Hybrid update: I test drove two of them today.

[Initech]

So I'm buying a new car in December. Last week I made a thread asking DUers for hybrid advice. Today I had some free time and I test drove two of them - the Toyota Prius and the Honda Civic Hybrid.

I gotta be honest here - I didn't like the Prius at all. It has some nice features, but the car is fucking small. It's a subcompact compared to what I drive now. Hell when I got in the car, the salesman told me that I would need something a lot bigger (I'm a pretty big guy and the Prius has no head room) like a Tundra. Eh... cant afford a Tundra. I liked the way the Prius handled and the fact that it was nice and quiet compared to my current car, but I just couldn't get over the fact that it was so small.

Then I test drove the Civic Hybrid. I really like the Civic Hybrid. It's nice and roomy and the blind spots aren't as noticeable as on some of the other cars I've test driven. The salesman at the Honda dealer told me that they're coming out with a "new and improved" model later this year. But I like the Civic Hybrid a lot. And the plus side is that it's a Honda, so I will not have to learn a new navigation system (both my parents own Hondas so I'm used to it).

Cliff notes version: Prius down, Civic up.

[yasmina27]

1. I'm a Prius fan myself

but am glad you're going hybrid. Welcome to the club!

[Initech]

6. Yeah, I'm very tempted to go the hybrid route.

I'm buying somewhere between December - January, so the '08 models should be out by then. Cant wait! :woohoo:

[yasmina27]

11. Whichever model you choose

you'll stick it to the * regime AND do our environment some good. Thank you!

[Initech]

20. That's exactly why I like the hybrids!

I want to use as little gas as possible. Right now I fill up at least 4 - 5 times a month. I want to cut that down to 1 - 2 times a month.

[Donnachaidh]

2. what's the Gas Mileage on the Civic?

nosey :evilgrin:

[Initech]

4. 49 city - 51 highway

The salesman told me those numbers are more realistic than the Prius.

[Taverner]

3. I have a Prius, but I'm only 5' 10"

Civic Hybrid is nice too

[hlthe2b]

5. So what's supposed to be coming with the new civic hybrid?

I'm still hoping to nurse my Subie outback until a plug-in hybrid becomes available, but I'm starting to ponder a bit..

[Initech]

7. Salesman didn't really say, but mostly cosmetic changes

He said they might tweak the engine a bit but that's it.

[Cant trust em]

13. I totally want one of those

Then I can be like everyone else in San Francisco. I literally counted four of them parked on a block in my neighborhood the other day. It's like the slugbug game for 2007.

[yasmina27]

8. My uncle had a Civic hybrid

traded it for a Prius :)

[hlthe2b]

10. Why?

Do you know why he traded the civic for a prius hybrid? Inquiring minds want to know....

[yasmina27]

19. Trying to remember

but I believe that after test-driving the Prius, and getting a good deal, he switched. He preferred that the Prius was "different" whereas the Honda, looked like every other car. I drove it once when he came to show it to us, and the only thing that differentiated it from a gas-only Civic (on the interior) was a bar on the dash that showed when the electic motor was on. Didn't make much sense to me being used to a Prius.

He also said the mileage wasn't as good. This was a couple of years ago, so maybe they've improved the Civic since then.

[Initech]

12. I heard the opposite.

The salesman that I talked to said that people were trading their Prius for a Civic Hybrid because of the space constraints, the same complaint I had about them.

[karlrschneider]

9. I'm planning to get a hybrid this year too. We have 2 Toyotas and a Civic

(older cars)...the Honda is an 82 and still runs fine but little bugs are growing & it needs to die with dignity soon.
;-)

[Initech]

14. I'm driving an '01 Grand Am

Car runs fine but it's got almost 100,000 miles on it. Plus the fuel costs are outrageous (I probably fill up at least twice a week) so going the fuel-efficient route makes sense.

[karlrschneider]

22. I'm surprised your old Pontiac made it to 100K!

:D

I'm pretty sure we will never again see gas back down to around $2 a gallon. There aren't many areas on the planet that haven't been evaluated for new oil possibilities. And even if more is discovered, drilling and production costs have approached astronomical...

[Initech]

24. That makes two of us!

I want to sell it before the major repair work starts... I figure the amount of money I spend on repairs could just as easily go toward getting a new one.

[Lurking Dem]

15. The Camry hybrid is prettier than the Prius, imo.

I don't know how much bigger it is.

I needed towing capacity and hauling room so I got the Highlander hybrid. Not nearly as good gas mileage but at least I'm not spewing crap out of the exhaust.

[Initech]

17. I like the Camry hybrid but it's out of my price range.

[Lurking Dem]

18. Understandable.

A real president would be issuing HUGE tax breaks on these vehicles.

