Test Drive: Honda CR-Z

I have a friend who had been looking for a Honda CR-Z for quite some time. He had been having a hard time finding a suitable one due to his requirement which is hard to to fulfill. He has to get a 2013 and above, facelift model, has to be a manual transmission, has to have low mileage and most importantly, cheap. Let me explain to those who might not understand why it is that difficult. The first reason is when the CR-Z was first launched in Malaysia, only the manual transmission variant was available and auto transmission came in months later. Second reason is back when it was launched, Malaysia had a tax exemption for all hybrid cars with engine lower than 2 liters. So the official selling price was RM 120,000 when first launched but selling at RM 180,000 after the exemption was over. Thus, automatic CR-Z grew in number and sales went down when tax exemption was removed. He shared with me how used manual units whether pre-facelift or facelift, is selling like hot cakes. Whenever one appear on the website for used cars, it would be sold within 1 week.

Previously, I went to view a 2013 manual unit with him. It had very high mileage, the clutch pedal sank, it was a horrible violet color and was on higher price range. Despite all that, he wanted to view the car and test drive. After viewing, he went back to proceed with car loan arrangement and I thought he had decided on this unit but last week he called me and asked me to view another unit with him. This time, it is a 2013 manual with lower mileage of 20000 km, a striking red color and cheaper than the violet one. Best of all, this unit is lightly modded. It has 17" rims, Adjustable High/Low Soft/Hard suspension kit and straight pipe all the way to the muffler by J's Racing. On the day of the test, I was surprised when the owner allowed me and my friend test drove the car without his presence. I, of course took the chance to drive it around the block just to get a feel of how a CR-Z drives. First 2 things that were on my mind before it was my turn to drive was the fact the car is lowered and straight pipes are noisy. I keep thinking, it has been a long time since I drove a car with stiff setting and lowered car.

Very low stance and big side skirts

When I sat on the driver seat, I realized that the seating position is similar to a regular car rather than a coupe. Usually the first thing I would try is the clutch pedal and I find the CR-Z's feels very light and comfortable and the engine does not stall easily. Getting the car to move was easy but the test ground has a lot of bumps, which is not so good for a car that is lowered and has stiff suspension. I ended up scratching the side skirts once and jumped at a bump. Guess I have to retrain myself for the 350Z. The other problem was the loud exhaust note. When the engine starts, you would hear a loud note but it goes down while idling. When driving, it gets loud around 3000 rpm and I know my friend would get rid of the straight pipes, the first thing if he gets this unit. Overall, I have to say the Honda CR-Z is a car suitable to be a daily drive that has a sporty look to it but to gain the sportiness, it has to be the 6 speed manual variant. I heard that the owner still has some original parts including the original exhaust system. So, my friend does not need to spend extra to get some quiet driving time.

2017 seems like a good year for buying cars. I bought one, my father bought one and now this friend too. I hope he settles for one soon. Not that I am complaining about the test drives but I hope he could get his ride soon.

My favorite angle. Love the rear skirt