Civic Hybrid - anybody have one?

I have always loved Civics. I am also reading about the hybrid
technology in the Prius.

Does anyone on here have the Civic Hybrid that they can give a report on
it?

I am not interested in that other Honda Hybrid - impractical for me.

I am going to decide between the Civic Hybrid and the Prius.

Harry

 

We bought a Civic Hybrid about 6 weeks ago and completely love it.

We get 50+ mpg on the highway and around 40-45 mpg city (automatic with
CVT).

We drove both the Prius and the Civic Hybrid before we bought the Civic.
They are fairly comparable in terms of power. Both cars have substantial
warranties on everything that touches the batteries and engine systems. The
Prius is totally tricked out and has lots of high-tech looking
instrumentation (and a goony display showing whether you're using battery,
gas, or a mixture). The 2004 Prius has been completely redesigned outside
and in. My wife hated the body style compared to the 2003 Prius -- she said
it looked like someone squashed a Volkswagon.

You probably already know that the Prius is battery only at very low speeds,
then the gas engine is mixed in. The Civic is the opposite -- gas only when
you start with battery assist. This translates into significantly better
mileage in heavy stop-and-go traffic (I think the Prius is rated at 55 city
compared to the Civic which is rated at 47).

The Prius seems to have an edge in the technology (and looks different from
any other Toyota)... whereas the Civic Hybrid looks like a Civic.

We ultimately went with the Civic for economic reasons. For some reason,
the Prius is considered an extremely hot car and there's lots of demand for
it. In Southern California, there's so much demand, that you have to wait 3
months to get one. (And because of that demand, there's no price
flexibility). WIth the Civic Hybrid, dealers had the cars in stock and
available immediately. Also, because there are more Civic Hybrids available
(and not as much demand), there was a lot of flexibility with the Civic
Hybrid. (There also are NO factory options for the Civic Hybrid --
everything's standard so you don't have to argue and haggle about expensive
options you might not want. The Prius has a couple of expensive options --
including a GPS display that spikes the price up considerably -- and dealers
are making a lot of money selling these cars.)

The bottom line is that we could got the Civic Hybrid for almost $5,000 less
and got it immediately.

Alex

 

Hi Alex -

Thanks for the write up on the Civic Hybrid. I love Civics and you sound
reall happy with your purchase.

What can I expect to pay - cash out the door?

I live in PA - where are you?

Harry

 

I have an '03 Civic Hybrid and an '04 Civic VP. I absolutely love both of
them, but the cost savings in fuel (especially here in GA where gas is dirt
cheap) really don't justify the expense of the Hybrid. Plus, in the long
term, I think maintence expenses will be higher on the Hybrid. Go check them
both out, but if you like Hybrid consider buying an LX or an EX and save
some cash. They're both highly efficient cars also.

 

Harry,
I have experience the exact same experience as Alex did. I too bought a
2004 Civic Hybrids with a little buyer remorse. I gave up the latest
Hybrids technology, some safety feature IE: HID lights, GPS, Air curtain
(Air bags), roomier full size sedan. But I saved over $6000 for the top of
the line Prius I wanted. I would not complaint about the modest Civic
Hybrids. It still cost a little over $21,000 tax + License out the door.

I only paid $50 over invoice due to more inventory was available in Seattle,
Washington. Since I commute more than 60 miles per day. I love me Hybrids
MPG over 42 mpg. But I exceed the speed limits everyday upto 80 mph at
times. So I can not complaint too much about the low 42 PMG I get on a daily
basis.

I do have to say, 04/ Prius gets a lot of looking eyes on the road. I
personally would have bought the 04/Prius if it was available around X-Mas.
But I'm glad I saved over $6000 vs Honda Civic Hybrids.

Good Luck on making your decision. I really don't think you can go wrong
with a Toyota or Honda Hybrids. Make sure you buy new to capture the tax
benefits.

Regards,
Jonathan

Current cars own
90 BMW 325 IC convertible
99 Honda Odyssey EX

Previous cars owned from 1989 on..
90 Toyota Camry DX
96 Chrysler LHS
92 Civic DX sedan
89 Civic hatchback (DX)
89 Civic Hatchback (Si)

 

Still wish it would go down from 1.50-1.80 up here around Carrollton and
Atlanta. =\

Robbie

 

Since you're in PA, you'll want to apply for the AFV grant BEFORE you
purchase a hybrid. I don't know if they've got funding for this cycle,
but at least get an application in.

http://www.dep.state.pa.us/dep/deputate/airwaste/aq/afv/afvafig1.htm
http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/toyota-prius/message/32603

 

I have an '03 Civic Hybrid that I bought in August. I absolutely love
it. My daily commute to work is the worst kind of driving for mileage -
20 minutes of stop and go traffic on city streets. But I still get
around 40 MPG. I got 480 miles on my last tank, double what I had been
getting on my little Mazda pickup.

