A Honda CR-X Del Sol Full of Ideas, But Never Widely Accepted

 Original by Honda詩 | 日系車迷詩 | April 5, 2025

Unknowingly, we’ve already written up to the fifth generation of the Civic, and the CR-X spin-off models have also been covered through two generations. We’re not sure if everyone was satisfied with the introductions of these two cars. Today, we’ll keep the momentum going and bring you the final generation of the CR-X.

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The third generation is also the last generation in the Honda CR-X lineup.

The third-generation CR-X was born on March 6, 1992. In this generation, it received a new name: CR-X Del Sol. In Spanish, Del Sol means “of the sun.” This name wasn’t chosen randomly—it has a lot to do with the car’s design. Unlike the previous two generations of CR-X, the Del Sol did not continue with the Kammback design. Instead, it adopted a removable hardtop—either manual or electric—and featured a very complex mechanism that allowed the roof above the cabin to be detached, similar to the system found on the first-generation NSX-T. The name Del Sol implies that once the roof is removed, you can enjoy the sunlight.

In my opinion, the Del Sol isn’t really a purely Japanese car. Even though its chassis codes are still EG and EH, from a body design standpoint, doesn’t it resemble the EJ coupe version of the fifth-generation Civic sold in the U.S.? In fact, it did indeed have a version with the chassis code EJ4.

Chassis codes for the third-generation CR-X include EG1, EG2, EH1, EH6, and EJ4.

Since it used a removable hardtop design, the roof naturally could be opened. Honda offered two roof mechanisms for the Del Sol. The first was a lower-end manual roof, which could be physically detached and stored in the trunk. Although manual removal looked a bit troublesome, its advantage was that the roof was made of aluminum, making it dozens of kilograms lighter than the electric version. This wasn’t necessarily done for performance reasons, but rather because Honda wanted to make the roof easier to handle manually. Additionally, in terms of pricing, the manual version was cheaper because it lacked the complex roof-opening mechanism, thus lowering costs.

The manual roof might not be as convenient as the electric one, but it certainly had benefits. Since there was no lifting mechanism, even with the top stored in the trunk, there was still around 300L of trunk space available.

The second method was the electric roof. This was one of the biggest highlights of the third-generation CR-X at the time. The benefit was ease of use—the driver simply needed to unlock two latches inside, and then press a button to let the electromechanical system handle the rest. While electric operation is convenient, it comes at a cost—not only in terms of higher price (about 170,000 yen more than the manual version) but also in weight. Due to the electric lifting system, Honda switched from aluminum to steel for the roof. As a result, the electric version was 60kg heavier than the manual—something not ideal for a lightweight, performance-focused open-top sports car.

When in the open-top state, because of the electric roof mechanism and the roof being stored in the rear trunk, the available trunk space is reduced to a mere 140 liters, which is only half of the space offered by the manual version.

Aside from the newly added removable hardtop, there were also other differences in appearance, such as the front headlight design. The Del Sol had both pre-facelift and post-facelift versions. The pre-facelift version featured a dual-headlight setup, where the high beams were not integrated with the low beams but were instead installed separately in the front bumper, with two dedicated slots. In the post-facelift version, Honda removed this dual-light design and replaced it with a headlight design similar to the EK-series Civic.

This design change made it easy to distinguish early and late models at a glance.

As for the chassis, this generation of CR-X adopted the same front and rear double-wishbone suspension system as the EG Civic. Even though the CR-X Del Sol used the EG Civic's chassis, the handling characteristics of the two cars were quite different. Many media outlets and car owners at the time reported that the three-door hatchback EG Civic had a very lively rear end, making its cornering behavior somewhat hard to control. In contrast, the third-generation CR-X, thanks to its body design and better weight distribution, delivered agile dynamics without being too twitchy like the hatchback Civic.

Because of this, the third-gen CR-X was praised for having a balance between agility and control. In fact, Keiichi Tsuchiya, the famed reviewer from Japan’s Best Motoring, referred to the third-generation CR-X Del Sol SiR as “the most important Japanese sports car of the past ten years.”

At first glance, I even mistook this car for a Toyota MR-S.

In this generation of CR-X, the 1.5L D15B engine remained the main engine option for early models. In the Japanese domestic market, the D15B engine came equipped with SOHC VTEC technology, producing a maximum torque of 138 Nm at 5,200 rpm and a maximum horsepower of 130 hp at 6,800 rpm, with a redline of 7,200 rpm.

