I was under the impression that Civic hybrid has very high built quality, that's why it is standing above Corolla as another level.

Under the impression, I was assuming the Civic vs Accord is no longer quality difference but more of size or engine preference.
Well, I do not quite agree with that from last Saturday's visit to Honda dealer.

The Civic's parts and built quality is still not up to the Accord level. The door handle, seat belt clip, vanity mirror...Fell more lighter plastics used in Civic than Accord.

I was almost 90% set on getting a Civic hybrid since I am ready to save gas and willing to sacrifice interior size and power of engine. Now, I am at crossroads. Still biased to Civic because of overall cost and saving in the future but I worry that Civic may not as durable as Accord...

Need your opinion, thatk you for your experiences shared. I have a 05 EX-V6 fully loaded and we loved it. Spent a lot of time convinced wife to look at Civic hybrid based on MPG, safety ratings, cool design...Now I don't know what to choose myself.

Accord hybrid does not save gas. Civic does not have as good built quality as Accord EX

The Accord Hybrid gets the mileage of a typical 4-cylinder non-hybrid, or even worse. It is better than the 4-cylinder Accord but it's kind of pointless. You might be interested in the Camry Hybrid; it's not as quick as the Accord but it is quicker than any other hybrid car, it definitely will get better mileage than the Accord Hybrid, and it'll have the quality of a typical Camry or possibly slightly better (2007 Camry vs 2002-2006).

I saw you owned a Civic hybrid. Am I being picky about the Civic's built quality? How is your overall ownership experiences? Do you "agree" it's in lower built quality vs Accord? Does it bother at you at all?

Camry is also on my list but it will probably cost $7 to $8K more than Civic. Wondering how is the material used in Camry hybrid. My Sequoia is way more expensive than my other Accord V6, but I feel Honda is using better stuff in the car.

I got a chance to see a camry at the chicago auto show. It looked okay. One major thing I noticed is the trunk appears to be 1/4 the size of the non hybrid camry. As far as build quality of the civic, If you go with 06 you will probably be faced with a lot of little things going wrong since its a first year of the new generation. However, If the past is any indication, It will turn out to be a very reliable car.

My hydroponics experiment

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

The last Toyota I owned was a '71 Corolla Wagon, so I don't have much to compare today's Honda with.

My own HCH materials are somewhat below our Grand Caravan's (or any other Dodge product we've owned). We've always been a Dodge family.

That being said, I don't think my HCH's materials are a paticular problem. When I bought the car I was looking for safety, price and economy.
I have zero regrets in choosing the HCH over any other vehicle.

Efficient drivers do it better.
1003 miles a tank personal record. 74MPG calculated. HCH1 CVT

Did you check the 06 HCH vs your 04? Are there more plastic in the 06?

I have not checked Civic for almost 20 years since my last 87 Civic. There was less plastic in 87 than 06 for sure.

The Accord EX V6 with navi costs me less than 27K total on last May. Todays' Civic hybrid with navi will cost me around 25K total.
I was prepared to see that $2000 saving is on smaller car/engine, not on the interior built quality. The MSRP difference is around 7 to 8K difference, the real market price is pretty close.

I believe that I am fair to ask Honda to put better material in the HCH for selling at only $2000 difference.

Hi;

Here's a Different look on this: BTW, These are real MSRP Prices: Just to be Accurate and if Honda has to {DISCOUNT] the HAH, What does that tell {YOU}?

Yesterday, 12:40 PM
G.H. Contributor


Real Name: Terry
Location: The Music City, Tennessee
Hybrids: 2006 HCH ll; Built: 2/1/2006
Posts: 888


Re: 2006 Honda Accord Hybrid information now on Honda website



Hello;

Tried out 3 different HAH's and they were really cool. I almost took delivery on the last 2005 one I tried out until the wife and I backed off and said we will let you know in the morning.

