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The hype behind this car surrounds its ability to combine eco-credentials and sporty performance, so here is really the test for Honda in its new hybrid offering. Can the mighty little coupe pull it off or will it leave it feeling like a jack-of-all-trades and a master of none? The great news is that it can. After the disappointing reception and sales of the Insight hybrid, Honda has managed to stage a stellar comeback and a return to form. Returning Honda’ reputation, the CR-Z range currently features just one engine option in the form of a 1.5 petrol engine, fitted with a six-speed manual gearbox, the first car of its type to use such a gearbox. This petrol engine, combined with Honda’s familiar IMA hybrid system, produces 128 lb of torque at 1500 revs and achieves just 0-62 in just less than 10 seconds in its entry-level V-TEC Spec. The higher level models sprint to 62 in slightly over the 10 second mark as is the case for the top spec V-Tec GT road tested here. It’s a respectable start for the first ‘sports hybrid coupe’ and while Honda’s IMA system may only make the CR-Z a ‘mild’ hybrid (meaning that the battery power supports the petrol engine, and is not able power the car alone), the CR-Z still pulls off an impressive balancing act between being a green car and a sporty one. The car feels comfortably pacy, not to hot hatch standards, just enough to make the car a joy to drive and prove that words ‘hybrid’ and ‘fun’ can work together in the same sentence. Honda’s choice of three drive modes; econ, sport and normal add to the perception that this is a fun car to drive. There is a noticeable difference in the three with Sport providing a tasty boost in acceleration and better throttle response. Switching to econ mode means that the revs slacken and the gearing becomes more sensitive. The interactive dashboard lights green when you select the right gear for the conditions and gradually turns blue as accelerate until you push up a gear again. This, combined with the Eco-Assist system, makes an addictive game out of eco-driving as you battle to keep the green light on and beat the chastising change in colour. In sport mode, the dash lights red, for that knightrider feel while in normal mode it remains a sober blue. Overall the performance of this car is boosted handsomely by its electric motor, giving it the equivalent response of a petrol turbo engine, only without the dirty emissions and poor fuel economy.

I hate to use the word ‘faultless’ as it seems like a conclusion before I’ve said anything of this car but there is nothing to dislike or nit-pick at the CR-Z’s ability to hold the road. Its low position and wide stance mean it can hold without feeling sticky or sluggish. The battery weight helps the car to feel well planted to the road, while its aerodynamic shape allows it to glide with ease. Its suspension, while firm is much superior to that of its sister hybrid model, the Insight, which was criticised for being too hard and subsequently altered. Seriously there is nothing to dislike in this car’s ride and handling. The steering feels well-weighted and feedback is good. The three driving mode options only make it more enjoyable as the car takes on three different personalities to suit your mood. Driving in sport mode is great fun in the evening when the roads are quieter and feels the most fitting for this sports coupe while econ mode is great for those shorter, traffic-choked journeys around town. Normal mode is the option of choice when you’ve bored of the eco-game and yet don’t have the space to fully enjoy the sport option. Something for every situation.

The CR-Z has a slightly retro look inherited from the styling cues it took from the 1980s CRX car, with a smart modern twist. This allows the CR-Z to look distinctive without looking freakish and while it rear-end profile may present some practical hurdles by creating some rather scary blind spots it helps add to the just-come-back-in-fashion look of the car. As the top-spec car, the VTEC GT comes complete with front leather seats, privacy glass, heated seats, alloy and leather gear knob, alloy pedals, leather steering wheel, rain sensing wipers, keyless entry, parking sensors, steering wheel mounted audio controls and subwoofer. The useless rear seats aren’t leather covered, but let’s face it; it would be a waste of material, as they are simply a smart place to sit a handbag-sized dog. The interior of the top-spec car is close in quality to something like the BMW Z4 and would not shame any young executive. At the basic end of the specification, the CR-Z S grade still comes with 16 inch wheels (17 inch are available as an option), plus heated door mirrors, rear dimming mirror, electric windows, daytime running lights, Shift Indicator Light (SIL) and auxilliary socket. Meanwhile, the mid-range Sport grades have additional ambient lighting, alloy pedals, cruise control, leather gear shift, multi function steering wheel, parking sensors, privacy glass, 240W premium audio system, boot-mounted subwoofer and USB port for MP3 players. Which ever grade you go for, the car’s seats are comfortable and fully adjustable and the interior smart and stylish. Honda has a great reputation for reliability and as the CR-Z hybrid system has already been tried and tested in the Civic hybrid and Insight models, I can’t foresee there being any problems here.