On the U.S. market, however, the D15B was equipped only with SOHC valvetrain and did not include VTEC. The non-VTEC version of the D15B engine produced a maximum torque of 133.4 Nm at 5,200 rpm and a maximum horsepower of 103 hp at 6,800 rpm.

The transmission options included a 5-speed manual and a 4-speed automatic.

In October 1995, Honda performed a mid-cycle refresh of the third-generation CR-X. Aside from noticeable exterior changes—such as eliminating the dual-headlight setup from the earlier models and integrating the high beams into the main headlight unit—engine updates were also introduced.

The main engine was upgraded from the D15B to the D16A, a 1.6L SOHC VTEC inline-four. The D16A produced a maximum torque of 145 Nm at 5,200 rpm, while the maximum horsepower remained at 130 hp, now achieved at a slightly lower 6,600 rpm.

Although both engines produced the same peak horsepower in the Japanese market, the D16A reached its peak earlier than the D15B by 200 rpm. And thanks to the increase in displacement, the maximum torque rose by 7 Nm.

On the high-performance SiR II model, the engine was the same B16A found in the EG Civic SiR.

The third-generation CR-X naturally included a high-performance SiR II variant. In addition to the Japan-exclusive second-generation B16A, which delivered 170 horsepower, the European-spec SiR (EG2) was equipped with a B16A2 engine, modified from the B16A1, and produced 162 horsepower.

In terms of exterior, the SiR II model added a rear spoiler, while in terms of configuration, it still retained the electric and manual roof options, four-wheel disc brakes, ABS, etc. On the Japanese-spec models, optional upgrades included LSD and ESP (electronic stability control) systems.

The Euro-spec SiR models, aside from the additional rear spoiler, didn’t differ much from the standard versions in terms of appearance.

It has to be said that Honda’s use of an electric roof mechanism in the third-generation CR-X was, compared to its peers at the time, genuinely ahead of the curve.

Then in December 1998, due to Japan’s domestic economic problems at the time, specialty performance vehicles like the CR-X Del Sol were difficult to sell, and the model also faced internal competition from the U.S.-imported EJ two-door Civic coupe, which led Honda to make the decision to discontinue the third-generation CR-X Del Sol.

By 1999, Honda sold off the remaining stock, officially ending the 16-year life cycle of the CR-X series. Looking back, the sales performance of this generation of CR-X was indeed quite dismal—in the Japanese domestic market, only a little over 15,000 units were sold.

Given these sales figures, calling it the least accepted generation of the CR-X is not unfair. But why was it that the first two generations of CR-X were so well-loved, while the Del Sol turned out like this?

I believe there are two main reasons.

First, it’s about the car itself.
Although Honda clearly wanted to build a small sports car and showcase some advanced technology, it was precisely these technological features that introduced balance issues to the vehicle. Especially for the version equipped with the electric roof—just think about that entire lifting mechanism and the roof panel being stored at the rear of the car.

For a rear-wheel-drive car, this probably wouldn’t be much of an issue. But for a front-wheel-drive car, that added weight becomes a burden on the rear, negatively impacting the car’s balance.
If not for its stylish looks, why would someone buy a lower-performance Civic? Wouldn’t it be more straightforward to just get an EG hatchback?

Second, the car was simply born at the wrong time.
Setting performance aside, there’s always been a market for small roadsters like the Del Sol—but only when the economy is growing, or at least when people aren’t too stressed about making a living. However, the Del Sol was launched right after the burst of Japan’s economic bubble.

When the economy is in decline and people are worrying about daily expenses, who’s going to buy a two-seater convertible with barely any luggage space unless it’s a necessity?

Looking at the three generations of CR-X, it’s clear that whether a car becomes a classic has a lot to do with the social climate, economic environment, and cultural background at the time.
It’s just like why the Xiali (Charade) and Jetta were once hailed as “classics” in China—not because of outstanding performance, but because they arrived at the right time.

After the third-generation CR-X, the CR-Z, launched in February 2010, was referred to as the spiritual successor to the CR-X. This was largely because the CR-Z returned to the two-door Kammback design.

Some enthusiasts even claimed that the CR-Z was the “real” third-generation CR-X.

And now, with a new Integra revival on the horizon, one can’t help but wonder:
Will Honda consider reviving the legendary CR-X as well...?
Of course, that’s a story for another time.