The all new 2011 Honda CR-Z Sport Hybrid

The all new 2011 Honda CR-Z Sport Hybrid is now available for test-drives at Keeler Honda! When I went over to the Honda store to check it out (my office is in another building on our Keeler Motor Car campus,) I was first struck by the edgy lines of this car. It screams "i'm a sports car!!" I loved everything about this Honda - I would love it even more if I didn't have two babies and needed a back seat but for all you people out there with no kids (or if you're just in need of a kick-butt sports car that is good for the environment,) come check out the latest and greatest that Honda has to offer. Go here for more information on our website.

2011 Honda CR-Z First Drive

Honda's once-proud sporting image has taken a beating lately. Its last foray into Formula 1 was a disaster, made even more embarrassing by the fact its former team swept the championship the year after it pulled out -- with Mercedes engines. The on-again, off-again NSX supercar program is now truly dead, along with the iconic S2000, both killed in favor of channeling resources towards good, clean family transport like the Fit, Civic and CR-V. But now an unlikely hybrid sports coupe with a 6-speed manual gearbox -- a world first for a hybrid drivetrain -- is set to inject some passion back into Honda's performance heritage. It's called the CR-Z.

The production CR-Z's exterior is nowhere near as taut and tight as that of the concept Honda revealed at the 2007 Tokyo Motor Show, which sent the blogosphere into a frenzy of anticipation: Was Honda bringing back the CR-X? While the production CR-Z lacks some of the muscularity of the concept, it still looks like nothing else on the road; that large, imposing grille and upslanting headlights start a design motif that finishes with a bold swish for a C-pillar and a sculptured rear deck.

Many readers will remember the wedge-shaped CR-X of the early 80s and see some strategic resemblances. But as project leader Norio Tomobe pointed out at our drive session: "We were not aiming for a modern day CR-X. We wanted to create a totally new type of hybrid sports coupe that would take us into a more discerning and environmentally-conscious 21st century. The fact that's it's a hybrid just adds another intriguing dimension to the sporty mix. If it reminds you of the CR-X then that's purely coincidental."Read more: http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/alternative/112_1003_2011_honda_cr_z_drive/index.html#ixzz0hzbTMWeC