The supercharger package for the Honda CR-Z Sport Hybrid adds some chassis and appearance upgrades to the hp boost from the new blower.
(This story has been updated to include torque numbers, and information about fuel economy changes.)
Long in promise, short in performance, that’s been the widely voiced complaint about the Honda CR-Z since the hatchback hybrid was first introduced four years ago this month. But the Japanese maker plans to correct that problem with the help of its Honda Performance Development, or HPD, division.
The street performance division has come up with a new dealer-installed supercharger package that will deliver a more than 50% boost to the standard-issue CR-Z pony count. The performance punch won’t come cheap, however, Honda setting the price for the 2015 CR-Z Sport Hybrid kit at $5,495 – plus dealer installation fees.
“The CR-Z was the first hybrid to prove that efficiency doesn’t have to come at the cost of sportiness and fun,” said Art St. Cyr, president of Honda Performance Development. “With HPD street performance accessories, including the new supercharger kit, the CR-Z will surprise everyone again with even higher levels of performance directly inspired by our on-track racing efforts.”
Billed as the spiritual successor to the old CRX hatchback, the Honda CR-Z tried to find a balance between sportiness and efficiency, the 2014 model delivering up to 36 miles per gallon in the EPA City cycle test, 39 mpg on the highway. But despite its sporty appearance, the 130-horsepower package – with a manual gearbox – just didn’t really deliver the sort of power and performance needed to make it in the competitive hot hatch segment, one reason analysts say sales never quite met early expectations.
The new centrifugal supercharger give the CR-Z a more than 50% bump in horsepower.
The new supercharger should help answer those critics, taking the CR-Z’s total powertrain output up to a much more sporty 197-hp — at least with recent models of the hybrid. The 2011 and 2012 models will get slightly lower numbers. Torque, meanwhile, will jump from 140 pound-feet to 176.
As for mileage, since the Sport Hybrid package will be sold as an aftermarket kit, Honda won’t get official EPA numbers. City ratings are likely to fall, according to one source, but highway mileage actually could increase slightly in some situations.
First shown at the annual SEMA Show last October, the supercharger was first offered in Japan, but it now completes the U.S. line-up of CR-Z performance components available in the States.
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From a powertrain perspective, the package includes not only the centrifugal “blower,” but an air-to-air intercooler, high-flow fuel injectors, a new air filter system, and a new ECU calibrated to maintain the CR-Z hatchback’s AT-PZEV emissions rating. The conversion will require an owner to upgrade to 91 octane fuel.
The upgrade kit also includes new HPD sport dampers, coil springs with reduced ride height, larger, 300 mm disc brakes, and HPD wheels shod in Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires. The modified CR-Z gets new front lip and tail spoilers, rear diffuser and a special HPD graphics package and badge.
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HPD isn’t the first to offer a boost to the CR-Z, but a critical advantage, Honda notes, is that the use of the company’s own supercharger maintains an owner’s 5-year/60,000-mile warranty.
The upgrade kit is now available at U.S. Honda dealers.