It seemed a little out of place that one of my first appointments at this year’s E3 in Los Angeles was with Honda. No, it wasn’t with Electronic Arts, Microsoft, or Capcom. It was with a carmaker. Why were they here, at a gaming trade show of all places? Simple. They wanted to show us the new 2011 Honda CR-Z sport hybrid coupe.
The Reimagining of the Honda CRX
I’ve been a Honda guy for a number of years. My brother owned an Integra, I owned an Integra, and I had a lot of friends that owned Civics. Much of this Honda crowd loved the CRX hot hatch back in the day. It wasn’t the most powerful car, but it was attractive and nimble.
The Japanese automaker is trying to elicit the same kind of emotional response with the new Honda CR-Z. Even the name is pretty close to the CRX, but this is an entirely different car. For starters, it’s a hybrid. The main powertrain comes from the 1.5L SOHC i-VTEC, but it is bumped up with the Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) system. That’s what makes it a hybrid.
Combined, they produce 122 horsepower and develop 128 lbs-ft of torque. This results in 37 combined miles per gallon with the CVT and 34 miles per gallon with the standard transmission. Interestingly, it is the only hybrid on the market with a manual transmission.
Gaming-Inspired Gauges for CR-Z
Honda recognizes that much of its target demographic for the Honda CR-Z sport hybrid coupe also happen to be video game enthusiasts. We enjoy games like Need for Speed and Forza, so we’ve come to expect a certain kind of experience.
While they certainly don’t condone street racing, they have no problem with gaming-inspired gauges for the dashboard. These gauges can change color or even “pulse” based on how much throttle you give it, for instance.
Three Modes for the Sporty Hybrid
One car can’t be all things to all people, so this two-seater (they couldn’t do the 2+2 that Japan gets, presumably because North Americans are too big) probably isn’t the best option for hauling the family around on long road trips. It does, however, offer three different driving “modes” for different scenarios: Sport, Econ, and Normal.
With Sport mode, you get the most responsive throttle and the most “oomph” when you take it for a rip down the highway. According to the American Honda rep, you won’t even feel like you are driving a hybrid with this mode, separating the CR-Z from something like the Honda Insight.
Econ (Economy) mode dials down on the performance to help you save even more fuel, whereas Normal fits somewhere in between. Other noted features include standard USB connectivity, Bluetooth, satellite navigation, HID headlights, and an optional 360W sound system.
Not Just Another Prius Wannabe
It’s easy to compare just about any hybrid car to the Toyota Prius, but Honda is trying to be a little different with the CR-Z. It’s sportier and should have a greater appeal to the “tuner” set.
Welcome to Car Town on Facebook
Even before the Honda CR-Z officially hits the North American streets a little later this year (starting at under $20k American!), it’s going to make its debut in a less likely venue: Facebook. That’s thanks to CIE Games and a little title called Car Town.
In a nutshell, Car Town is developed by CIE Studios and it is a casual online game that can be played via the Facebook platform. If you’re familiar with some of the other Facebook games, then you might have a good idea of what to expect here.
The art style is certainly more cartoonish in scope, almost reminiscent of Micro Machines or even what you may find in Asian comics and car accessory stores. The idea is that you can collect all sorts of different cars, customize them, and add them to your garage.
There’s the monetization part of the equation. While some cars are free for you to acquire or earn, others must be purchased in the form of real money transactions. Cars that are expensive in real life, like a Ferrari Enzo, are expensive to buy in the game as well.
Race Against Your Friends
So, what do you do with the super fast (virtual) car that you just spent a whole lot of (real) money on? Well, you can take it to the race track against your friends.
These races are not in a real-time versus mode, however. They’re not even time trials in the traditional sense. Instead, they’re about collecting points through well-timed gear shifts. The better you are, the more points you accrue, and the more bragging rights you may have.
Based on the demo video, this is the only kind of real “racing” that you will do in Car Town. Your score is then compared to your friends via the online leaderboard, which is built into the Facebook game.
Getting Beyond the Need for Speed
One of the critical differences is that Car Town is supposed to provide for a much larger and more fulfilling experience than the more casual titles on Facebook. It is more multi-faceted in its approach.
For starters, you can create your own character in the game, customizing this “avatar” with different hairstyles, clothing, and so forth. I’d imagine there could be micro-transactions in this arena too.
You are also able to maintain your cars through your garage, having to keep up with regular maintenance like oil changes. You know how your other Facebook friends are feeding their cattle in Farmville? Well, that Mustang and GT-R need your attention too.
Mafia Wars for the Auto Enthusiast?
I’m personally not a huge fan of the whole Facebook game phenomenon, but Car Town looks like it could be a lot of fun for certain car enthusiasts. If you prefer, the Honda CR-Z will be made available in Nitto Legends 1320 (also by CIE Studios), as well as in Gran Turismo 5 (by Sony).
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E3 2010 – Honda CR-Z Sports Hybrid and Car Town for Facebook – Photo Gallery
