36 mpg in a two-seat Honda CR-Z hybrid
Just two seats?
A unique little hybrid, but…
Like most automakers, Honda could use a little hybrid buzz. Despite a decade in the market, Honda still hasn’t really found its hybrid mojo.
Can a hot little sporty hybrid shake things up a bit?
When I tested the CR-Z hybrid, it was on a small, limited course. Sure it was comfortable and cool, but it’s a sporty hybrid. If you can’t let it rip, at least a little, then what’s the point? So, my experience left me yearning for more.
Anyway, as I was reading AutoWeek’s recent test of the CR-Z hybrid, I couldn’t help but think: 36 mpg. 36 mpg is really pretty good fuel economy for almost any vehicle, but for a small, two-seat sporty hybrid that really isn’t all that sporty according to many early reports?
Bad batteries, poor suspensions, and shoddy interior materials. Those complaints have begun to define Honda’s hybrid cars, and now a 36 mpg tiny hybrid?
Early word suggests that the Honda Fit hybrid will be Honda’s best hybrid offering yet. Sadly, that isn’t necessarily saying much. Seriously, can it get much worse?
Like KP, I think it important to target this niche, but I’m not that happy with this car, although that’s more of hit on Honda’s hybrid technology.
Yes, we can’t see at the back of the to reverse the car from with in the car. If some changes are done then the car is super cool hybrid car. And i think the above mentioned problems will be coming until the hybrid cars are not get in really competitive market.
36 mpg is essentially a Corolla with mechanical transmission, only Corolla is much bigger. Even Ford Fusion hybrid gets 40. It is also much sportier! As well as Camry hybrid, which has slightly worse mileage, but, in practice, one can easily average 38 mpg or more.
I didn’t see such a sportive hybrid car before.
Fix for Civic hybrids’ dying batteries may hurt gas mileage, acceleration
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-honda-20100815,0,1088581.story
I think all of these niches need to be explored by hybrid manufacturers. The market will decide what people want. I give Honda a lot of credit. If you look at the poor efforts of US automakers, the possible bad combos of features by companies that are making serious efforts to develop the hybrid market are at least worthy attempts to break the mold and develop the market. Compare this salvo into an unknown market vs the overly hyped force-feeding of SUV’s combined with lobbying to subsidize cheap oil to keep unimaginative US automakers’ engineers busy…
Seriously! Honda has lost any sort of respect I ever had for them. I don’t even care to read any farther than 36mpg and 2 seater. I mean seriously….my very comfortable 4 seater 2000 Pontiac grandam GT gets 30mpg and I would still stick with that if you gave me this car for free. It’s not even that stylish, unless maybe you’re 15 and just think that everything is “cool”.
I wonder what the size of the rearward vision blind spots are? Makes me wonder about the motor vehicle law that goes something like this.
The driver must turn and look out the rear of the vehicle whenever the vehicle is in reverse motion. Don’t know how much good that would do with this vehicle. Give me cameras; lots of cameras.