Got back yesterday from our first long trip with our new HCH2. Here are some of my observations-

Trip- from Rochester, NY to Lake Placid NY approx 300 miles

Car had 250 miles on it when we left.

Car rides and feels much bigger than it is. I have had many Civics, this one is just amazing from a quality standpoint.

First tank- 47.9 mpg, 480 miles, AC on the entire time. This included 70% of driving around the streets of Lake Placid, and the back roads to get to various hiking trails.

Second Tank- 51.7 mpg. This tank includes 200 miles of more back roads, stop and go, and one trip to the top of Whiteface Mountain (it was painful to watch the mpg drop, I finally switched over to the temp gauge because it was killing me). The balance of the tank was the drive home.

While on the highway, I found the cruise control to be annoying, as it did not manage FE as well as I can, so after about 15 minutes, I turned it off. In order to not annoy my fellow drivers, I set a rule to not go below 65 miles per hour, nor above 70 (except on long downhills). AC was off on the way home, only because it was not needed.

Total trip- ~1,000 miles, avg FE- ~50 mpg. What more could I ask for?

All in all, we love the car. I just wish they would make an Element Hybrid.

Wait till you hit the 3500-5000 range. There seems to be a break point there where you can jump as much as 5mpg

Someday I might even beat that wascally kenny!

No whammies... no whammies... no whammies...