Hyundai Tucson Vs. Nissan Rogue: Compare Cars
In a few short years, what difference. Now, the set of compact crossovers is superior, and some of... Read More
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Once you pull open the somewhat heavy door, a novel interior design awaits, a kind of cost-conscious, Honda-type attempt to deliver the arty style of a Mini or Fiat 500.
While the production CR-Z lacks some of the muscularity of the concept, it still looks like nothing else on the road; that large, imposing grille and upslanting headlights start a design motif that finishes with a bold swish for a C-pillar and a sculptured rear deck.
…as with so many designs rotating on pedestals, everything's been watered down in the production process.
Inside, the CR-Z is best described as "futuristic busy," with a multicontoured dashboard that has more angles and textures-and storage binnacles-than all four generations of CRX and Insight put together.
The flashy design will make it obvious you aren't a "me-too" person.
STYLING | 7 out of 10
Expert Quotes:
Once you pull open the somewhat heavy door, a novel interior design awaits, a kind of cost-conscious, Honda-type attempt to deliver the arty style of a Mini or Fiat 500.
Inside Line
While the production CR-Z lacks some of the muscularity of the concept, it still looks like nothing else on the road; that large, imposing grille and upslanting headlights start a design motif that finishes with a bold swish for a C-pillar and a sculptured rear deck.
Motor Trend
…as with so many designs rotating on pedestals, everything's been watered down in the production process.
Autoblog
Inside, the CR-Z is best described as "futuristic busy," with a multicontoured dashboard that has more angles and textures-and storage binnacles-than all four generations of CRX and Insight put together.
Automobile
The flashy design will make it obvious you aren't a "me-too" person.
USA Today
The CR-Z has to bridge a huge gap in time—between the unadorned, efficient style of Hondas past and the janky, disjointed look of its current lineup.
While the Insight five-door that spawned it looks relatively clean, the CR-Z amps up a very specific, almost chaotic look. We get outrageous, we get eye-catching—but from most views we don’t really get the CR-Z. The long nose betrays lots of crash structure and carryover pieces from the Insight—unsexy stuff, but it’s made a little more appealing here. It falls apart from the rear, where the CR-Z’s laid-back pillars and thick sideview look tall and low at the same time.
The detail that feels most convincing is the dual-pane glass hatchback you might fondly remember from the CRX. Elsewhere, the CR-Z’s sheetmetal makes us wonder more than it makes us smile.
Inside, the CR-Z gets multi-layered instrument-panel displays—a contemporary design feature we’ve come to expect in Hondas—and the upper portion of the dash curves around to envelop the driver. It’s very high-tech and almost retro. Remember the “Tokyo by night” displays from mid-‘80s Japanese cars? This CR-Z picks up that aesthetic and runs with it, its blue-green-red gauges winking softly, using color to signal how you’re using fuel. There’s plenty of plastic and lots of cutlines across the dash, but a nice soft-touch dash cap and tight fits keep your attention focused on the bright displays and their fuel-economy pachinko game.
Conclusion
There’s lots of tension and lots of flaws in the CR-Z’s origami body and its Nintendo cockpit.
