Honda
promotes the 2012 CR-Z as a sports car and a hybrid. The manual starts
at $19,695, and the automatic continuously variable transmission, or
CVT, starts at $20,345.
Under
the hood, you'll find a gas-electric hybrid system with a 16-valve,
1.5-liter i-VTEC four-cylinder engine pumping 122 horsepower. It comes
standard with a six-speed manual transmission, which Honda claims is a
first on a hybrid vehicle. The manual will get you very decent fuel
economy -- 31 mpg city, 37 mpg highway and 34 mpg combined.
But
with the automatic continuously variable transmission, you'll save even
more gas, getting 35 mpg city, 39 mpg highway and 37 mpg combined.
According to Edmunds testing, you'll only need 8.8 seconds to hit 60
mph. With the manual transmission, the CVT loses some speed, doing the
sprint in 9.2 seconds. To customize your fuel consumption, the
three-mode drive system allows you to choose sport, normal or eco mode
for your drive.
Safety
is on your side with standards such as antilock brakes, vehicle
stability assistance, electronic brake distribution and six air bags.
