Long Term Ownership Review: CRZ - Upgrades

In my four and a half years of ownership of the car, these are the short list of enhancements or modifications made:

1. C-Quartz Finest glass coat - icing on top of the cake that comes with new car purchase... it has been more than 3 years now, and the coating has probably worn off. From weekly washes during early years to once a month, currently. In dire need a coat of wax before CNY next year.

2. Mugen shift knob - missing that titanium shifter feel. Nice to hold, but not after the car is parked under the hot sun for a couple of hours.

3. JDP duck-tail spoiler - the rear end needs a bit of subtle aesthetics enhancement to make it stand out from the stock standard crowd.

4. Carbon fiber decal wrap on the tail spoiler and side mirrors - yet again a subtle aesthetics add-ons.

5. Supercircuit test pipe (2nd cat delete) - less restriction, more ease of expelling the exhaust gas. Probably the single piece of upgrade that yields some performance that can be felt. The engine seems to breath better at mid range and wants to rev a little bit higher.

6. Remus Cat-back exhaust system - the back piece of the exhaust system upgrade that enhances the audible experience. No longer cat quiet, but with a slight bassy rumble at idle, and the tone picks up with opening of the throttle. Louder in a subtle way, but not annoyingly loud.
7. Skunk2 engine oil and radiator cap - cosmetic upgrade pieces brought over from my ex-Project Civic.

8. OEM FD2R red Honda emblem (front and rear) - The car has potential to wear the 'R' pedigree badge, just not yet realized.

Life priorities have changed much since 5 years ago, but these are still on my wish list for the Z to live up to its full potential:

1. HKS Stage 2 bolt-on Supercharger Kit - performance of the stock 1.5L i-VTEC SOHC engine leaves much to be desired, especially at the mid to upper revs band where it goes out of breath, as compared to the legendary B-series engines coming to live with the signature DOHC VTEC crossover point at above 6,000rpm. At the low end though, the torque is quite healthy and the delivery is assisted by the IMA battery, giving it a pull not unlike a car with a bigger engine displacement. According to reviews, the Stage 2 kit will boost up the power to a more respectable 170 - 180bhp region, with significant performance gains at the mid to higher revs, which works in tandem with the IMA assist working its optimum at the lower revs.

2. Adjustable coil-over suspension kit - to optimize the ride height and tighten up the handling. Not much complains I have on the stock suspension setup, though I feel it would look much nicer with an additional 1" drop (will still clear bumps and undulations on the road nicely).
3. Lighter and sized up wheels - I'm digging the classic looks of 17" Enkei RPF01 with proper offset to fill up the big wheel arches of the Z. Stock rims are good and light enough, but the offset looks a bit too tame.
4. J's Racing GT Wing - for the wild-er look with performance to match.
5. Upgraded clutch - the stock clutch tends to bog during fast gear changes, especially when pushed hard and shifting at the rev limit.

Long Term Ownership Review: CRZ

Before I was into running, I had been a petrol head (car guy) for as long as I could remember, probably as early as when I first got my driver's license almost 2 decades ago. 

The first car I bought when a started working in 2005 was a beat up old Honda Civic EG sedan, which I got for dirt cheap (RM17K) and then proceeded to mod the hell out of it throughout my 8 years of ownership. Many of those fond car memories were detailed out a lot, in my early years of blogging. 

It wasn't until 2012 that I was finally able to afford a brand new car. Given the tax exemption on hybrid cars, the ridiculous petrol prices - RM2.80/litre at that time, and my preference for fun to drive cars with sporty handling, the Honda CR-Z hybrid was the obvious choice that ticked all my boxes. Getting it as my 2nd car meant I could still live with the practicality (or lack of) of a daily driven coupe, which literally only fits 2 adults comfortably. Mine is a 2012 pre-face lift with manual transmission.

Fast forward to December 2016, this is my take on the car after almost four and a half years of ownership.

Drive-ability: It has always been a fun to drive car, even more so with the crisp manual transmission with short-shifter especially on twisty and winding roads. The handling, decent and predictable. It corners well for a car with such short wheel base. The performance figures looks pedestrian on paper: 122bhp @ 6000rpm and 174Nm @ 1000 - 1500rpm from a 1.5L powerplant. It really does feels much faster and sharper when driven, the acceleration from standstill is quite brisk, thanks to the electric motor assist. The readily accessible torque from low revs is probably what makes the car so fun to drive, coupled with the compact handling package. Since I have a heavy right foot and can't endure sluggish engine response, keeping the car predominantly in Sports mode is a natural thing for me to do. In the Normal or Econ mode, the engine response to the throttle input is further dampened or muted to regulate the acceleration to be more gradual, supposedly to achieve better driving economy. The bucket seats, and low slung seating position enhances the sporty driving experience on most days, but on bad-back days getting in and out of the car can be quite a workout.

Fuel Economy: Consistently getting 500+ km per full tank (about 35 litres) which translates to about an average of 13.5 - 15.0km/litre fuel economy. No where close to the claims of 20.0km/litre, but then again almost all my commutes are in the city and usually very short drives of about 3.5km to work. Will probably see fuel economy figures closer to the reported claims if my commutes are further distances and more of highway driving. I run it on RON95 mostly. 

Maintainability/ Reliability: Routine and typical maintenance requirements comparable to non-hybrid cars. Just the usual periodic fluid, filters and consumables change-out. Apart from punctured tires and a jammed glove box compartment, have not encountered any mechanical or electronic issues throughout the period of ownership. There were earlier occurrences with the IMA battery draining itself flat mid-way through driving, but there were no actual impact and it usually recharges back off load. Warranty on the IMA battery has been extended to 7 years as per memo issued by Honda Malaysia, and with the maturing technology on hybrid cars, the costs of these batteries will continue to go down with the economies of scale achieved. The only time the car broke down was when I drove it to the point of fuel starvation on at least 2 occasions. Lessons learnt: When the estimated Range goes to '0' km, there is still approximately 5 litres of fuel left in the tank, potentially good to go for another 60 km.

Value for Money: With the previous tax exemption for hybrid cars in place, this is a good buy at RM112K. You get CBU build quality, 6-air bags, 6-speaker ICE setup, cruise control, auto-stop idling, 3-drive modes, solid chassis with good sound proofing, LED headlights, and a sporty looking and handling car. Of course by no means, is it a sports car. Just a fun to drive sporty looking car with decent handling, and efficient little engine with potential for upgrade.