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>> Well, it's finally here in real showroom production form, the follow on to the Honda CR-X. Now for good reason, they didn't call it the CR-Y, it's the CR-Z, hybrid sports car using Honda's well proven Integrated Motor Assist, kind of a soft hybrid system. It's gonna have a one and half liter IV-tech motor with a 10-kilowatt electric motor pancaked on with that. All in, you got a 122 horsepower, 128 foot pound of torque, not overwhelming numbers, but the key is all of that torque is available way down low between 1000 and 1500 RPM. You don't have to rev this thing to get good performance. Available with two gearboxes, a 6-speed manual and a CVT. If you're interested in efficiency, get the CVT 'cause the MPG kinda falls of a cliff with the 6-speed. Specifically, you get 36/38 with the CVT, but then go to the manual and you drop down to 31/37. Also influencing that is a triple mode drive controller. You got a sport mode, you got a normal mode, and an economy button. They're all pretty self explanatory. The interior, right in front of the driver, does resemble that of the Insight, but it's got a little more futuristic look. You got LCD panels on either side of the main central gauge, and they're changeable reflecting the cars mode and what you wanna see it at a given time not too unlike Ford's SmartGauge. Disappointedly, it seems that the navigation head units are the same old tired what we've been seeing for years in Hondas. We had hope for new revised one. Now the CR-Z goes on sale a little later on this summer of 2010. Pricing is not set yet. They probably do that about a month out from availability. But remember, this is not a strong hybrid like a Prius or a Ford Fusion that can run silent on electric only. Honda's IMA system is still an assist for the gas engine which is always in charge of moving the car.
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