The CR-Z comes as standard with a great level of safety and security kit, as such the car would likely score high in the EuroNCAP if it is ever tested. Safety and security features include active head restraints, ABS, EBD, visible VIN, auto headlights, central locking, daytime running lights, dual front SRS airbags, EBA, pre-tensioners, deadlocks, locking wheelnuts, rain-sensing wipers, side, driver and passenger airbags and vehicle stability assist system (VSA). The only downside is that the CR-Z, like many modern, fuel economy-conscious cars, has no spare tyre left in boot. Instead, Honda ditches this fuel sapping deadweight in favour of an Instant Mobility Sytem (IMS) repair kit. While this is fine in most situations, if your tyre is shredded, you’ll be stranded unless kit the car out yourself with a spare. Another point worth noting is that the low profile to the rear of the car means that while visibility is poor directly behind you, the situation is even worse in the driver blind spots, which occupy a larger space than they do in most cars. This might make lane changing on the motorway feel a bit hairy.

While definitely not a family car model, the CR-Z does have enough space in the boot for a weekly shop for two people while with the rear seats down, you can just can fit in enough luggage for a week or weekend away for the two of you. This should prove sufficient for the likely buyer of this model. The rear seats are torture, it’s not just a lack of legroom but a serious lack of height in the back that means under no circumstances should anyone over 4ft 10in attempt to sit there even if the front seats are pulled right forward. It is a useful shelf for your handbag and no more. Not that that should bother you as a carefree couple, as lets face it, if you had kids you wouldn’t even be reading this review unless it is being consider as a fun and kid-free second car.

With its hybrid system and stop-start function, the CR-Z, achieves impressive fuel economy of 56.5 mpg on a combined cycle while producing just 117g/km of CO2, meaning it sits in tax band C at just £30 a year. Starting at £16,999 for the S grade and rising to £19,999 for the GT, the CR-Z is far from cheap however it is competitively priced compared to rivals like the BMW Z4 (starting at £29,695), Peugeot RCZ (from £20,450) or a Renault Megane Coupe (from £16,855). While not a prestigious or as torquey as a Z4, it’s got the innovative hybrid fuel system its favour, which should help it hold its value and appeal to a wide range of buyers. This hybrid system also means that it will save you £8 per day if you drive in the London congestion zone. Although it’s worth remembering that the results of a soon-to-close consultation into the charge could mean that the CR-Z would lose its right to travel freely in the capital (hybrids are currently automatically exempt from the charge, but the system may change to only exempt those cars which emit below 100g/km of CO2). As a Honda and a hybrid, this smart looking coupe should hold its residuals well. As long as it remains in small numbers on the roads, it will always have unique selling point as a hybrid sports coupe which will help to ensure that you get a good price on your CR-Z when you come to sell it on…that is if you can bear to part with it.

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This being a hybrid powered car you not only get a conventional petrol engine, oh no, the car also has one of Honda’s IMA (Integrated Motor Assist) systems which is designed to complement and boost the power output of the engine, effectively allowing the engine to not work as hard when accelerating which in turn reduces its petrol consumption. It’s not the first time Honda has used an IMA in the UK, both the Civic Hybrid and Insight models feature one, but the CR-Z is the first hybrid to come with a short and snappy six-speed manual gearbox, designed to get the most out of the car’s perky performance. The Japanese car maker has also stuck a bigger engine under the bonnet in comparison to the Insight, so instead of a 1.3 litre petrol unit, there’s a 1.5 litre engine, which is Euro V compliant. This marriage between combustion and electricity ensures that the CR-Z is probably the most enthusiastic hybrid yet seen in the UK, and it’s certainly much more enjoyable to drive than both Honda’s previous hybrid efforts. While looking at the performance stats on paper might lead you to be a little underwhelmed, 0-62mph in 9.9 seconds and a top speed of 124mph, this doesn’t tell the whole story. The car might not be the swiftest coupe out there, but acceleration is brisk and thanks to the low down driving position, it makes you feel like you’re travelling at a fair rate of knots. Wisely Honda has also decided to give the driver a choice of three distinct settings that provide subtle yet noticeable changes to how the car behaves, Econ- mode as you would expect is the option you pick if you’re looking at conserving fuel and taking things a little easier, while Sport-mode allows for more aggressive acceleration, finally Normal mode is what you would expect in that it provides a balance between frugality and performance. On test, it became a natural part of driving to switch between modes depending on the circumstances. In a bit of a hurry and the finger quickly reached for the sport mode, while at other more leisurely times the Econ button was pressed to see how well the car conserved fuel. And as the car is marketed as being a “green” car, how does its credentials stake up? Pretty decent, it’s CO2 emissions of 117g/km are good without being truly exceptional in comparison to the Prius and Insight, while a combined mpg of 56.5 is pretty impressive for a predominantly petrol powered car.

