Over the last few months, Mugen has revealed a bunch of concepts represent a hotter version of the CR-Z and now they’ve come up with the real deal. It’s called the CR-Z RZ and only 300 units will ever see the light of day as Mugen wants to keep it a limited edition model. The bad news is that all of the cars will be sold within Japan so we won’t be seeing it in any other places of the world.
The car is scheduled to go on sale on November 26 at a yet undisclosed price tag. It is motivated by a custom version of the IMA Hybrid powerplant found in the regular CR-Z, with a supercharger on the 1.5-liter i-VTEC engine that increases the output to 154 hp and a peak torque of 136 lb-ft.
We should also mention that we are dealing with a hybrid car so there’s an electric motor that pumps out an extra 20 hp and 58 lb-ft, offering a combined output of 174 hp, which is considerably more than the 122 hp provided by the stock model. We don’t know the 0-62 mph sprint figures, but taking into account that it has the same output figures as the concept, it should be able to do it in 6.1 seconds, making it 3 seconds quicker than the standard model.
Aside from the healthy power boost, the 2013 Honda CR-Z RZ Mugen features a better suspension, beefier brakes and a new exhaust system. It rides on a fresh new set of 17-inch alloys covered by 205/45 R17 Dunlop Direzza ZII performance rubbers. As you would expect from a Mugen-tuned model, this CR-Z features an aero body kit with a carbon fiber front grille, a new look for the front bumper and bigger vents and side skirts. At the back are a large rear wing and an apron that hosts a diffuser.
Inside the cabin of this hotter CR-Z we find carbon trim, two-tone sport seats, a numbered plaque located on the dashboard, a bespoke gear shift lever and an additional instrument gauge placed above the center console.
