Our feelings about the CR-Z have been generally mixed: It looks cool and triggers feelings of nostalgia for those of us old enough to remember Honda’s fun and thrifty two-seat CR-X from the ’80s, but the CR-Z’s performance and fuel economy never delivered on the promise implied by its flyweight design and racy looks. So when we stumbled upon this Supercharged CR-Z concept powered by an enhanced version of the supercharged 1.5-liter CR-Z engine concept displayed at last year’s SEMA show, it made us feel all tingly inside.
Created by Honda Performance Development (HPD), the car’s mission is to explore the performance potential of the CR-Z, with HPD making numerous performance enhancements to improve acceleration, braking, and handling. Key engine mods include a centrifugal supercharger and intercooler, HDP high-flow injectors, a new air filter, and a sport-exhaust system with a center outlet. In this state of tune, Honda is quoting 185 hp and 169 lb-ft of torque, numbers that easily slay the 122 hp and 123 ft-lb of the stock CR-Z.
For reference, Japanese tuner Mugen offers a supercharged CR-Z in Japan that produces comparable numbers, and the European-market CR-Z received several upgrades for the 2013 model year, several of which Honda has hinted will arrive stateside some time soon.
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A full suite of components also have been applied to the suspension: sport dampers, coil springs that lower the ride height, 11.8-inch discs and four-piston calipers, and 18-inch aluminum wheels all arrive courtesy of Honda Performance Development. Likewise, the exterior gets treated to an HPD CR-Z graphics package, a rear diffuser, and badging. The front lip and tailgate spoilers come directly from the Honda Genuine Accessory catalog.
What Honda didn’t address at SEMA is how the additional ponies affect the CR-Z’s mileage. We’re of the school that any bump in power is a good thing, and we’ll gladly pay for it in diminished economical performance; thrift-master generals seeking economy over cheap thrills may not see things the same way.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/caranddriver/blog/~3/sk0k2i3MIbQ/
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