Come on you jerks, Get Green Already! - 2006 Honda Civic Hybrid

Yes, it's true, I just bought myself a new car, and for the first time in my life. I decided on a Honda because of a couple of reasons, but I love it for many reasons.

First I must say that my older brother kept on me about buying a new car, and pushing me toward the Honda Civic Hybrid or the Honda Accord Hybrid. He went to a dealer and got me a couple of the color brochures and I looked through them and compared them with what I had, and what was out there.



The Gas Mileage

I noticed the mileage of the Honda Civic Hybrid right away, I mean, a possible 51 miles to the gallon is great. When compared with the other hybrids from 2006, the Civic Hybrid is among the few in the lead for gas conservation, and at this price, it may be even better.
I noticed that I am getting about 34 miles to the gallon as far as city driving. I drive about two miles back and forth to work, so my city driving is 'real' city driving. I'm not getting on the highway at all; there are many traffic lights, and many hills.

On the other hand, the highway mileage is much better. I easily get in the upper 40s to the gallon. I live in the north east NY/NJ area and the highways are always filled with traffic, so it's not smooth sailing. There are a lot people with very different styles of driving in my area who stop short or cut in front of you without batting an eye. When I am able to drive with the cruise control at a lengthy amount of time, I get even better than 51 miles to the gallon.

I just read an article online about how to maximize your fuel efficiency (http://www.hybridcars.com/mileage-coasting-cruising.html). This Bob Barlow averages 58 miles to the gallon in his Honda Civic Hybrid. I do most of the things that he does, I coast downhill, and I use my cruise control a lot. I'll admit that I haven't thought of throwing my car into neutral when coasting, but I'll try that now as well. If it uses less gas, I'll try anything.
I just may have to re-teach myself to drive. I bought a hybrid car, so I'm not just driving, I'm driving efficiently. I'm going to reapply myself, and if my mpg changes, I'll update this review.


The Exterior

Although the new Civic Hybrid is not really sporty, and really not at all flashy, it seems to turn some heads.
This year's model seems to resemble the Toyota Prius a little bit.
It comes with options for a sunroof, (mine did not). The colors that are available are not that vast and varied by any stretch. They come in...
Galaxy Gray Metallic (mine)(Ivory int.)
Taffeta White (Ivory int.)
Alabaster Silver Metallic (Blue int.)
Opal Silver Blue Metallic (Ivory int.)
Magnetic Pearl (Blue int.)

I like the bigger sideview mirrors, bigger than what I had on my Nissan Sentra anyway. It makes highway driving somewhat easier, as I feel I am in control of all views.
The large sideview mirrors come complete with the integrated turning signals.

When I was at the dealership, they kept calling the car a hatchback. I always thought a hatchback is only when you open the trunk, the window would rise up with it, but maybe I'm wrong. If I have one complaint, it is that the trunk space is quite limited. Behind the backseat is where the large hybrid battery resides, so I'm guessing that this is the reason for the smaller trunk. Plus they wanted to make the car look a little sporty shortening the usual shape of trunks on automobiles. I could probably fit two large suitcases in the trunk, and that may be it, maybe a small carry-on too.


The Interior

Well, I sure wasn't expecting the roominess of the interior. It is very deceiving from the outside. I am six feet tall, and I have to drive with the driver's seat all the way back, and people have sat comfortably behind me leg wise and head wise.

By the way, their idea of ivory is a soft creamy white, which looks sharp when you see it. I was kind of dreading the interior color, but immediately changed my tune at first glance and touch.

I noticed that there is a huge blind spot when you are attempting a left, with a very sharp right corner there. In my Sentra, this was no problem for me, in the Civic, I feel too tall and when I scrunch down to look, it's still hard to get a real idea of oncoming traffic. So far, I don't see a way getting around this blind spot except a change of route I suppose.

The sound system is very nice. My car has the standard audio set up, and this includes six speakers, AM/FM with XM capabilities. The CD player handles the WMA and MP3 discs with ease. I set it up so that the read out will inform the listener of the song title, and if you program your discs right, the artist and the album title as well. I turned this up, and the 160 watts of power sounds very impressive. My favorite feature is the steering wheel controls for the radio/CD player.
Of course if you choose the upgraded audio, there are improved bass speakers with amplifier. There is a navigation system that not only guides you through the streets, but will better display CD info if available. There is an 8-disc player that hides in the trunk. For me to upgrade to the Navi would be $2,000, and they say it wouldn't look like the pictures in the brochure. They told me that I would have the navigational unit off to the side of the radio.

In the front there is a nice sized compartment separating the two seats complete with two drink holders. It has been very convenient.

