Honda CR-Z

[serialk11r]

All speculation, I hate it when they post articles full of bad imagination.

FWD is not cool, and I'm not buying anything without a stick shift.

[448hpsti]

Drove worse than a prius

[7thgear]

they already built amazing cars

why don't they go back and build them again

ohh right, because SCIENCE, BITCH




seriously they had the ITR... what's stopping them from making it again, part for part.. only even better and safer.

[REAV3R]

LOL I'm lovin' the Autozone-style hood scoop!

[Superhatch]

I did like the original look of the front of the CRZ, the rear didn't look so great though. Honda seems to really be behind the curve now. A CRZ with an Si motor should have been an option from launch, not some afterthought now that they realize the BRZ is really exciting the market.

Keep in mind that Honda is also planning on redoing the S2000 platform, so they will likely have an awesome 200+hp, lightweight RWD car on the market. Just because a company makes a sporty FWD car shouldn't automatically exclude them from understanding how to make a sporty RWD car.

I think the AWD and RWD crowd are a little too hung up on sporty FWD cars and OMG THEY ARE SO TERRIBLE AND A DISGRACE TO CARS EVERYWHERE! Honestly I've driven and raced a slew of FWD platforms, and while sliding in a RWD car is fun, or feeling the grip of an AWD car is fun, when you are racing and you nail an apex, or place well in your class it's fun regardless of what you're driving. If you learn the techniques to make a FWD car fast, understand how to set it up to remove as much understeer as possible they can put down some really great times.

[REAV3R]

^^This! I came over from the FWD world. Traded my Neon SRT4 for my new FRS. I miss the torque and the sound, but don't miss having NO traction in first or second gear and wild understeer made for some interesting comments from passengers!

[7thgear]

Originally Posted by Superhatch

Honestly I've driven and raced a slew of FWD platforms, and while sliding in a RWD car is fun, or feeling the grip of an AWD car is fun,

Grip is a factor of weight andgeometry. Tire for tire AWD cars don’t have a grip advantage, esp if they areheavier.



The only advantageis during corner exit… and that’s if you’ve got all the fancy diffs (all 3 ofthem) set up and are making over 400hp.



Or if it’s raining..but that’s a given.

[serialk11r]

Originally Posted by Superhatch

I think the AWD and RWD crowd are a little too hung up on sporty FWD cars and OMG THEY ARE SO TERRIBLE AND A DISGRACE TO CARS EVERYWHERE! Honestly I've driven and raced a slew of FWD platforms, and while sliding in a RWD car is fun, or feeling the grip of an AWD car is fun, when you are racing and you nail an apex, or place well in your class it's fun regardless of what you're driving. If you learn the techniques to make a FWD car fast, understand how to set it up to remove as much understeer as possible they can put down some really great times.

I think it's not a matter of whether FWD cars are capable or not, it's that the FWD hot hatch market is saturated. You can get any FWD car in a fast flavor. If you wanted one, you would've bought one already.

[strat61caster]

CRZ (of any iteration) would almost never compete against an 86, they serve entirely different needs and priorities. They will (and probably have) been cross shopped by many but the decision between the two is not going to come down to any factor Honda or Toyobaru can control or contribute to..

A revamped sporty CRZ would go up against Fiesta/Focus ST, Abarth, GTI, Veloster, Mazdaspeed 3, as well as the Fit/Yaris/Versa, if they can make it as fun as the Abarth they'll have a winner. But that's a big "if".

[Superhatch]

Originally Posted by serialk11r

I think it's not a matter of whether FWD cars are capable or not, it's that the FWD hot hatch market is saturated. You can get any FWD car in a fast flavor. If you wanted one, you would've bought one already.

Ford has 2 hot hatches (both 4 doors), Honda has 0, Chevy has 0, Toyota has 0, Dodge has 0, Subaru has 0 (that are FWD), Mazda has 1 (also 4 door and a boat), Fiat has 1, VW has 1.

Where is the saturation? In Europe, sure. In the US it is a barren market. There are zero two-door hot hatches that I can think of in the US right now. The civic hatch died in 2005, and was 160hp and heavy, we never got the RS, we never got the Type R, we never had any of the Renault's or 1 series BMW's, or Audi RS1.

I wanted a 2 door hot hatch desperately, but the Fiat 500 Abarth just didn't do it for me, and everyone I know owns a GTI including my dad, and honestly I just don't find it that engaging.

[Superhatch]

Originally Posted by 7thgear

[SIZE=3][FONT=Calibri]Grip is a factor of weight andgeometry.

Corner exit is mainly what I was talking about. It's a different feel for sure.

[Superhatch]

Sorry...I left out the Mini Cooper S, which also has just gotten fatter and more expensive. I owned one of the R53's and really liked it, but wanted something new in my next new car.

So we've got 3 hot hatch options in the 2 door flavor. Not what I would called saturated.

[jeffchap]

I'd rather see this...

[Kimsey47]

Someone who is not at work needs to edit the old "One does not simply..." meme and put something like, "throw a hoodscoop on a CR-Z to make it look "sporty""