Answer:

HAH ..$33,540.00 Including the $550.00 destination

HCH II 26,504.00 Including Destination Charges, Including all Options:
............$7,036.00 Thats alot of Gas; Gas @ $2.50 Gal. = 2,814 Gallons

2,814 x 40 MPG = 112,560 Miles on Difference in Cost between Vehicles.

So, I went with the HCH II and even though the HAH is a Terrific (IMO) Hybrid and I am really impressed with the Power and Quietness, plus all the other Pluses to it. I cannot see paying that Price for the HAH and then soon after this Honda was {Discounting HAH's} to get rid of old inventory still on dealers' Lots. A really Great Hybrid but just too much money (IMO) when you can have all the same equipment, Nav., X/M, Auto-Climate Control, Etc. on the New 2006 HCH II and drive the HCH II for 112,560 Miles for the Difference in Price between the two Hybrids.

I tried my best to use Real World MPG and Real Prices on the Vehicles. I think it is quite possible to get as an Average 40 MPG on the HCH II. I think that using the 40 MPG Avg. on the HCH II should be easy enough to attain as an Avg.; Hwy. & City. You do give up one thing not going with the HAH. Speed/Power, but for 112,560 Miles of Free Driving, I'll Adjust:

Well, Thats my 2-Cents.

Terry

BTW; The price I used on the HCH II also Includes Full Window Tint & Honda Pin Stripes.

Well, I see this post has gone a bit astray. Let's see what we can do to get it back on track.

Having owned both cars, I think my opinions have some validity here.

The original poster (OP) is confusing 'build quality' with materials choices, tactile feel of those materials, and room / amenities relative to the two cars.

The two cars *are* built to the same standard, with regard to manufacturing principles. However, because of the choices made w/ regard to materials, it feels 'cheap' to the OP. Certain things to me (like the door panel fabric) leave a bit to be desired for me, as well. But judging the car as a whole, I thought the biggest thing I was giving up was a little thigh room and heated seats (which I've since found out can be added by Webasto - yay!). Given that, I thought the new Civic a worthy replacement, one which I thought I'd be happy with over the long haul as a commuter car. I couldn't say that about the last one (no offense, 7th-gen owners

The OP says the Accord hybrid doesn't save gas. Relative to the Civic Hybrid ? No, it's not as fuel-efficient. But the engine is over twice the size. Compare the Accord against it's peers - and by peers, I mean cars such as the Audi A6 or BMW 540i, or as I compared to, Lexus ES, Acura TL, Infinity G35. No, the Accord isn't those cars' equal. But for a lot of people, it's 90% of the car for 70% or less of the price - and more often than not, with twice the FE of those cars. There's a lot of owners of those cars trading out into the Accord Hybrid - at current prices, they're being considered a steal.

As for the cost of the two cars, relative to one another. It's not fair to compare the Accord EX-V6, a car that's been out since 2003, and as a result, often discounted, to a brand-new (almost) clean sheet design that's more like the current Accord than it's predecessor (with the exception of FE, which improved slightly). The Civic is not being discounted right now (unless you're going to OK to pick one up


It's up to you. Are the size, amenities and ergonomics of the Accord the most important thing ? Or is a slightly smaller version of that car with the potential of 60% better FE more important. Only you can answer that question. They're both great cars, and I love them both. I just love getting 57mpg on my commute to work tonight (in 35F temps) where I'm writing this, a little more

Mark

Sometimes we could all use a little less

My hybrid automobiles:

Current:
2006 Honda Civic Hybrid (CVT, w/o Nav)
Magnetic Pearl / Blue - 008661, born 12/28/05
Mods: Neck pillows, Garmin C330 Nav, Draw-tite 1.25" hitch (for bikes, not towing!), Pioneer Inno XM receiver via Aux jack, OEM mud flaps, more to come!

Hypermiler status on 3/12/06 @ 3077mi.

Previous:
2005 Honda Accord Hybrid (5AT/Navi)
Desert Mist / Ivory - 001254
Retired 1/21/06 - LMPG 34.1

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