Mugen supercharges the Honda CR-Z

Honda tuner Mugen has set its engineers loose on the CR-Z hybrid, and what they came back with is a piece of machinery with supercharged power when you need it and fuel economy when you don't.

Pictures of the new tuner have popped up on Honda's United Kingdom media Web site.

We had high expectations for the CR-Z when it debuted. Many enthusiasts were a bit bummed when it came as a heavyweight hybrid, instead of the lightweight stripper like the old CRX.

Honda says after early tests on a prototype car it expects the supercharged CR-Z to match 0-to-60-mph times of the Civic Type-R. And with another 15 percent bump in power over this tune, and a 110-pound diet, Mugen expects to meet its original target.

Earlier, Mugen estimated that the power would be about 197 hp with 181 lb-ft of torque.

By Jake Lingeman