I regularly push 70-75 on my '04 HCH MT on the rolling hills of NJ and regularly get 60 mpg. I have had it much higher (on a long downhill) on the open road in light/no traffic and it handled well (and still got over 50 mpg).
In NJ, I78 in the western part of the state, trucks will push you off the road at 60-65. The roads are in such bad shape that there is a rut between lanes, where the "seam" of the asphalt is, and changing lanes is, in itself, a harrowing experience.
70-75 and you still get 60mpg?? That seems to conflict with what others have posted.
Well, I experimented this morning and was able to run less than 70mph without getting killed. I actually set the cruise at about 66 or 67.
So, if I can run at this speed (65-67) what could I expect for gas mileage from a civic hybrid?
Thanks Again,
PS - I am going to go look at two used 03 Civic Hybrids tomorrow....may be making a purchase if your responses are favorable with my new speed information.
On a trip between Phoenix AZ and El Paso TX last Christmas, I got 56 MPG in my HCH, 447 miles, average speed 74 MPH for that run. It was with a LOADED down car too, the trunk stuffed with Christmas presents, myself and my two kids adding about 300 pounds, and the passenger seat stuffed with gear also.
That's not the norm for those speeds, but that is what I got on that particular run.
Another option might be to find a used 5-spd Insight - should get 55-65mpg at 70mph. You wouldn't be utilizing the full potential of the car, but would still get much better FE than other options.
Just yesterday, a co-worker who has been through the whole GAMUT of EVs and HEVs to date (he leased an EV1, owned an Insight, has owned a 2003 HCH, bought a 2002 Prius, and now owns a 2005 Prius) said to me,
"I would still be driving that Insight if Honda had just carved out a little one seat niche in the back to install a car seat, or put a built-in car seat, so I could have carried my daughter."
That's true for a lot of people. If it would seat a kid from newborn to about 6 years old, even just a tiny little seat, the car would be a LOT more useful to a LOT more people....
I'm going to one dealership tomorrow morning that has a 03 HCH auto with 64K miles....ouch and they still want 16K for it. We'll see how far they'll negotiate
I have another dealer 20 miles away that has (2) Identical 05 HCH's (CVT) brand new for 21K...are manual trans typically hard to find?
My wife and I go 70-75mph all the time. We each have a commute of 40 miles each way. We can get anywhere from 48-52mpg without any effort. As long as you drive with a light throttle application (especially if you have a CVT).
70-75 and you still get 60mpg?? That seems to conflict with what others have posted.
Well, I experimented this morning and was able to run less than 70mph without getting killed. I actually set the cruise at about 66 or 67.
So, if I can run at this speed (65-67) what could I expect for gas mileage from a civic hybrid?
Thanks Again,
PS - I am going to go look at two used 03 Civic Hybrids tomorrow....may be making a purchase if your responses are favorable with my new speed information.
There should be a caveat to the X MPH = X MPG. It really depends on the grade of the roadway, the transmission you have, your driving style, and even the weather (particularly wind).
I have the CVT HCH and 70-75MPH has yielded about 41-46MPG on a relatively level freeway, 30-40MPG on a steep uphill, and 120+MPG on an extreme downhill (essentially coasting all the way down).
60-65MPH, which is my usual speed on level freeways on a clear day, has yielded about 48-55MPG.
Basically, I just don't want you to be disappointed if you're driving 75MPH in your new HCH and not getting 50MPG.
Re: Time to buy a hybrid?
Eric the Grey
