My 2003 Honda Civic Hybrid

I have owned my Honda Civic Hybrid for over six months now and it now has 10000 miles on the clock. I bought this car as a replacement for a much loved 1989 SAAB 9000 Turbo. I have been extremely pleased with the car. I live in New York City and I have to drive out of the city for work. A lot of my driving is done in stop and go traffic, my commute is 25 miles and it takes an hour. So, I have been pleased to get an overall 40mpg. On longer trips out of the city, I can easily get 55mpg when driving 55-60mph. In the winter when it has regularly been below freezing, the mileage is around 38mpg, compared to last autumn when it was warmer it was around 42mpg. When I test drove the car I was so impressed with the quietness and smoothness, but I worried that it might be a little sluggish. However, now that I'm used to the car, I haven't found it slow at all. In fact, with the nimble handling and the electric motor giving the car a little boost, it's actually a lot of fun to drive. It's no SAAB turbo, but compared to other Japanese cars I have driven, the engine is very smooth and responsive, barely going above 3500rpm even under heavy acceleration (I chose the CVT transmission version).

There are some very well thought out features in this car. The air conditioning and ventilation system is one of them. Having a dial for the temperature is very handy, I just set it to 72 and it goes there. If the windows are foggy, I choose the defrost setting, and the system automatically turns on the A/C to take out the moisture. There is also an econ button on this panel. I use it all the time, because you need the ECON setting turned on in order for the AutoStop feature to turn off the engine at a traffic light. I find that the ECON setting does not make the A/C too weak either. The AutoStop will impress your passengers, with its eerie silence. When the light turns green, and you lift your foot off the brake, the engine starts up again automatically. In the summer, the heat reflective glass helps to keep the interior cool and reduces the burden placed on the A/C. The CVT (continuously variable transmission) works very well. Since there are no gears with this system, the car accelerates quietly and constantly. If you press hard the engine will rev a little higher and there is a pleasing hum from the electric motor as well. If you get into hilly country, or traffic is very stop and go, the S mode on the transmission will give extra pickup, and will slow the car down more when coasting. Otherwise leave the transmission in D and it couldn't be easier to drive. It's fun to monitor the electric motor coming on to assist the gas motor, or turning into a generator to charge the batteries (this is called IMA (Integrated Motor Assist). On the instrument panel is a meter to monitor this, and it's fun to drive so that charging is maximized and the assist is minimized, thus fully charging the battery. I never need worry about a low battery, as 15-20 minutes after I start to drive it's nearly full again, and besides whether it has low charge or full charge - the level of boost seems the same.

The car interior is spacious and accommodates five, it's about the same size as a 1991 Accord. The drivers seat offers a great view of the road, good ergonomics, and no real blind spots. The seats are too hard however, and the passenger side would benefit from having an arm rest and the front seats should have a height adjustment. The interior has a nice two-tone look. In fact the black plastic with the chrome accents makes the interior more exciting. The blue black lit instrument panel and the nice texture on some of the plastics are nice touches.

The only drawbacks of this Civic Hybrid are the lack of fold down rear seats and the lack of a sunroof option. The Toyota Prius will run using its electric motor only up to 30mph, but it isn't so smooth when it shifts between electric and gas modes. By comparison, the Honda seamlessly applies power since the electric motor just gives the gas motor a boost now and then. The hybrid differs from other Civics with a bigger front spoiler, added chrome bits inside and out, and small trunk spoiler.

Once the check engine light came on, that was solved by turning the gas tank cap until it clicked three times the next time I refueled. Another concern was that the instrument panel was too bright, but I read the manual and found out that the trip-reset knob can be rotated to change the brightness. Then it remembers the brightness setting for the next time you startup. Another little problem was that my car did not come with floor mats. However that gave me the option to choose the ones I wanted. I ordered the thick, black rubber ones that hold lots of winter slush from a company called

http://www.handa-accessories.com.

I also ordered mud guards but found them difficult to assemble to the wheel wells.

A lot of people ask me about the car, and I am only too pleased to tell them about it. Firstly, I have to explain that it doesn't need plugging in and that all you have to do is fill it with gasoline (87 regular unleaded is all that's required). Then I go on to say that it drives like a normal car with good acceleration. Then I'll pop the hood and the trunk and show them the electric motor and the battery pack (it's located behind the rear seat). The battery pack doesn't take up much trunk space, in fact I don't think anyone would notice it unless you told them - the trunk is a good size.

When you get the dealer down to the price you want, don't let them force you into to buying an extended warranty because you are worried about the electronics. The car comes with a 3 year / 36000 mile warranty that comes with all Honda cars and covers just about everything. The hybrid electronics are covered under the IMA Warranty which clearly covers the following for 8 years / 80,000 miles: Motor Stator; Motor Rotor; Battery Condition Monitor Module; Motor Power Inverter Module; Predriver Unit; Battery Assembly; Motor Electronic Control Unit; Battery Electric Control Unit; and DC-DC Converter. Knowing how batteries in various laptops and electronic equipment I have owned have run out after a couple years, I am glad to have this coverage. On the plus side the hybrid's batteries are nickel metal hydride batteries, not the hopeless nickel cadmium types that soon develop a memory and thus only hold a short charge. In the end, I did opt for an extended warranty, since the CVT transmission is only covered by the 3 yr./ 36,000 limited warranty. This extends my limited warranty to 7years / 100,000 miles. An alarm system is another thing that should not be forced on you by the dealer. The keys that come with the Civic hybrid have a microchip in them. Before the car starts, the engine's computer must read a code from this microchip. The keys cannot be copied. Replacements are only available from Honda, with your VIN and a passcode. I did opt for a dealer installed alarm as an extra, and the remote control keys that came with it do offer some convenience.

I highly recommend this car. I'd say that the technology is pretty sound. Electric cars have been around since the turn of the 20th century. The hydrogen-powered cars will take many years to arrive and they have many drawbacks mainly since generating the hydrogen will ultimately have to come from fossil fuel powered power stations in many cases. The fuel cell variety of hydrogen cars will require precious platinum materials. In Europe, there are many great turbo-diesel cars, which get similar mileage to the Civic Hybrid, and with new particulate filters they have similar emissions levels to most cars - but not nearly as low as the Hybrid. Cars sold in America do not have the new turbo diesel engines mainly due to the high sulfur content of American diesel fuel. Honda is selling the hybrid cars at a loss at the moment. However, Honda is a pretty smart, long term thinking company. By figuring out this technology early, they'll be the ones who can reduce the cost on this whole system and soon will be able to offer it on more and more cars. By the time the big three automakers introduce a hybrid, I bet Honda will offer it on several models, and the option won't cost $5000 - as it does on this car compared to the ordinary Civic. I hope many people buy this car and that Honda sells every single one they make. If purchased in 2003 or earlier, then the government rewards you with $2000 back on your tax return. This car is a sound choice and for most people it will suit their needs while lowering their fuel bill.


Amount Paid (US$): 19000
Condition: New
Model Year: 2003
Model and Options: 2003 Civic Hybrid with CVT