MotorMouths

Thanks to sharper reflexes, quicker acceleration, some stylish sheet metal, a two-seat layout and a Technicolor gauge cluster, the 2011 Honda CR-Z is still a noticeable step up in excitement from its workaday Honda siblings, the Fit and Insight.

The CR-Z is a hoot to drive because the seating is so good, and the steering feels even better than that. With six nicely spaced gears to select, and a slick shifter that operates like it was stolen from a Formula car, the CR-Z is fun to drive fast.

The Honda CR-Z is for those who want an eye-catching, futuristic-looking, high-mpg two-seater hybrid. It has more cargo space than a sports car, but not much small storage space or driver convenience in the cabin. It corners well but the ride wears on you.

With its 2011 CR-Z, Honda is playing with a new concept. It’s called responsible indulgence, and Honda’s debuting the idea with a two-seat “sporty hybrid coupe” that’s got some spunk but doesn’t force drivers to check their environmental consciences at the door.

The Honda CR-Z is good precisely because it doesn’t act or drive like another dopey hybrid. You can be green and kind of mean in a low-level, Birkenstock sort of way as you’re snicking through the six-speed transmission.

As an economical commuter car, the Honda CR-Z is more fun to drive and way cooler looking than most.

The CR-Z’s efficiency is good, but not spectacular. Same for performance. But the car has head-turning good looks, decent practicality thanks to its large hatch, and storage space where there is a microscopic back seat in other markets.

Though admittedly imperfect as a hybrid in the minds of most consumers today, the 2011 CR-Z nonetheless stands to be a needle-moving car for Honda, and for car culture in this country.

While the idea of a sporty car that’s also a gas/electric hybrid is a bit puzzling, we can’t complain much about Honda’s execution. CR-Z gets great fuel economy while being solidly built, pretty fun to drive, and not outrageously priced.

Like Rush Limbaugh and Barbara Boxer, “fuel-efficient” and “sporty” aren’t a typical combination, so from that sense, there’s definite appeal to the 2011 Honda CR-Z. But shoppers should be aware of the car’s distinct limitations.

A car can’t be everything to everyone, but with its big trunk and three-mode hybrid system, the CR-Z comes pretty darn close. Yep, I think a lot of people are going to like this car.

The CR-Z is a sharp-edged hybrid racer that will fail to connect to Americans in literally every way. But they should: The CR-Z is fun to drive. My manual transmission model felt quick and solid on the road.