Wheels losing their grip

If the magazine deliberately set out to create controversy over its choice of the Honda CR-Z, it has succeeded brilliantly. This is possibly the dumbest choice I have seen in decades, worse even than the Holden Camira, Mitsubishi Nimbus and Leyland P76.

It features outmoded alleged "hybrid'' technology, absolutely no go and seats for two unless you are a midget without legs. Perhaps the sharpish handling won hearts at Wheels. It couldn't have been anything else. Otherwise, one wonders what drugs they are on.

Last year was a purple patch in terms of new car launches with plenty of worthy contenders for the top dog position. What about the Ford Focus with its brilliant handling and great looks. It’s a great prospect from every point of view. And the Eco-LPi Falcon that halves your weekly fuel bill and goes better than the petrol.

And the Volvo S60 in even the base T4, which punches well above its weight is super-safe and looks fantastic. There’s the Range Rover Evoque ... top styling, competent offroader, great engine performance with turbo petrol and diesel.

And from cost-benefit analysis you’d have to go the Kia Rio that was Carsguide COTY. As a performance pick you can’t go past the Nissan GT-R – even though the new one coming will be even better again. But the CR-Z?

OK, it looks alright if you're into that sort of dart shaped coupe/hatchback sort of thing but a sports coupe it most certainly is not, despite Honda subliminally linking it to the CR-X - a real rocket powered roller skate - with character, even in the targa roof version.

The manual CR-Z struggles to put away a 0-100kmh sprint in 10 seconds and the "auto'' is a horrible, even slower CVT slurring away trying to decide where to set engine revs. My 83 year old dad would give CR-Z a run for its money on his treadly, and he's got arthritis in his knees.

The hybrid drive system isn't really a proper hybrid because it's the wrong way around - a (wimpy) single cam petrol engine out of an econobox, with an electric boost motor. A real hybrid is like a diesel/electric train (and Chevy Volt) with the vehicle driven by an electric motor and the petrol or diesel engine powering a generator.

Fuel economy is no reason to buy the CR-Z because it's nigh on impossible to achieve anywhere near the claimed consumption figure. And it's only Euro 4 compliant.

The tacky interior is a rendition of generic Japanese design in mostly hard plastic filled with naff quasi-green reward systems to "help'' you drive economically. Heaven help us if this is the direction of car development in the future.