Passion to drive: Honda CR-Z

MANILA, Philippines - Honda, known for its high quality and high performance automobiles, delivers spirited driving pleasure to keep up with the dynamic needs of these modern times. Get ready, as the newest addition to the Honda Cars Philippines Inc.’s, Honda’s automobile business unit in the Philippines, line-up, the All-New CR-Z is bound to unleash your passion to drive.

Developing the CR-Z, Honda’s research and development team aimed for a car that is intrinsically fun to drive, that excites and pleases people around the world and consequently contributes to the preservation of the environment. These are the reasons why the CR-Z was born – a small sporty car that is fun to drive every day.

HCPI announced in April the coming of the Sport Hybrid Coupe, the All-New CR-Z in August. CR-Z stands for “Compact Renaissance Zero,” which represents Honda’s commitment to go back to the point of origin (zero) to take on the challenge to create a new compact car without being bound by the values of traditional coupés.

The CR-Z is equipped with Honda’s 1.5 liter i-VTEC engine combined with the Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) system that enables drivers to experience responsive and exciting dynamics. The 1.5 liter i-VTEC engine typically found in the City or Jazz delivers maximum power of 120 ps @ 6600 rpm and maximum torque of 14.8 kg-m; while the CR-Z is capable of delivering maximum power of 136 ps @ 6600 rpm and maximum torque of 19.37 kg-m for the 6-speed manual transmission and 135 ps @ 6600 rpm and maximum torque of 17.54 kg-m for the Continuously Variable transmission (CVT 7-speed mode with paddle shifters) thanks to the efficient combination of the 1.5 liter i-VTEC engine and the electric motor.

Furthermore, Honda developed what it calls the “Three-mode Drive System”; a push of a button allows drivers to freely shift to SPORT, NORMAL or ECON modes for different driving situations. The system applies integrated control over the engine’s Drive by Wire, Integrated Motor Assist (IMA), Electronic Power Steering (EPS), CVT, and air-conditioning. In Sport mode, the vehicle uses the IMA system in order to provide extra power, while at the same time making the throttle pedal more sensitive to driver inputs. Meanwhile, in Econ mode, the IMA system assists more by limiting the amount of fuel used by the engine in order to achieve better efficiency. The Normal mode is the median between the Sport and Econ modes.

And with the three-Mode Drive System, the driver can also enjoy the ambient meter that expresses the driving style, fuel efficiency status and other information with different lighting colors. The default mode upon startup is Normal with ambient meter light in blue but when the driver achieves eco-driving, the light changes to green.

Ambient Meter Color changes from Blue (Normal) to Green (Econ mode) and vice versa.

In Sport mode, the ring of the speedometer changes to red; this color creates a more exciting atmosphere. Honda further pushes the envelope as the All New CR-Z now has an additional selection – the Plus-Sport System or S+ Button option that enables more responsive acceleration to achieve additional fun and excitement while driving.

The All New CR-Z will come in manual transmission and Continuously Variable transmission (CVT with paddle shifters) options and will be available in three variants.  Aside from the standard model, HCPI will also offer the All New CR-Z Modulo variant (with Modulo aero kit) and the CR-Z Mugen variant, which will be equipped not only with the aero kit but also with the exhaust system and alloy wheels. The customers can choose from six colors: Premium White Pearl, Crystal Black, Polished Metal, Milano Red, and colors exclusive to the CR-Z are the Horizon Turquoise Blue and Cosmo Flash Violet.

The price image for the CR-Z ranges from P1,400,000 to P2,100,000.

For information, visit www.hondaphil.com.