The driving experience is very nice - quiet and smooth. I like that it
is just like any other Civic as far as passenger room, luggage space
and styling. I just did a first pass at my 2003 taxes and will be
getting $2000 off my income (translates to around $500 extra cash for
me).

- Gary

 

Which transmission?

 

I also live in PA, I paid about $23K for mine in June '02. This was
including floor mats, mud flaps, etc. Some extras.

This Hybrid is the finest car I ever had, and I've had a few. Technically, I
like the new Prius, but it's styling is too much, and it seems gimmicky to
me. Otherwise, Toyota seems on the right track with larger DC traction motor
and higher voltage. Their electric drive A/C seems like a great idea.

 

I got mine in Arlington, TX for 20,060, out the door.
I do like it, my wife drives it and she loves it, the "Dallas Autobahn" is
no place to drive it though...

 

Besides: If you play golf, the Prius has no trunk.

The Civic holds two sets of clubs plus luggage for trips and is
lockable and secure from inside and out. (Rear seats do not fold down
and you can lockout the inside trunk release. Vanity key does NOT
work the trunk nor lockout.)

 

We bought a Civic Hybrid in July 2003, and have 7600 miles on it. The CVT
transmission makes the driving experience very pleasurable. You could very
well be impressed with the way it handles and drives and not even consider
the fuel mileage.
At the Honda dealer in Hanover, PA, they told me that a hybrid has never
been to their shop for anything but routine maintenance. The highest mileage
recorded in their records so far is 140,000.
As far as the comparison with the Toyota, you will realize when comparing
the Civic and Prius that the Prius has a 67 HP electric motor and a 76 HP
gasoline engine, whereas the Civic has a 17 HP electric motor and a 95 HP
VTech gasoline engine.
The difference is there are times when the electric assist may turn off due
to cold temperatures, or other reasons beyond your control. If that happens,
the Civic could easily be driven with the gas engine alone, much better.
Also, with the larger electric motor, the Prius has a much larger battery
that needs a much larger system to charge it.
Overall, I think the Civic is a much better thought out vehicle than the
Prius. Either one, though, is a good choice given the price of gas today.
The oil industry has spent the last 10 years getting all Americans into big
gas guzzling vehicles that are impractical and oversized, and now are
turning the screws on the people lured into buying them. It would have been
much more practical for "Dick" and "Jane" to take the 2 days a year off from
work during snowstorms, than to have purchased a $35,000 4-wheel drive
vehicle that gets 10MPG doing errands. Then it kills you when it rolls.

 

Hello to All,

I'm new to this news group so I hope to learn from other Hybrid owner
experiences.

I bought a MT civic hybrid last November and the ONLY thing I don'
like about it (so far) is the somewhat lackluster audio system (anyon
have any helpful hints on good audio upgrades? I'm somewhat concerne
about installing a sub-woofer in the triunk - i.e. next to the batter
pack; would the amplitude of the low frequencies have an adverse affec
on the battery pack over an extended period of time?).

As far as mileage I've been getting - the best mileage I've gotten s
far is nearly 60 MPG when cruising at 65 MPH up to Santa Barbara fro
LA (a little over 100 miles)! I was REALLY skeptical of the built-i
trip meter so I decided to fill the tank in Santa Barbara, drove bac
home and stopped at the gas station to fill up again to see how muc
gas I had actually used. It turns out I only used about 1.65 gallons o
gas. I've made this trip several times now and I always get typica
mileage. For normal city driving I'm averaging 40 - 45 MPG.

In addition to the $2,000 tax refund from the Federal Goverment, th
Honda dealer I bought my hybrid from gave me a SUPER deal -not only th
car, but on the extended warranty, lo-jack, finance rates, etc...Afte
all was said and done, I really didn't pay that much more for my hybri
than I would have for an EX (which does offer a moon roof whic
unfortunately no current hybrid offers, not even the Toyota Prius).

Thanks much,

smood

-
smood