I meant 2006 model Civic. I have seen photos of car and I am impressed@ I wonder when they will be arriving at dealerships. Any thoughts on this?

Usualy the new models arrive around November.

My hydroponics experiment

You ever notice how hard it is to lip read cartoon characters?
"Crazy is what the sane call Delta Flyer"

PRIUS:
There are a lot of "quirks" with this car. I don't call them problems, but the car is kinda picky. For example, if you use the wrong oil (like 10W-30), it will turn on the "check engine" light. Also if the battery dies, you WILL be stuck.


CIVIC:
This is virtually identical to a normal car. Just with a battery added. And if the battery fails, you can still drive using the standard 12V battery. You won't be stuck.

Also, it's more fun to drive. You can "burn rubber" and rev to redline. :-)


INSIGHT:
Not as nice as the Civic, but it gets 70mpg, which is why I ultimately bought it.

troy

I did a quick search and as far as I know the 2006 Civic Hybrid is virtually the same. Am I missing something?

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No information has been released on the 2006 Civic Hybrid. In fact no information has been released for ANY 2006 Civic except the 200hp Si model. Whatever you read was speculation. The only thing resembling information that's been released was a Honda exec who was quoted as saying the hybrid will have both more power and better fuel economy, but no details have come out as of yet.

I bought the Civic hybrid mainly for the manual transmission. The Prius CVT may well be an improvement over the gear-hunting econobox automatics, but having just come off a Ford Escort I was sick of the automatic trans shifting around on me.

Regen braking seems more driveable with manually selected gears, IMHO.

Lifespeed

2003 Civic Hybrid 5 speed

When I decided to go the Hybrid route, I did my research on Green Hybrid and decided on the 2005 HCH for the following reasons:
1. Interior - I actually like the dash and gauges, the soft blue light is easy on my eyes at night.
2. Previous Civic owner - I had a 1993 Honda Civic before my 2000 New Beetle, and never had any problems, plus my family is a Honda Family.
3. HCH can run on gasoline only if needed.
4. Based on the data in the Green Hybrid database, there wasn't that much of a difference, plus I drive mostly on the highway or work from home. I was concerend with all the "dead batteries" on the Priuses I was reading about when someone didn't use their car for a week or three days. Plus I've been getting 50-51 mpg.
5. I sat in the new Prius and thought the seat was too close to the windshield. I didn't feel this way in the HCH.
6. Availability and price - I could get what I wanted with no wait and no mark up. The Toyota dealers I went to were snotty and qouted mark ups of $5,000-$10,000 over sticker. The Honda Dealer I dealt with in Scottsdale (Right Honda) was nice and no pressure.

I do like the Prius. I like the hatchback design and the technology, but for now, the better choice for me was the HCH. BTW, I did drive the original Prius and almost bought one until I discovered the HCH.

Here in Phoenix, I see both the Prius and the HCH on the roads. I have a co-worker of mine who has an Insight and a HCH and he loves them both. I think Toyota and Honda are paving the way.

Bill

From the Valley of the Sun. -Phoenix, AZ

I took one look at the Prius dashboard and ran screaming. Never even got to the joystick shifter... :-)

I really would have preferred the Prius from a technology standpoint. The thing can be driven on DC, gas, or a combination. But I really don't feel like learning to drive all over again. The HCH looks, to everyone, just like any other automobile. Even after they start the car, they don't realize just how different it is until they put it in gear. Then the IMA guages really light up and they realize this is more...

But the miles I drive and the parts I need for my job would have made the Prius better suited. Hopefully Honda can put the hybrid in the CR-V, or offer a Civic Wagon Hybrid (picture the rear roof of an Si on a 4-door body.) As for the Accord, well, I bought the Hybrid for the mileage, not as a gas hog sports car.

Matt

No kidding. Still, I think having more hp might not be a bad thing. It seems like right now there are two extremes: low hp and super-high fe, then high hp and medium fe......

I'm guessing that 50mpg with 200hp will be doable as the tech matures.

1. the civic hybrid was ready to go in the honda dealer in the color i liked with helpful and friendly salesmen, whereas i had to wait 6 months for a prius and deal with an annoying, indifferent, "i'm-going-to-get-a-sale-anyway" toyota salesman. sometimes the selling experience makes all the difference to the consumer.

2. the seats in the hch are more comfortable than the prius, in my opinion. rear seat hip and leg room is much greater in the hch (don't look at the numbers, sit three people in the back of the hch and the same three in the prius and tell me what you think)

the main reason was #1 for me, though. if i could have gotten a new prius within a month, i would have chosen it over the hch.

however, i love my civic and I am not complaining.