Is a hybrid for me (Based upon the following driving routine)?
I have just accepted a job which will give me a roundtrip daily commute of 85 miles a day. I’ll be driving from Poway, Ca (150’) to the Julian, Ca area (4500’) through winding mountain roads. I’ll have freezing temperatures occasionally.
I’m looking at either the Prius or Civic hybrid (mainly for the mpg),
For the kind of driving I’ll be doing, is a hybrid really worth it or should I just stick with a regular gas civic?
I have also been told that if one part of the hybrid system breaks down, the entire care is un drivable. Is that true (I would hate to break down on a mountain road).
I’ll be buying new right after the December 25th (New job starts on Jan 4th) so I’d appreciate your comments ASAP.

Thanks

One other comment, how are they in icey conditions? I've heard that teh Prius is NOT the vehicle to use in icey/slippery conditions. Is that true?

Is your commute mostly highway? Mostly rural road?

Do you need to haul anything?

Best question: Are you going to try and max out your mpg's? Or are you just looking for a normal driving car that is better on gas?

Owning a civic hybrid I can only say its a great car for driving normally. At normal speeds I don't think either the Prius or Civic has any clear advantage. The 47/48 average mpg for both cars here speaks for that.

Things to consider could be:
- Civic still offers tax credit I think
- Prius has lower starting price if you can get a base model now, not sure how many features they removed compared to previous lineup.
- Prius is better in city
- Prius has more storage space
- Civic is refuted to be more comfortable for shorter drivers (claimed)
- Civic is less expensive to keep insured (personal research, Prius is classified as a larger car perhaps?)

I'd day test drive both and pick the one you'd rather sit in for long periods of time. If your going to drive normally then you can't go wrong with either. They will both give your wallet a break compared to a comparable gas only sedan.

Edit: Noticed your small text: I'd say neither is "great" on ice. Invest in winter tires if conditions will require it.

Climbing mountains? You'll probably be better off with a regular V6. All-wheel drive and stability control will give you some piece of mind. You could still save some fuel with variable cylinder management like on the Accord, but you'll probably be using engine braking as well.

The four-cylinder hybrid cars are soft-handed metropolitan boys.

2007 Honda Civic Hybrid -> sparkle grey pearl

Either the civic or prius hybrid should be able to make it through your daily commute ok.

Will you get 50mpg in the hills - maybe not. Will you get better economy than other cars - yep. Are the hybrids worth it - probably just in fuel $ if you really are at 20k miles/year or more. You would also do well with other fuel efficient non-hybrids.

If really concerned with traction, consider purchasing set of all season or snow tires versus the low rolling resistance OEM ones on the new car.

From what I've read the Civic hybrid can continue to be driven if the IMA system goes out. The car would have reduced horsepower since it would lose the additional hp that the IMA would have provided, and it would be running solely on the hp of the internal combustion engine alone. I don't know if the car could be driven that way for an extended period of time or what. It's never happened to me.
I think you would not be able to drive the Prius if the Hybrid Synergy drive went out.
Maybe someone on the forum has had experience with either of those scenarios.

If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate.

IMA is an assist system. Alone the engine is still enough to drive the car. The assist frequently doesn't work while driving anyhow. The fuel efficient engine is enough while under a low stress load while driving along at a set speed.

I wouldn't worry about the Hybrid system being inoperable after a failure. I mean.......if a non-hybrid car's engine or electrical system fails, it is going to be undriveable most of the time anyways. You are talking a 1 in 1000 chance something like that will happen. Most hybrids have a long track record of reliablity, especially Toyota which has been selling the Prius in the US since the 2001 model year. I have been happy with my TCH that I purchased the beginning of August.

I just bought a 2008 HCH a couple of weeks ago. Yes, there is still the full $2100 tax credit if you put the vehicle into service before the end of this year. Starting January 1, 2008, the tax credit gets cut in half.

Living in Salt Lake, I've had the occasion to climb some of the canyons nearby (4500 feet climbing to over 7000). The car does just fine with them. It's not so efficient on the uphill (obviously), but I think it more than makes up for it on the downhills. At least, such has been my observation.

As for the HCH vs. the Prius... well, there's a few discussions hanging around here you can search for. I was faced with the same decision. I chose the HCH because I liked the displays better, and I found it to be more comfortable. Of course, all these are my personal preferences. The two cars are close enough performance-wise that it really does come down to personal preference. Either way, I don't think you can loose.

It might be worth it to see if you can get an eco-rental to drive the route with. Compare different ones if you can.
I recently saw an Enterprise facility in Buffalo that had a fleet of Prius. It was really cool to see all these hybrids being driven out of their lot by renters. You could call to see if they have anything similar in your area, or try something like:

http://www.evrental.com/

If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the precipitate.

I don't think you will like the hybrid for your drive, especially the Prius, and I own one. It is a great urban/suburban car but is not a great "driver's car" that is fun on a twisty road. It does Ok, but would get old after a while due to the unsophisticated suspension and poor steering feel. I believe the Civic hybrid would be better, as it has a better handling suspension, but neither car would be as enjoyable as say a VW Golf, Mazda 3, or regular Civic with a 5 speed. Now that would be fun!

Which brings up my next point - the CVT trannies in the hybrids do not provide much in the way of gear control and if you are driving twisty mountain roads, you will want control of your gears, if for no other reason than to save your brakes. I think you are better off with a good handling conventional car as mentioned above, with a 5 spd manual or auto tranny that you can manipulate. And hey, maybe a set of heated seats, too...