Honda Civic Hybrid

Honda Civic Hybrid - In a hybrid, the trick is to drive like a grandmother. You have to accelerate away from a stop slowly enough to minimize the role of the gasoline engine and maximize the role of the electric motor. Very simply, hybrids use an electric motor as a supporting source of power that doesn’t require gasoline, and that’s the whole point.

Since the electric motor and the gas engine rotate inseparably, the Civic must cut off fuel to the engine and use its variable-valve-timing system to close the engine’s valves and make it easier for the electric motor to do its job. The Civic’s only giveaway that it’s running on electricity alone is the digital bar graph that lights up suddenly when juice is being sent to the motor. So it might not have the beans to get the Civic going from a stop, but the 20-hp electric motor does have enough gusto to keep the car moving at low speeds—all by itself, if only briefly.

The Civic has a digital display that shows how much electricity you’re sending to the battery or how much you’re using up. Brake moderately hard, and you’ll light up the maximum number of green LEDs. Hit the brake pedal harder, and you’ll activate the conventional brakes, just as you would in any other car. It’s a challenge to send the maximum amount of charge without employing the traditional brakes.

The EPA testifies that the Civic hybrid gets 49 mpg in city driving and 51 on the highway. But those numbers are rarely achieved. To get mileage in the high-40-mpg range requires gradual acceleration, timid cruising speeds, and cautious use of the throttle. Suffer a short lapse in concentration or accelerate immoderately, and fuel economy will suffer. Fact is, to do this right, you will drive more slowly than you ever have.

Despite many improvements and tweaks, the new Civic hybrid’s powertrain remains physically and philosophically similar to that of the first car. What is radically new is the Civic’s interior and exterior. The last Civic was a homely-looking car; the new car’s styling stands out, for better or worse. From the B-pillar forward, it has almost a minivan look to it. The large windshield sits back at a rakish angle, and the hood appears to be at least twice as wide as it is long. From the B-pillar back, the Civic is modern but traditional. Perhaps we’ll get used to it, but that front end looks pretty strange.

At least the interior feels far more spacious than the previous Civic’s, even though the new car can boast only a minor one-cubic-foot gain in space. Despite a 3.2-inch increase in wheelbase, rear-seat legroom is down by 1.4 inches (overall rear space remains at 39 cubic feet, and the floor is still flat). But from behind the wheel it feels like the interior has grown by more than a cubic foot because of increased shoulder room and an airy feel due to the expansive windshield.

Driveline noises aside, the Civic hybrid is 4 dBA quieter at a 70-mph cruise than the previous car. The ’06 has refinement that was lacking before. The new body is stiffer, and the revised suspension smothers bumps easily and quietly.

Compared with last year’s Civic hybrid equipped with the optional CVT, it now costs about $1000 more. That seems like a small premium to pay for a car that’s faster, more refined, and more fuel efficient than the one it replaces.