Drivers of V8s accustomed to sidling up to the gas pump and being relieved of a small fortune can understand my father-in-law’s point perfectly.

Yet, never have so many well-made, high performance cars been available to the driving public. The problem is the darn things drink gas like John Daly drinks beer.

And the better the driving performance, the bigger the high-octane petrol appetite.

Fortunately, car makers are introducing new hybrids with high MPG ratings. Rising gas prices have caused Honda to become even more focused on the world hybrid market. They are taking a swipe at Toyota with the release of a slew of new Honda hybrids.

Honda is trying to catch Toyota, the leader in hybrids, by introducing four new hybrids: an updated Civic hybrid; a hybrid sport model; a new hybrid-only five-door sedan; and a hybrid version of its Fit line.

Although they are fuel efficient, many car enthusiasts wonder if the new Honda’s will deliver an exciting driving experience. “The capability of the Tesla folks to produce an electric car with ferrari-like acceleration makes me a little curious to see whether Honda can make a hybrid that’s exciting to drive,” says Josh Davis, a Fort Worth TX web designer.

“I wonder how much pure driving fun the Honda hybrid sport model will deliver,” says Davis. “I don’t think the Honda will compare with renting a Ferrari, but there’s no reason that a hybrid sport model can provide a day of high performance driving.”

Japan’s second largest automaker will have its work cut out for it as it races to catch Toyota. According to Shu Ching Jean Chen writing for Forbes, Honda projects that it will sell 200,000 units of its hybrids in 2009 in the global market. Toyota has already sold 1 million Priuses globally.

Written by G.D. Gregory. If you are interested in having me write stories for you or seeing my portfolio, please contact me at ggpsu@yahoo.com.