New 2008 Civic MPG

Most people don't really need AC.[/QUOTE]

Virtually everyone needs AC. It's required to keep the windows free of
moisture during wet weather, even if that weather isn't hot.

 

Waiving the right to remain silent, "Elmo P. Shagnasty"

Virtually everyone needs AC. It's required to keep the windows free of
moisture during wet weather, even if that weather isn't hot.[/QUOTE]

I've had several cars without AC, and the defroster blowing has usually been
good enough. I haven't lived in extremely humid areas, so that might make a
difference...

 

Show me one that is cleaner.

 

Actually, I called it smart way plus, The Honda Civic is actually smart way
elite & the only 48 state car in this class, the Prius (like many others) is
simply a smart way car with a rating of 8 vs the Hondas rating of 9.

http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/sbs.htm
http://www.epa.gov/greenvehicles/Index.do

I could only go back to the 2000 Civic HX but its rating was 8 (same as
Prius) so there you go.

 

Well, I'm not sure what you mean by a "smartway plus car". Oh, I
see--the EPA has this rating they call "Smartway".

Well, according to the EPA and its Green Vehicle Guide, both the Civic
Hybrid and the Prius are rated Smartway Elite--but dig down and you'll
see that the Prius is a tad cleaner and uses less fuel. It's also
larger and has more luggage space.

 

Back in 1969, I was doing documentary film work in Micronesia and we
rented a small Honda for about six weeks when in Koror, (Palau). It had
no brakes but other than that, it ran flawlessly. Had a motorcycle air
cooled engine, (two cylinder).

I knew then that American automakers were going to have a challenged
future...

JT

 

Sorry, YOU may not need a/c, I do......I have 4 months of summer in the 80's
& 90's, 8 months of winter, spring & fall but I refuse to drive a
uncomfortable car, I use my a/c even when it is cold, it keeps ALL the
windows clear.
But I guess since it is the day for generalizations I can say, not everyone
needs a heater, after all, it is only below 10 here a couple months out of
the year.

 

In 8 states, there are a lot more states where the Prius is not as clean
with its 8 rating.

 

My Wife has a 2008 Civic LX 1.8 with ~15,000 miles. Her commute is 35 miles
in the country with few stoplights and an average 50 mph speed. She is a
very conservative driver. She claims to be doing better than 33 mpg on her
commute over the last 5000 miles. She is a Ph.D. engineer and has good
credibility with data. My 2003 Civic Si 2.0 160 hp consistently gets 24 mpg
around town driven hard. I enjoy driving them both.

 

"Enrico Fermi" wrote

This surprises me in a bad way. I had a '97 Civic EX (manual) and got 32 in
town, regularly. The commute over the 10 mile stretch has a fair amount of
smooth 40 mph stretches through about 15 stoplights. The 10 mile return
commute is much more stop and go. Still, I got 32. On the highway at 65 -75
I'd get about 38. If your wife's Civic is only getting 32 under the
described conditions, Civics' mileage appears to really have fallen off over
the last 10 years.

 

There was no way to avoid it. The civic now is a much larger and
heavier car than 10 years ago. My Si is over 3200 Pounds. I average
about 26 MPG in mixed driving, and about 32 straight highway. I don't
drive conservatively most of the time. The EX and lower should do a
bit better than that, with the smaller engines, but it still isn't
near as good as the older, smaller civics...

 

i drove to los angeles from sfo and back this weekend - 400 miles each
way. 40.3mpg trip average. 89 civic, 2,187lbs hatchback automatic.

that was sticking to the speed limit - if i go faster, it drops, but
that's not bad for a 19 year old clunker.

 

Not bad at all. The old ones did a great job with fuel economy. It's
a tough call. Americans seem to want bigger cars, and they absolutely
expect the added safety equipment (6 airbags, crumple zones, etc), but
now with the higher fuel prices we are seeing a heavy trend towards
smaller cars. There have to be tradeoffs. It's just a matter of how
much people are willing to give up to save some money at the pump...

 

modern engines are much more efficient than the 20+ year old ones - much
more sophisticated control and better design. those engines in
lightweight bodies with skinnier tires that old honda wishbone
suspension could utilize more effectively, and you have the potential
for great fuel economy. i've been considering an engine transplant
accordingly, but transplanting the accompanying electronics is decidedly
non-trivial.

 

The sales brochure I just picked up at the dealer says the Si coupe
curb weight is 2886 pounds. Granted that is about 500 more than my
GS-R, but not quite 3200. Is yours a sedan?

 

Working from memory and the registration sticker. Haven't checked it
recently, and my memory is not reliable enough for me to argue it with
you. Next time I go out I'll have to look again.

Of course, NY doesn't weigh them, so it could *still* be wrong...
;-)

 

Elmo/Larry in AZ - You guys should get your facts straight about the
smart -

Elmo - the smart has an automated manual transmission - so while you
are technically correct in that they don't offer an 'automatic'
transmission, the automated manual has an automatic shift mode.

Larry in AZ - the DO offer A/C, optional in the 'Pure' and standard in
the 'Passion'.

See - http://www.smartusa.com/smart-fortwo-passion.aspx

I do agree with the general sentiment regarding the smart, however. It
really needs a little more power to make sense - that may even help
the mileage a tad by making the engine work less hard. It also really
needs some storage space. But I have seen a few driving around, and I
smile every time I see one. ;-)

Dan D
'07 Ody EX (23 mpg highway, loaded, at 75 mph)
Central NJ USA