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The styling is dead on for my tastes, the power is good, but not enough to be classified as a sports car, and the mileage is good in comparison with many similar cars like the newer Civics.
My RSX-S has 200hp @ 7400 rpm w/ 142 ft.lb. torque @ 6000 rpm and it's definitely a sportcar.
The CR-Z has 122hp @ 6000 rpm + 13hp (electric assist) w/ 128 ft.lb. torque @ 1750 rpm + 58 ft.lb. torque @ 1000 rpm (electric assist). It's obviously comparing apples to oranges, but 0-60 in 7.7 vs. 9.7 is where the rubber hits the road and while it's faster than a Civic EX, it's not a sportscar.
Then there's the delema of the mileage. It's not in the class of the hybrids like the Prius or Insight, but there's few cars out there that get better than 35mpg right now, so it's better than most, even better than a lot of compacts.
It's a compromise and at under $20k, it's in the right price range for a compromise. If they priced it where the RSX was, around $26k, they'd never sell them, but they're at a good price point for the 20-30 year olds who are looking to get their first adult car and are planning on financing for the next five years.
On the down side, if you read the reviews on Yahoo! Autos, the hybrid Civics get lambasted for reliability and ownership expense. Honda has always considered themselved an engine company, not a car company. While it seems that Toyota has the hybrid technology perfected, I think Honda is lagging behind and still has some issues to work through. IMHO, they make the best gasoline engines on the planet, but when it comes to overall product execution, they have some blindspots and this car just might fit into one of those. They should probably stick to their successes and build off of that; highly fuel efficient, light weight, economical cars that last for years with minimal maintenance and care.
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