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Road Test: A really stylish Honda hybrid

Everyone knows that hybrid vehicles are eco-friendly, frugal and practical, but they're not renowned for their sporty driving, writes Trish Whelan. But dare I say that hybrids can be fun cars to drive?

Take what Honda call 'the world's first sports hybrid coupe'. A really stylish little car which, I expect, will appeal more to lady drivers than to men. But we'll see.

It has history, bringing to the brand all those attributes that made the CR-X such a winner back in its time. But Honda have added some more goodies in keeping with the 21st century. The car's unique selling point is that it is the first hybrid with a manual transmission, a slick 6-speed gearbox that really is a joy to use.

This is quite a small car, delicious in white with a contrasting interior colour. In this case, a nice shade of gray. Aimed at young or single buyers, or 'green' empty nesters, it combines a petrol engine with an electric motor that allows it shift from 0-100km/h in 9.9 seconds. The power comes from Honda's 1.4 petrol unit reworked now to 1.5 litres that outputs 114bhp. When added with the electric motor, the power output increases to around 125bhp. The electric hybrid comes in when a power boost is needed.

The official figure for the combined fuel return is around 5.0 L/100km (56mpg). For me, it was 6.2 l/100kms as I did most of my driving in Sport mode so the car glugged more fuel. For those who drive Green, your Eco drive scoring is shown in the multi-info-display as leaves growing on a series of five plants. This score is based on braking and accelerating, vehicle speed, Econ mode usage and idling duration. I'm afraid I'm not really into all that stuff, I just like to drive the way I want to.

While there is ample room up front for two in the sporty leather seats with their integrated headrests, there's very little knee room behind so the back two seats are really only for small children or for use as storage space for your jacket, bag and other things. Shopping can be tucked away in the boot which is quite spacious and with under-floor space for other items.

The interior is really smart and user-friendly with the central console slightly angled towards the driver, and the dash similar to the Honda Insight which means it's 'busy' with lots of buttons and displays. Colourful instruments are really eye-catching, as we've become accustomed to with the Honda Insight and Civic, and your speed is shown in big white digital numbers right in the centre. Instrument colours change to show when you are driving more economically, or not as the case may be.

You can choose from three driving modes — Nor