Okay, while we are being so honest here...I drove the Civic Hybrid alongside the Classic Prius a few years back and found the Civic hybrid more to my liking for purely subjective reasons (drove great, was decently sized, etc.) I didn't sit in the back seats in either car.

Waited for the 2004 Prius to come out and it won on even more subjective terms (design, hatchback, roomy, performance, felt right, etc.)

I am comparing a midsize Prius (my 2004) with the 'compact' Civic Hybrid and saying the Prius seems bigger, roomier than a friends regular Civic (which I've not ridden in, just a side by side parking lot comparison soon after my Prius purchase).

Again, pretty subjective, and my friends have said when the time is right, they would get a Prius for more room. They rode in my Prius, noting the larger interior.

I'm not a big person, and neither are my parents, but I don't see them comfortable in the back of a Civic, whereas they were completely amazed at the back seat roominess on a 800 mile round trip last spring in the new Prius.

PS Thanks for the emissions lesson xcel, I'm now a little more in the know! I assumed the MPG had some emission effects, meaning better MPG gets you lower emissions of certain chemical compounds, since less gas is consumed. Now to just convince people that that's important...

'04 Seaside Pearl #7. Fumoto oil drain, mudflaps, rear bumper scuff protector & rear warn system, compass mirror, EV mode button, 8" subwoofer in right rear cubby & 6" subs under seats, power lumbar in the front seats, Coastaletech hitch w/ Aspen bike/snowboard rack. iPod2car, 2 amps, Alpine component speakers, and DVD video, solid 47 MPG @ 70000 miles.