When you click to unlock the car, your interior light goes on, and stays on until you turn the ignition. The dashboard is really sharp looking. It's mostly electronic, and it's brightly blue and white lights it is something to behold. In very easy view is the digital digit readout of the MPH. Then below and mostly everywhere else it shows you the MPG, (miles per gallon) used. There are so many different settings it's hard to list them all.
First, if you wanted to change it to Kilometers per gallon, it's just the touch of a button.
You can change the MPG to the engine temperature. You can see the outside temperature. You can constantly monitor the hybrid battery life, and when you are using gas vs. electricity.
I had to switch most of the MPG readings because I wasn't looking at the road as much as I was constantly checking the amount of gas used.
The seats are very comfortable, roomy and they look luxuriously appealing.


The Engine

This is a four-cylinder gasoline engine with an electric motor. The horse power isn't too bad at 110 @ 6000 rpms, actually it is such an obvious difference than what I was used to in my Nissan Sentra. The car has amazing pick-up. The torque is 123 @ 1000-2500. I don't know what that means, but it looks useful. This is a big 17 hp increase from last year's model, by the way.

I have never experienced an engine so quiet. When I first start my car, I am still surprised that when I press on the gas that the car is on and ready to go. It totally sounds and feels off.
A lot of this review was based on my experience with the hybrid, but also some of the questions answered at the dealership. I'm guessing that they do not always tell you the truth. I thank mkaresh for the pointing out of the erroneous statements made, and this update should reflect that.
There is no option for a standard shift in the Civic Hybrid, and that's OK with me. I used to drive my wife's manual shift, and it was fun for a while, but it got a little tiring for me.


The Ride

When I'm driving, I feel very connected to the road. It handles turns with ease, as it is still considered a small car I suppose.

Like I stated before, the ride is so quiet yet with what feels like a lot of power. The passengers feel no disorientation so far, and that's for front and backseats, and I feel that it's due to the large window areas.

When you really press the pedal to the metal, it's a lot of fun revving this engine. There's quite a punch to this car, and if you're in a situation when you need a little bit more power, this Civic seems to have some in reserve just waiting for the OK.

It was pointed out to me that I should feel a transition when I'm driving as the electric motor/regenerator cuts in and out. I can honestly say that besides when I am stopped at a light, the ride is just like any other non-hybrid car. When stopped at a red light, a little illuminated pop-up notification appears on my dashboard that reads Auto-stop. This is to inform me that the engine has been turned off to conserve gas and to minimize emissions. When I take my foot off the brake and slowly apply it to the accelerator pedal, the engine starts again. It's a very quiet, and pretty smooth transition I feel. It feels like a tiny bump from behind.


Safety

Well for starters there are six airbags in the car. Four up front and two in the back. I like the idea of the side airbags. What if some knucklehead rams into the side of my car? The airbags in the front of me will absorb minimal body impact, but the side airbags would allow me to live so I could sue her (his) butt. Also, in case of a side-impact accident, the doors have side-impact door beams that provide more protection in case of an impact.

The car comes with air-lock brakes. These are taking some getting used to for me. I have to remember that I do not need to press as hard as I'm used to.

These are all included, as well as the Daytime Running Lights. In my Sentra, I noticed that the other motorists were more aware of me and my car when I would turn on the car's headlights. Now, I don't need to worry about that, the DRL operate as soon as you turn the key in the ignition.

The key to the car is called a wave key. It just means that this sort of key is very difficult to copy. Also, you need this key to start the car, because Honda installed a Theft Deterrent System (TDS) that has to recognize the key. The TDS changes the code each time the official key starts the car, so it makes it very hard to steal.


Why I Chose the Honda Civic

The value of the Honda Civic Hybrid should speak for itself. I used to gas up my 1994 Nissan Sentra every 110-120 miles. My new Honda, so far I'm gassing it up every 340-400 miles. Right there, that speaks for itself, and remember these miles that I put on are majority city miles, not highway.
So of course, the fact that it's a Hybrid car is the reason that I purchased it primarily. The little things are the high-tech dashboard, the roominess, the convenience and that it's attractive enough for the consumer to look twice.


Any drawbacks?

Although I thought I did enough research about the car before the purchase, of course I find out some potentially startling news about my new car. A new hybrid battery if it needs replacing, (after warranty expiration), could cost somewhere around $3000.00. Now, I don't know about you, but that's a lot of money for me. I'm not sure if the battery would need replacing, when we were at the dealership I asked and they said that they battery never needs replacing. I think I should look into upgrading or extending my warranty anyway just in case.

I am still happy with the gas mileage that I get from the Honda Civic Hybrid, but when they said 50 miles city, I believed them. I'll still be satisfied with the 30 approx mpg that I get. The highway is a lot better, but this car is almost used strictly a city car, not highway.