Island Life Magazine Ltd October/November 2010 | Page 73

Island Life - October/November 2010

motoring

and Sunday-ish. And on completion you are rewarded by a
forest of leaves appearing on the monitor – the greener your
drive the denser the forest. No, really.
But if you think this is going to be a sheep in wolf’s
clothing, there are alternatives. Press the Normal button
and the car begins to zip. The central column glows blue,
indicating balance between economy and fun. As with
Economy, you can see when the battery is cutting in to aid
the fuel efficiency and when, excitingly, your freewheeling on
a down hill helps it to charge. It tells you the optimum time
to change gear as well as displaying your actual speed in nice
big numbers.
And then there’s the Sport button. Immediately everything
tightens. The dial is lit red. The suspension hardens, the
lightest touch on the gas emits a roar and you feel the
steering jump to high alert. Previous indifference to the
pootling car in front is now outrage, as the CR-Z itches for
the moment when it can sail past, hugging the curves, and
get on with getting on.
And yet, thanks to that battery in the back, its average MGP
is 57.
The fact is those clever Honda people have masterfully
created two cars in one. It is the ultimate second car for a
family. The boot is surprisingly roomy – where have they put
those batteries you expected to fill it? So while the lady of
the house can express herself by driving on Sport mode, the
17-year-old will be grounded to Economy mode – the tree
reward system will tell if he’s strayed beyond.
In fact this sporty hybrid is just the sort of nanny you need.
Test drive the Honda CR-Z at Northwood Garage, 260
Northwood Road, Cowes. 01983 297217

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