll bar, all work in concert to deliver a surprisingly sporty experience, soaking up bumps with aplomb and doing a remarkable job of communicating what's going on at all four-corners. The brakes, while a bit mushy on first application, firm up further down the travel and fade comes on much later thanks to longer bouts between applications. Understeer rears its head earlier than we'd like, but the aforementioned mid-bend dab of the brake quells it to a point. The TDI Cup still needs stickier gumballs to live up to its nameplate, and a beefed-up set of brake pads would be a requirement for track time.

So can "diesel" and "sport" co-exist? In this case, it depends on the setting. In certain situations, we would've preferred the control afforded by a manual gearbox, and thankfully, VW obliges with a standard row-your-own six-speed as an option, though we suspect the dual-clutch is just what the doctor ordered for everyday commuting. Upgrade the tires and fit some high-performance pads, and you've got an entertaining daily driver that can play nice on the track. And just as importantly (if not more so), on the way there you'll be hitting 30 mpg in the city and 42 mpg on the highway. During our time we were averaging around 37 mpg – easily unmatched by anything this side of a hybrid – and we had assuredly more fun in the process. Given the right stretch of road and a proper set of performance tires, the Jetta TDI Cup Edition has real potential. And we've got a sneaking suspicion that an on-track rendezvous is in our very near future. Stay tuned...
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