In the run up to the CR-Z launch, Honda was pretty bullish in its talk about its new hybrid coupe – “agile handling… most exciting hybrid yet… promising driving thrills” were some of the claims made by the Japanese manufacturer, so how does the finished product match up to these statements? Very well in fact, it really is an enjoyable experience behind the CR-Z’s leather steering wheel. The short, yet wide wheelbase coupled to the low seating position helps no end in providing an enthusiastic and engaging drive, and especially with the Sport setting activated the car can be pushed around pretty vigorously, the snappy six-speed manual gearbox also helps in connecting the driver to the car in a way not seen in other hybrids. The ride is pretty taut and stiff which is great news for people expecting a car that will corner impressively.

Honda cars, by reputation, are excellently put together, which made the previous new hybrid from Honda, the Insight’s cheap looking interior all the more difficult to explain, thankfully the manufacturer has got back on track with the interior of the CR-Z looking thoroughly modern, durable, and finished to a high standard. The GT version sits at the top of the simple, three variant range and boasts front leather seats, front fog lights, rain sensing wipers, and a glorious panoramic glass roof, above the generous levels of equipment found on the entry ‘S’ model, and the mid-range ‘Sport’. The car sits on 16” alloys whichever grade you opt for and comes with climate control, a good stereo with essential MP3 connectivity, as well as daytime running lights. For all the Honda Insight’s faults the car has had an exemplary reliability record and no doubt the CR-Z will feature near the very top of the charts for reliable motoring, sure under the bonnet the IMA complicates the engineering but if you look up ‘well engineered’ in a dictionary you’ll see the word Honda.

At the time of writing the car hadn’t gone through the rigorous Euro NCAP testing but the CR-Z has been built to the normal exacting Honda standards so you’ll be sat in one safe motor. All versions of the car come with ABS and Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA) as standard which greatly helps with not only the enthusiastic handling but also helps keep the car glued to the road. The Honda comes with the usual assortment of airbags, including driver, passenger and front side, while the front also sees seatbelt pre-tensioners included. Central locking, alarm, and immobiliser all come to help keep the crooks at by – while both the ‘Sport’ and ‘GT’ versions come with privacy glass which is a nice extra.

If the CR-Z has an elephant in the room it’s when you look at the car’s practicality or lack of it. While space in the front of the cabin is good, there’s plenty of horizontal, leg, and vertical space available, and the front seats can be configured to be suitable for most body shapes the same cannot be said for the pokey rear. While Honda has made an attempt to shoehorn something meaningful into the rear, the bench in the back could never be seriously considered as adequate seating, unless the front seats are pushed forward to their maximum and the people in the rear are tiny and don’t require much, if any, leg room. Put the front seats as far back as they’ll go and the rear has absolutely zero leg room. Great for a couple of small bags or shopping but not people! But perhaps we’re missing the point here – in an age where each new car is trying to cater to the largest possible demographic, it is refreshing to see a quality, niche car come out. If you don’t expect the CR-Z to be anything other than a compact two seat coupe then you won’t be disappointed.

Prices start at a reasonable £16,999 for the entry ‘S’ model, the ‘Sport’ weighs in at £17,999, while the range topping ‘GT’ will set you back £19,999 – so around the same price you would expect to pay for a Mazda MX-5. On-going costs should be pretty reasonable, the car will be pretty cheap to insure, decent fuel economy figures should ensure that fuel costs don’t become too prohibitive (although the small fuel tank will mean pretty frequent trips to the pumps), while the car should rarely need to spend any time with a Honda garage. The car also comes backed by Honda’s 3 year/90,000 mile warranty. If you’re looking for a greener way of having a few sporty thrills and can live with the fact that it is strictly a two-seater then the Honda CR-Z will give plenty of years of satisfaction – just don’t expect the back seats to be useful!

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