[Captain Angry]

16. I have an Escape Hybrid.

For what its worth, I love it.

With the winters and the gear I need to carry around, it was the only one that did the job for me. I still have some Al Bundy in me, and wanted an American vehicle as well.

I'm still getting 30mpg which isn't awesome, but for a 4WD SUV, it is.

The Civic Hybrid does look nice though.

[StarryNite]

34. If I were going to get a hybrid

it would most definitely be an Escape. I like the looks of them, 30 mpg is good for a vehicle like that and like you I would want an American vehicle. Be American, build American, buy American. We wouldn't be having a lot of the problems in this country we are now if we would have stuck with that motto.

[Captain Angry]

35. I agree.

Japanese consumers drive Japanese cars.
Chinese consumers will drive Chinese cars.
American consumers drive American pickups, but foreign cars.

#1 vehicle sold in USA 2006? Ford F-150
#2 vehicle sold in USA 2006? Chevy Silverado.
#8 vehicle sold in USA 2006? Dodge Ram.

The Cobalt sold well for only its second year, the Impala sold very well, but its a common rental/police cruiser.

On hybrids, I wanted to spend my money encouraging Ford to get on the ball with other hybrids. If they made a Focus hybrid, that would be an incredible car.

[Jack Sprat]

21. How about a hybrid with flex-fuel option?

That is what they are lacking now.

[Initech]

26. E-85 costs as much to produce as a gallon of gas does.

Look it up, and this certainly isn't an urban legend.

[Zywiec]

23. Consumer Reports and MSN give the Civic Hybrid higher ratings

Of course, a lot of it is personal preference. Good luck.

[youngdem]

25. I'm not buying a hybrid until a plug-in with a bigger battery is available

New Orleans is small, and if I could drive a car that didn't need to run the engine unless I got on the highway or drove more than 100 miles, and plug it in at night is what I want.

And the mileage is not what the sticker says. It is closer to 40 the way people drive. Frankly, I had a diesel Mercedes-Benz that got VERY CLOSE to that, and it cost $4000 used, was huge, well built, and WAY sexier than a Prius.

Plus, when you consider the increased cost of the car and cost of repairs specific to a hybrid, the gas savings don't offset the cost increase for many drivers who don't drive a lot.

[frazzled]

27. That's odd

The Prius and the Accord are nearly identical in size: if you noticed a difference, it was your totally in your imagination.
If you don't believe, check out the detailed specs on headroom, shoulder room, leg. room, etc. at the link:

http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drives/Comparos/articleId=108445/pageId=67436

The Prius is not a subcompact. I own one, so I can vouch.

What you should look into is the actual systems: they're different. The Prius gets considerably better gas mileage, while Honda sacrificed some of that to get better pickup. It's your choice. Some people prefer the extra pep.

As for emissions, I'm not sure how they compare. It's the main reason we bought our Prius: it is said to emit 80% fewer emissions than a standard-engine vehicle.

Whichever you get, they're both nice cars.

[Beaverhausen]

28. I've put 3 adults and a refrigerator in my Prius

all adults are 5'8" and taller. the refrig was about 4 1/2'

Love the split back seat!

[Initech]

30. Yeah, the split back seat is pretty cool.

And I love the fact that it's keyless. So the Prius does have some cool features going for it.

[Beaverhausen]

31. But you have to be comfortable driving it. So go with what you like

It didn't take me as long as I thought it would to get used to the Prius' controls. The blind spots were harder to get used to.

But I've had mine 2 years as of last wednesday and I love it.

[Initech]

29. The headroom is important

Which is why I like the Civic over the Prius. But the one thing I would have an insanely difficult time getting used to is the controls. They're not like a traditional car.

[frazzled]

32. The headroom difference is 39.1 vs. 39.4

Three-tenths of an inch could not possibly be noticeable, I would think.

As for the controls, it takes about 5 minutes to get used to them, so I wouldn't worry about that.
One thing I will say, the rear left visibility can be a problem--that's the only complaint I have about the Prius.

[tech3149]

33. Which ever you choose, good for you

I'm not sure I understand your complaint about the Prius size. Back in the late 60's my english teacher drove a VW 411 and he was 6' and at least 350 lbs. As another poster stated, there isn't much difference in headroom between the two. The sizes of both aare similar but I can't believe that the interior space could (or the perception) could be that different.

I've been driving Honda's since 79, but I doubt I'd buy another one. It's not that there were any quality or reliability issues, but they just seemed to go too commercial and feature oriented at the cost of performance. My current ride is a 98 Civic and with reasonable driving I can beat the EPA mpg figures by 10% and I've only had one problem not related to normal wear and tear.

Whichever you choose and for whatever reasons you can maximize the choie by driving smart. Check out the hypermilers to get the most from your investment.