Hello All...Here goes my first post and review of my 06 HCH...
I've been a GM/FORD guy all my life. I still have a not so gas friendly trans am in the garage, but if driven with respect it can get fair mpg. She is my summer sunny day ride. Bought it in 2000 and she's got only 13k.

I was torn between the Prius (which a friend bought and let me drive a few) and waiting and reading about the 06 Civic.
I finally decided to go with the Civic b/c of the $$$ diference and the real world milage difference on greenhybrid. I couldnt justify 4-5 mpg for $4-5k more.
All of the Prius' around here are the $25k+ packages.
I called around and found a Honda dealer with an 06 and willing to negotiate.
They were willing to trade their Gray one on the lot with another dealer for a Silver one. They didn't have Navi , but as I later learned , I am better off without it. The instant mpg is entertaining enough.
I didnt get as much of a deal as I would like , but considering the low inventory of these I was satisfied.

I have about 375 on the first tank with about 1/4 tank left. Here are a few things I have found out (for those who have made it past my babble).
These might be addressed elsewhere. I've read so many posts , I can't remember.

1. The trip read out is crazy. As of this evening my Trip A was 51.9 mpg with about 373 miles. I ran 2 short trips Now it is 41.7 with 375. How in the world can
a few miles of city driving drop an average that far with a pretty good / high dividend. What am I missing???

2. I really wish there was a mute button on the steering wheel!

3. Auto Stop - Very cool, but a pain when getting to your destination. I have to put the e brake on , turn car off, then put in park or the engine fires back up..by design I guess?

4. The elusive EV mode. I have had seen it. Very flat road 18-20 mph. 3 Assist bars and 100mpg. I couldn't hold it too long because a minivan was flyin up on my back end .

5. Each morning when going to work , there is a spot where I can coast / glide for a good 1/4 mile. The instant mpg reads 0...., but the trip average increases..

6. There is a buzz sound that is coming form the front. Its not really loud, but is noticable. I cant figure it out. It was in the one I test drove and this one. I assume this is normal , but would like to know what it is. I almost sounds like a compressor charging.

Well that is all I can think of for now. Besides my obsession with that darn real time mpg read out. It is definitely helping my relearn how to drive to get the best mpg. After I get past the next tank, I'll put tape over it

Every person I have taken for a ride can't belive how nice it is. Smooth ride , tight handling , Great looking exterior and Interior

During this summer I might take to the next level. I would like to get a VW or other diesel and get it running on veggie oil. I am by no means mechanically inclined, but a friend said he is willing to help me. I might even selling the TA to do it.

Thanks to those who made it through my first post.

"There is no spoon."
Neo "The Matrix"

Nice post. It seems like you and I are cut from the same cloth. Here are some comments on your numeric list.

1) My average trip meter has never exhibited that behavior. As a matter of fact, mine has been almost perfectly accurate when comparing to the actual MPG I get when I bring out the calculate after a fill-up.
2) Forget the mute button...I want a Radio On/Off button!!!
3) I agree that the AutoStop is a little quirky, but is priceless during long stop lights and drive-thrus.
4) I agree that EV mode on the 06 HCH is pretty useless. I'm sure they will improve on it on future models. I barely feel any pull at all when in EV mode, and like you said, other cars behind you will not let you stay in EV mode for long.
5) The 0 MPG reading is a bug in the software, and there may be a software update to fix it sometime this year. I get it all the time.
6) Buzzing is normal. Frankly, I don't mind it.

Enjoy your car.

Quote:
3. Auto Stop - Very cool, but a pain when getting to your destination. I have to put the e brake on , turn car off, then put in park or the engine fires back up..by design I guess?


What?
Just lift your foot off the brake and the engine comes back on.

Need fewer troops to support.
Drive a hybrid.
Best tank 71.65 MPG.

Before this car I spent two years learning hypermiling on my 2004 HCH1.

Jacky, Thanks for the input. Im anxious to see how close the numbes are once I fill up the tank. I got spoiled with the mute button on my other car - on.off would be nice too.

Kenny,
When I get where I am going and come to a stop the car goes into auto stop. This is good, but when you put it in park, the engine comes back on.

"There is no spoon."
Neo "The Matrix"

I think EV mode is pretty easy to get into and is very valuable. Let off the gas and then reaply slight pressure to the pedal, the real time mpg gauge should stay at 100 and 1-3 assist bars should be on. You can tell it was on since you can feel the car shudder slightly when you accelerate and the real time mpg gauge starts to drop. The biggest challenge is there isn't too many opportunities to use it since most people think there are 2 steps in driving - accelerating or braking.

Regarding the autostop - your not actually doing this every time auto stop engages - only when you pull into your garage and then it autostops and when you put it into park the engine comes on again. It is annoying but the car doesn't really know your at your final destination. Considering that your engaging autostop dozens of times on a typical commute it's not that big a deal.

As far as I know, it's not putting the tranny in Park that restarts the engine, it's putting the tranny in reverse. However, since you need to pass reverse to get to park, it has the same effect. A better way to do it though would be only to restart the engine in reverse if it's held there for more than some fraction of a second (the time it takes to go past it when shifting into park).

You have the 63 mile reset bug. Many HCHs have it. No one has gotten Honda to fix it yet.


I agree, it's a nuisance. I don't understand why they did it that way. Rather than fight it, I just let the engine restart for a second before shutting it off.

Never seen that.

I think it's the electric motor.

No need to do that. You can toggle the upper left display between instantaneous MPG and engine temperature.

2006 HCH Alabaster Silver w/Navi
2003 Honda Accord LX

2. I hit the voice control and say "audio off".

6. Not 100% sure what the little buzz is, but my Insight had it as well, so I'm assuming it's normal. A lot of Insight owners have speculated over the years as to the source. Many thought it was the cooling fan for the battery pack, since it comes from the back in the Insight...but it sounds like it's coming from up front in my HCH.

Hope this helps!
Jim

I have no trouble just turning the car off before putting in Park when I get to my destination. You'll find yourself doing it without even thinking. Again the autostop is great because of the long lights and if you're sitting and talking to a neighbor.

The engine coming back on in reverse is a feature that I think is better than the Prius. If you're on the steep hill in a Prius and have to back up, you can't because the electric motor is what drives the reverse mode. I guess you learn not to park on a hill.

Support the Troops - Drive a Hybrid!