Car Throttle

The innovative and long-standing brand Honda, has developed over the years to become an iconic household name with a range of different vehicles under its belt. From the 1972 Civic to the new Honda Civic 2012, the Civic car has undergone several facelifts in the past 30 years. Yet, it remains true to the very first design and holds the same values at heart. The Honda Civic 2012 brings a new twist to the car and is an adaptation of their current range. The car offers more to drivers with new technologically advanced features and innovative design. Performance is key and the latest model from Honda is at the forefront of car design allowing drivers to have the ultimate motoring experience. The powerful and

We've prayed, we've hoped and Honda have responded. You can buy your very own CR-Z Mugen, one very quick hybrid, from next year. Car Throttle had the opportunity to take the CR-Z Mugen prototype for a quick test drive at the SMMT test day back in October as well other test cars (which you can check out here) and it was the most fun Adnan had that day. This little Honda coupe is fast. It can go from 0-62mph in 6.1 seconds thanks to a rebuilt 1.5L IMA engine from Mugen which pumps out 200hp and 158lb-ft of torque. This is much better than the standard car and you can check out our review of that here. Mugen also changed the suspension to improve

The Honda CR-Z has a lot of potential.  It's really a neat little car.  I drove one a while back, and there's a lot to like about it.  It's got a well-appointed, comfortable and high-tech interior.  It's light, and it handles pretty well.  Fuel economy is decent, and in sport mode the IMA battery assist gives you a useful thump of torque.  But frankly, for those expecting a CRX Si, it's a massively disappointing car.  I mean, here's this sporty looking low-slung hatchback with a racy interior, and it has less power than a lot of garden tractors.  It's terribly slow, and after a while the game of "how many corners can I take at wide-open throttle?" becomes boring.  Adnan drove one too,

We've thought all along that what the Honda CR-Z needs is an injection of excitement. The aftermarket, like usual, is happy to oblige. Mugen is a Honda tuner that has close official ties with the manufacturer though. From the very beginning it seemed intent on offering a solution for enthusiasts that turned the car into an exciting drive. Very soon after the CR-Z production debut there was word of a sportier Mugen-tuned model coming. That effort came to fruition at this year's Goodwood Festival of Speed in July. There was two models, in fact - a Mugen CR-Z Concept and a CR-Z RR. The RR is racing-focused and more extreme than the aforementioned Mugen CR-Z Concept. There wasn't any word about production of either

What is beauty? Can a car be beautiful? That's a question many of us car folk torment ourselves with night after sleepless night. The quick answer to that is yes, achieving a stunning facade can be created and the 2011 Honda CR-Z may have just completed that achievement. The slightly more lengthy answer is that "it depends". Depends on whether the exterior styling delivers emotion, depends on whether the inside has more guts than a Bear Grylls camel, and depends on whether the car as a whole package has got - as much as I hate to use the phrase - The X Factor. The Honda CR-Z is a mark of the future with its 1.5-litre petrol engine mated to an electric motor which produces upto 57 lb-ft

The Goodwood Festival of Speed is held in England every July, and while full-scale automotive launches don't take place at the event, many tuners come and announce their latest wares. Mugen is a Honda tuner, and has been showing off its CR-Z Concept for a while. The CR-Z has been a big disappointment to enthusiasts, mainly in the performance arena given its hybrid drivetrain. Mugen aims to tap into the car's potential and in doing so, to change its character completely. That's the CR-Z Concept's goal. But the CR-Z Concept isn't the only introduction by Mugen at the show though. The company has also announced a more track-focused concept called the CR-Z RR. Mugen calls the CR-Z RR Concept a "study model" that is

The Honda CR-Z has been panned by many reviewers and enthusiasts as a missed opportunity. The CR-Z has left performance out of the equation, instead of being an affordable and fun successor to the CR-X. Since its introduction we've heard rumblings about a sport-tuned by Honda tuner Mugen. Last month, Mugen made it an official with the announcement of a Mugen CR-Z concept headed for a debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in July. The changes focus primarily on boosting power from the 1.5-liter four-cylinder combined with an electric motor. Now with forced induction, the combined setup makes 197 horsepower and 191 pound feet of torque. Those numbers are up dramatically from the standard car's 122 hp. Along with a drop of 110 pounds

The Honda CR-Z held a lot of promise when it was first shown to enthusiasts, but sadly hasn't quite lived up to that. Clearly Honda was aiming to catch some of the CR-X's allure but it hasn't quite panned out that way. Its slow hybrid drivetrain doesn't do it any favors. We wouldn't be surprised if Honda tried to make it more performance oriented in the future. Until then though, Honda tuner Mugen is happy to oblige. In October 2009, we first reported on news about a Mugen-tuned version of the Honda CR-Z. Over a year later, the first pictures of the car are surfacing. Even now though it apparently is just a concept car, although we don't see it being that way

It's hard these days to find a unique niche in the US auto market. There's a vehicle to suit basically any need and price range.  I mean, why else does Mercedes make the R-class and the CLS?  Does anyone really need a 500-horsepower 4WD AMG-engined Minivan?  Not really, but Mercedes saw a niche and filled it.  Sometimes this practice of niche filling works out (Subaru Outback!) and sometimes it doesn't (GMC Envoy XUV!)  Honda saw an opportunity to both fill an empty niche in the market, and make a retro reference to one of their cult classics.  Thus was born the CR-Z hybrid, an odd amalgam of Civic CRX, first-generation Insight, and a touch of Prius.  And maybe Fiero.  It's weird, but does it make

2010 is undoubtedly the year of eco-consciousness among automotive companies. I mean, there have been some exciting gas-guzzling debuts (hello, Audi R8 V10 Spider, 2011 Mustang GT500, and Ferrari 458 Italia!) but for the most part the focus of the industry has been on boring things, like diesels and hybrids and, god forbid, diesel-hybrids.  Still, there's a whole heap of fresh metal coming out this year, and there's quite a bit to be excited about.  What upcoming cars are you the most stoked to get your greasy little paws on in 2010? For me, it's a pretty long list.  And atop it is Honda's polarizing CR-Z.  While "Hybrid" and "Sports Coupe" seem to go together like peanut butter and salmon, it's an intriguing concept to me