The revised Honda CR-Z, which was seen in Europe for the first time at the Paris auto show in September, will arrive in UK dealerships in January with on-the-road prices starting from £20,550 for the Sport variant and £23,050 for the range-topping GT.
While the 2013 model does receive a light exterior makeover with a new front bumper design, a different grille and rear diffuser, along with subtle updates to the interior including changes to the colour scheme and improvements to the cabin storage, the most important upgrades are to be found under the hood.
Honda’s engineers made changes to the car’s 1.5 litre petrol engine ECU unit and variable valve timing system, boosting output by 7hp from 112hp (114PS) to 119hp (121PS).
At the same time, the IMA hybrid system features a new Lithium Ion battery that replaces the previous Nickel-metal hybrid version, and an increase in power from 14hp to 20hp.
These upgrades result in an overall combined output of 135hp (137PS) at 6,600 rpm (+13hp) and 190Nm of torque (+16Nm), with the CR-Z’s 0-62mph (100km/h) sprint time dropping from 10.0 seconds to 9.1 seconds on the Sport model and from 10.1 seconds to 9.5 seconds on the GT.
There’s also a new Sport Plus (S+) boost system activated by a button that offers an electric boost for up to 10 seconds.
The 2013 CR-Z retains the same fuel economy numbers as its predecessor at 56.5mpg UK on the combined cycle and 116 g/km (Sport) and 54.3 mpg UK and 122 g/km (GT).
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