Good point there, and I completely followed that same philosophy up until purchasing my HCH and striving for max mpg.....

Now, I understand that if my goal is to save money on gas (which it is) then I need to sacrifice good looks (which I think the mud/tar flaps provide) for a mpg or two.

I keep my car "Zainoed to the max" so any tar that gets on it comes right off no problems at all....I live in the "rock chip capital of the world" also know as Phoenix, and so far, no problems on the paint after 9.5 months of ownership....

So each person can and will make their own call....my opinion is "go flapless" !!!

Ok - what about the steering? Do all Civics have a tendancy to bring the wheel back to center? Just felt a little different then other cars in the steering..

I really have not noticed the "back to center automatically" effect. Maybe I'm just accustomed to it by now. Is there a disadvantage of going back to center?

Nope no disadvantage. I'm going to test drive another HCH on a longer drive to check it out some more.
If driven like an 'everyday' car and not grandma's car, how does it do on mileage?
When the electic assist turns on, is that saving gas or just mean it's helping to accelerate the car?
Also, what is the battery meter on the far right of the IMA gauge for?

I'm a newbie but I have had my HCH for 3 weeks now. The battery guage to the right shows how charged your battery is. Highway miles if I drive 60mph I get 50+mpg but if I am in a hurry and speed just can not be avoided, driving 80mph gets me 41-42mpg. But once you get your hybrid you will see that it will just kill you to drive fast any more if you can at all help it cause you will be just kicking yourself on how you messed up your tanks avg mpg as I did this week having to race home on more than one occasion.

If you buy the HCH I hope you enjoy it!

Driven as an everday car: You could get as low as high 30s if you drive like a hot rod, as low as the mid 40's with probably no driving tricks.

Electric assist means only that the electric engine is assisting the power requirement from the gas engine: " Hey, electric engine, help me accelerate for a second !"

Battery meter on right side of IMA gauge shows the percent of battery charge. It goes up when "regen" is occurring and goes down when assist is occurring.

I just picked up my AT-PZEV HCH on Sunday. No regrets so far with 170 miles on the odometer. I got blue book for my trade in and a price of $19,200.

Regarding the warranty, batteries and major hybrid components of AT-PZEV designated HCHs are warrantied for 15 years/150,000 miles out of the factory. I was expecting the 8 year/80,000 mile warranty that is on the ULEV HCHs. This extended warranty swayed me towards my purchase. I drive roughly 20,000 miles/year and its good to know that I can comfortably drive 7-15 years before I am responsible for the battery replacement out of pocket. As long as the CVT holds up, I'm set!

FYI, the 15/150,000 warranty on the AT-PZEVs also covers several other major components on the car. I would list them, but I don't have the Honda warranty book in front of me.

Can you tell us what you'd paid for the extended warranty? Also was the $19,200 including dealer installed options and destination charges?

The 15/150,000 mile warranty on the 2005 PZEV HCH is from the factory at no charge. In other words, it comes with the car, as long as it is designated 2005 PZEV HCH (and according the warranty booklet, the PZEV HCHs are sold in CA/CT/MA/ME/NY/VT). In all other states, the warranty is 8/80,000 miles.

I made a mistake in my last post. The battery assembly on the 2005 PZEV HCHs is warrantied for 10 years/150,000 miles. All other IMA related components are warrantied for 15/150,000 miles.

$19,200 included destination with no options. The dealership I went to had 4 other HCHs on the lot. Honestly, if the dealer didn't come down from the $21,500 MSRP, I wouldn't have bought the car. I didn't think I would be able to get the price that low. FYI, I'm in Southern California and I'm sure the prices vary greatly by region.

I guess I'm just not convinced where the placement is will make any difference. *I* wasn't able to tell a difference in mileage. And compared to the other Accords, I'm fairing very well.

FE is such an inexact science, however, due to the inability to exactly duplicate all aspects of a route/drive.

And, as you pointed out, I really like the way they look. In addition (and more importantly), I drive 35 - 40k miles per year and any aid in aesthetics preservation is coveted. I have about 80 miles round trip per day, plus running around miles, PLUS two athletically gifted teenage daughters (basketball, volleyball, track, softball, golf, tennis... AND they're both cheerleaders - makes for a LOT of out of town travel).

So... as you alluded: to each his own. I do envy one who drives fewer miles and is able to keep a spotless car. Mines nearly always clean with the help of the professional car washes.

Tink

'05 Accord Hybrid
'05 Odyssey EX-L
'03 1800 Goldwing
'98 Civic EX (16 yr. old daughter's)