We discuss the short history of the Honda CRX, a car that helped to define the future of FWD hot hatches. We drive and discuss what makes this car unique and yet sad. While there have been better Hondas, this car has the staying power along with the NSX, Integra Type R, and S2000. There are a few aside from the VW Rabbit, and Golf that generated so much excitement.
The Honda CR-X (styled in some markets as Honda CRX), originally launched as the Honda Ballade Sports CR-X in Japan, is a front-wheel-drive sport compact car manufactured by Honda between 1983 and 1991. It was replaced by the Honda CR-X del Sol for the 1992 model year. Although there are many supposed definitions for the acronym CR-X, the most widely accepted is "Civic Renaissance Experimental".
In the US, the CRX was marketed as an economy sport Kammback, with room for two passengers and small rear seats only for the Japanese models. The European-spec car received a ZC 130 PS (96 kW; 128 hp) engine and a 2+2 seating arrangement. Redesigned in 1988 and produced until 1991, the CRX was popular for its performance, nimble handling, and good fuel economy. Honda's 1992 CRX del Sol was marketed as a CR-X in some markets.
The Honda CRX was a model based on the Civic. The Honda CRX was one of the most popular cars produced by Honda during its initial release into the North American market.
The Honda CRX was released at a time when the 1973 oil crisis was still fresh on a lot of people’s minds. Although it was pretty obvious that Honda had come up with a winning formula for success when it designed the original Honda CRX, the company continued to push the boundaries in subsequent years to improve upon the Honda CRX.