Now though, tuning company Mugen has bolted a supercharger onto the CR-Z’s 1.5-litre petrol-electric powertrain taking power and torque up to 197bhp and 245Nm respectively.
A joint project by Honda and Euro Mugen, the car will be on show at the Goodwood Festival of Speed between July 1 and July 3.
Debuting at next month’s 2011 Goodwood Festival of Speed will be the Honda CR-Z Mugen hybrid hot hatch.
Uprated suspension includes stiffer springs and five-position adjustable dampers - based on MUGEN’s commercially available products - with braking courtesy of four-pot callipers grabbing 320mm grooved and vented discs up front.
Thanks to the collaboration of Honda UK and its in-house tuning shop Mugen Euro, the 1.5-liter i-VTEC petrol engine has received a supercharger as well as to the Honda IMA system. “Performance figures already look promising for this supercharged Honda CR-Z, as early tests with a prototype car based on a standard CR-Z and a mid-tune engine giving 0-60mph times around that of the Civic Type R,” Honda said in a statement.
"We've retained the three driving modes from the standard car and economy ranges from 50+mpg in 'eco' mode to mid-30 mpg when tapping into the supercharged power in a special Mugen mode."
