Mugen « Car & SUV

Euro-market Honda Civic Type R Mugen gets 2.2-litre motor

September 12th, 2011 by Car and SUV

It was just last year that Honda tuner Mugen gave U.K hot hatch fans a limited run of the Honda Civic Type R. It was an exclusive machine with only 20 units produced and just 16 were sold to customers. Sales were low due to its hefty price tag of around NZ$77,000. Only hardcore fans could pay this much for a Civic.

For 2012, Mugen is back with a whole new engine for the Type R Civic and with the new model not due till next year, the tuner is going big on this final edition. The new motor is bored from 2.0 litres to 2.2 litres, with horsepower boosted 30% to 195kW and torque raised to 240Nm. Mugen views this special Civic as a tribute to Honda’s naturally-aspirated K20 engine, which has been at the heart of the company’s tuning efforts for years.

“Environmental pressures mean naturally aspirated engines are rapidly being superseded by other engine architectures and technologies,” Mugen Euro president Hiro Toyota said. “We may never see the like of the K20 in a mainstream production car again, so felt it only fitting we mark the occasion with this special 2.2 version of the Honda Civic Type R.” Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: 2012, Civic, Honda, K20, Mugen, new engine, tuning, Type-R | Posted in News | No Comments »

Fifth Gear gets first thrash in Mugen CR-Z (+video)

July 25th, 2011 by Car and SUV

It was a few weeks back that we brought you news of Honda unveiling its latest concept car – the CR-Z Mugen at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.

This hybrid-powered spiritual successor to the iconic CR-X sports coupe was built to make up for the shortcomings of the standard model with an injection of extra power and style from Mugen. This special CR-Z has retained the regular model’s mechanical hardware including the IMA electric motor and the 1.5-litre gasoline engine. But its internals have been upgraded and a supercharger introduced, there result is a power increase of more than 50% over the regular CR-Z.

Dynamic ability has also been improved by a widened track and a limited slip diff, there’s also 5-step adjustable dampers and larger stoppers. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: CR-Z, Fifth Gear, Honda, Mugen, test drive | Posted in News | No Comments »

Honda reworks hybrid CR-Z with Mugen RR Concept

July 7th, 2011 by Car and SUV

When Honda first revealed its CR-Z hybrid coupe, many enthusiasts were left wishing that it was just a little bit more like the original CR-X. Honda noted the doubters but pushed on with the production model without change. The brand’s tuning arm Mugen however, has put in much greater effort to inject a more sporty character into this coupe, firstly with the Mugen CR-Z concept and now with its track-spec RR edition.

The covers were pulled off this concept at last weekend’s Goodwood Festival of Speed in the U.K and proved itself on the famous Goodwood hill. The CR-Z Mugen RR Concept has a unique body kit with a front aero bumper, front aero guards, side skirting, a rear aero bumper, a rear wing, and special 18-inch wheels.

Mugen hasn’t released exact performance specs, but we already know the Mugen CR-Z design concept features a supercharged version of the 1.5-litre engine with Honda’s IMA hybrid system and is good for around 147 kW and 245 Nm of torque. Acceleration from 0-100 km/h takes around 6.6 seconds. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: concept, CR-Z, details, Goodwwod Festival of Speed, Mugen, RR, specs | Posted in News | No Comments »

Honda’s CR-Z Mugen hits the open road (+video)

June 14th, 2011 by Car and SUV

Development of the Honda CR-Z Mugen concept has reached its conclusion and to celebrate Honda has released video footage of the supercharged hybrid model hitting the open road. The clip should send Honda fans into fever pitch before the models official launch at the upcoming 2011 Goodwood Festival of Speed in the UK next month.

This special CR-Z was born in a joint development between Honda UK and its in-house tuning shop Mugen Euro. To get any real performance out of the car, extensive mods were done to the 1.5-liter i-VTEC petrol engine including the introduction of a supercharger. Honda’s hybrid IMA system was also tweaked. The exact result in terms of output remains a mystery but is rumoured to be around the 150kW mark. Mugen has also pulled out 50kg of excess weight and made changes to the suspension, brake system, aerodynamics and lightened its unsprung weight too.

“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.

To see Honda’s CR-Z Mugen in action, check out the clip below. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: action, CR-Z, Goodwood Festival of Speed, Honda, IMA, Mugen, video | Posted in News, Videos | No Comments »

Mugen working on hot hatch Honda Jazz

May 27th, 2011 by Car and SUV

Mugen and Honda are a tight unit, they go together like fish and chips or like rugby league players and off-field incidents. The latest project for this dynamic duo is to inject some performance pedigree into Honda’s new model Jazz which until now was only favoured by little old ladies.

The previous generation Honda Jazz had a Mugen version called the F154 SC. But this new model, to be built by Mugen Euro will use the same naturally aspirated 2.0-litre V-TEC engine that powers the Civic Type R. There is also talk of using the same supercharged hybrid 1.5 developed for the Mugen CR-Z.

