Brick said from the "honeymoon is over" thread and thought it would be interesting to dedicate a thread to it:

I struggled for a few months with this question. Two friends bought (and loved) a Prius - one had a 2005, the other a 2006. I really wanted a hatchback - I had a Jeep Wrangler and prior to that a Honda hatchback. I was used to having added space to take my Home Depot stuff home myself.

My friend let me drive his Prius. Notably, I had no "ooooh, I love this" moment. Here were my immediate impressions while driving:

Handling and horsepower seemed sluggish, but I chalked that up to my inexperience with hybrids. No big deal.

I could not see out the rear window no matter what. This could be because I'm 5'2" (?). That was a big deal.

I could not read the navi / radio console - oddly it faces straight forward, not toward the driver. I actually had to lean over to see it.

The interior seemed a little "plasticky" and not to my taste. It definitely showed wear and tear and spotting.

Finally, the gear shift knob - It felt like a little toy. (My friend thought it was cool)

As for the HCH II - I liked the look of it, the actual "gear" shift, that it has side air curtain bags at no extra price -- actually I remember comparing line by line Prius features over HCH II and found that it was a little less expensive with the HCH II (no navi).

I did not have the opportunity to drive the HCH II - but I did get to sit in on at the showroom. I immediately liked it and purchased one a few days later (for a better price 100 miles outside of LA).

That was six months ago. Thankfully, I have not once regretted or questioned my decision. I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

I live in a working class neighborhood and the Prius, especially that LCD display, would just make the car stand out way too much for my comfort. Don't get me wrong, there are quite a few nice cars at my complex, just not <2 years old. At least the Civic can be passed off as an econobox and fit in with the other econoboxes that are <2 years old in the parking lot. So far none of my neighbors have asked me about my gas mileage probably because they think it's just another run of the mill Civic even though the hybrid badge is on the trunk lid.

i purchased my civic hybrid over the prius because:

• the navigation worked much better in the civic.
• The civic navi is made by alpine.
• the real world gas mileage is nearly identical.
• The civic looks nicer
• the fit and finish on the interior is nicer
• the cvt felt more like a manual transmission, no lag or jolting

I own both. An 06 Prius Pkg. 6 and an 07 HCH w/ Navi. My wife drives the Prius and I drive the HCH. The decision for me was pretty easy. It came down to one thing, styling. I like the looks of the 07 HCH better. My wife likes the looks of the Prius better.

As hybrids go, it's my opinion that the Prius leans more towrds "electric" then the HCH. I believe it's technologically more advanced then the HCH. The mileage is pretty much neck and neck between our 2 cars with a slight edge to the Prius. I would also give a slight edge to the Prius for acceleration. The HCH handles better but lacks tire pressure sensors and rear view camera. The Prius has more cup holders and storage compartments then I would know what to do with.

We both have HOV Stickers and use our hybrids as commuter cars. I'd rather drive my HCH and my wife would rather drive her Prius.

Having said all that, I guess her vote cancels out my vote.

95% of the HCH II is a Honda Civic. Looking at owning the car for the long run, it seemed to make more sense to invest in a car with more interchangeable parts than its closest competitor. This is no dig at the Prius, which I also admire as a car and as a marketing achievement in helping to popularize hybrid vehicles.

For me, it was basically styling. I like the looks of the HCHII... and definitely dislike the Prius' shape. The Prius might have been a better decision specifically for space (I haul bikes and baseball pitching machines from time to time)... but I have an SUV for the hauling, so the Civic works fine.

Because I didn't even consider the Prius (due to the aforementioned styling issue), I never did any pricing comparisons... but I've heard over and over that the Civic is significantly lower in price. For those reasons (and my consistant 51+ mpg average), I'm quite pleased with my decision!

I had full intention of purchasing a Prius. I read about the Prius and HCH2 for a couple mths.. I could not wait to try the Prius out. After the test drive in the Prius and the once over by the sale rep I decided to see if they had a HCH2 right next door at the Honda dealer. The had two. I had the test drive and I decided on the HCH2. I found the handling and the eroganomics suited me more. Also the Prius base model was $5000 more here on the west coast of Canada. I think both cars are great

Everything mentioned, especially the bad rear visibility because of the rear spoiler and cheaper fit, finish and feel.

also

Prius looks like a cockroach.
Prius is so popular that it was impossible to find one without $6000 of options. That pissed me off.

Need fewer troops to support.
Drive a hybrid.
Best tank 71.65 MPG.

Before this car I spent two years learning hypermiling on my 2004 HCH1.

I was on the fence between a prius & HCH II for a while, but here's the reasons I bought the HCH II:

1. I've had four other Honda vehicles that never let me down
2. HCH II was a bit lower price than a prius for similar level of equipment
3. I liked the HCH II interior & exterior styling much more

I don't regret the decision at all.

I'm more of a loyal Honda brand fan. Toyota's goal is to take over the automotive world. Kind of a hegemony but in the car biz Not to mention the fact that the Prius is fuggly and looks too tree huggerish for my liking.