Honda CRaZy

It's been sought after since the invention of speed came around. How can I have a sporty two-seater car that will get up and go when I want it to, get amazing mpg's when I don't, and still keep a happy medium every other time? Well Honda claims to have the answer, and I think, they have hit the nail pretty darn close to dead-on.
Everyone remembers the old Honda CR-X. It was really the car to have if you wanted to have something that looked sporty. And with the three options they offered, HF DX and Si, someone could look cool and still drive how they like and get exactly what they wanted from their car. Those who would purchase the HF were the ones you knew were more worried about getting the best mpg they could. When one would purchase the DX, they cared less about mpg's, and wanted a little fun in their sweet looking ride. Then there are they who could care less about what gas mileage they are getting and just wanted to kick some ass at the stop light runs (me).
Well this is all fine and dandy, but I, heaven forbid, would have to buy three different cars for my different road trips and frequent personality changes. Honda has now addressed this problem; and from their assembly lines we now have the CR-Z rolling out.
The CR-Z has the awesome sleek wedge shape of a sport car. With two bucket seats and a confused three-post steering wheel to match. At first glance, I couldn't help but think "Wow. I could drive that." I am happy I took a closer look though. Upon my arrival at the big hatch-backed butt, I saw the badge that any speed freak like myself fears, Hybrid. It's a good thing I decided to drive this confused little two-door, otherwise I would have never been able to look at one on the road and have happy thoughts of something new and sporty.

Now which part of this little thing is more confused? The badge says Hybrid, and there is a little button that says ECON with a small leaf above it, and when I pressed it the whole dash turned a green color, but that is where the hybrid-ness stops. The shifter feels like the hand control of a helicopter, and there are these two large paddle shifters at each index finger. This thing felt more like a jet with bucket seats than a car.
The confusion only continued when I pressed each of the buttons putting the car into three different driving modes: ECON, NORMAL, and SPORT. With ECON, the whole futuristic instrument panel had a very "you're doing something good for the world" feel, with green back-lighting, and a picture of a cute little leaf. It drove just the same. Very uneventful, wouldn't get up and go even if I offered to plant a tree. I guess that does it for some though. You know, like those who drive a Prius.
Normal felt like every other Honda I have driven though. Kinda perky, little firm in the suspension, fairly responsive to drive. The instrument panel now a very nice shade of blue. I guess I was getting good gas mileage in this mode, at least that is what the mpg monitor on the right was telling me. Any car with a meter that ranges from 0 - 100mpg must be pretty proud of what they have accomplished.
Finally, I press the button that the car would be in the whole time if I ever owned one, SPORT. Now the crazy little Honda shows who it really is. The entire instrument panel turns a deep red and my gear indicator switched to the manual paddle shifters. This, this is what a car that look like it does should be. Ready to go at any moment, a little grumble with the climb of the RPM's, and fun. You know the car could care less about the little blue badge on its butt, or the ugly looks Prius's and Insight's are giving it as it whips by.
The CR-Z is every mothers dream for her teenage son or daughter. Economical, small, only two seats so they don't have friends distracting them as they drive along, fairly cheap, and did I mention economical? Don't worry mom, your teenager will love it too. With the ability to impress friends with a sporty looking two door, and drive like it looks, they will be just as happy when they realize they aren't burning through their hard earned cash from McDonalds.
If only the rear view mirror weren't obscured by a black bar splitting the window. And how much do you think it would cost to get rid of that blue Hybrid tramp-stamp?