With either powertrain the Mugen Jazz will produce around 150kW and in a car of this small size that could be a recipe for serious fun. Mugen will most likely upgrade other areas of the car with stiffer suspension, larger brakes and improved aerodynamics expected. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: CR-Z, Fit, Honda, Jazz, Mugen, Type-R, upgrades | Posted in News | No Comments »

Honda drops images and details on its CR-Z Mugen

May 20th, 2011 by Car and SUV

Honda’s promising CR-X successor, the hybrid CR-Z could still be the excitement machine badge fans have been hoping for. Honda’s tuning arm Mugen is preparing to come to the rescue with a high performance version named the CR-Z Mugen and the first official photos of this hot hybrid hatch have been dropped.

Being prepared for a official debutl at the UK’s Goodwood Festival of Speed this July the hotter CR-Z looks suitably staunch but it’s the performance ability that Honda fans want to know about. While exact details haven’t been released, Honda has revealed that early tests with a prototype car based on a standard CR-Z and a mid-tuned engine has given a 0-100km/h sprint time matching that of the European market Civic Type R at 6.6 seconds. But that wasn’t enough, and Mugen has pushed on by increasing output a further 15 percent and reducing the chassis’ weight by 50 kilograms, overall performance is now expected to be more rapid than the Type R’s.

That seems a fair result form the CR-Z’s supercharged 1.5-litre i-VTEC four and electric assist motor. The CR-Z Mugen will also get tweaks like upgraded brakes and suspension, a carbon fibre bonnet and forged alloy wheels. For styling, there is a new body kit with a high rear wing and diffuser to improve dynamics. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: CR-Z, Honda, Hybrid, Mugen, performance, specs, Type-R | Posted in News | No Comments »

Mugen to give Honda CR-Z more power and aggressive appeal

March 18th, 2011 by Car and SUV

Right now performance cars fans have no issues drive their petrol powered machines, but in the future if petrol keeps rising in price, simple economics might push us all into much different machines.

Whether you’re into it or not hybrid-power is here to stay and in 10 or 15 years time it may make up a major component of the performance car scene. We have begun to see more sports focused hybrids in the last couple of years and one of the first to have any genuine interest to performance car fans is the Honda CR-Z.

Built as a spiritual successor to Honda’s iconic CR-X the CR-Z looks cool but doesn’t have a real performance vehicle. That’s right, it’s a bit slow, but that is expected to change with the help of Honda’s Mugen performance division. Mugen is preparing a “highly-tuned” version of the CR-Z that it claims will deliver “Type R-like” performance. This faster, more powerful CR-Z Mugen prototype is being developed as a joint project between Honda UK and Mugen Euro, and will debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed this July.

Honda claims that the CR-Z Mugen prototype will feature modifications to both the 1.5-litre i-VTEC petrol engine and the Honda IMA system to boost power and torque. Surprisingly these mods may actually result in even better fuel economy and lower CO2 emissions during some conditions. Final power, torque and fuel economy figures haven’t been announced yet.

Other performance upgrades include a bespoke braking package, retuned suspension and Mugen will also make use of lightweight components such as a carbon fibre bonnet and lightweight alloy wheels. The special CR-Z will also receive a new body kit that includes a new front apron, grille with LED daytime running lights, roof-mounted wing and deep side skirting. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Body Kit, CR-X, CR-Z, Honda, Mugen, performance model | Posted in News | No Comments »

New 2011 Honda V6 Accord goes on sale in NZ

February 23rd, 2011 by Car and SUV

The new 2011 Honda V6 Accord has gone on sale in NZ and comes packing some new features and updated styling.

There’s a new front bumper, grille, headlights and reworked detailing on the boot lid and rear lights, as well as new wheel options. The standard equipment level has also been increased so all vehicles in the range have some luxury kit.

An improved ADR fuel economy figure of 9.9L/100km, parking sensors, USB audio integration for iPod or memory sticks and an easy to use jack-knife key are just some of the new enhancements to the 2011 Honda V6 Accord.

Honda has worked hard on its fuel efficiency with the V6 Accord’s cutting edge i-VTEC 3.5 litre, 24 valve, high torque V6 engine delivering impressive power and torque figures of 202kW @ 6200rpm and 340Nm @ 5000rpm respectively.

The V6 Accord uses Honda’s VCM (Variable Cylinder Management) technology. This system actively monitors throttle position, vehicle speed, engine speed, automatic transmission gear selection and other factors to determine whether three, four or six cylinders are needed to meet driver demand. This provides maximum requested power and efficiency from the powerful V6 engines available. Whether maximum power is required (six cylinders), or moderate acceleration for mild hills (four cylinders), or if the vehicle is just cruising (three cylinders), the V6 Accord makes the change on the driver’s behalf. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Accord, facelift, Honda, Mugen, specs, update, V6, VCM | Posted in News | No Comments »

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