Hi Guys. Just filled up my tank for the first time today. Went 410 miles on 10.3 gallons of gas, and I haven't been trying to get the great mileage. My commute is 45 miles, and since the fill up, I saw 50.3 mpg at the 30 mile mark.
I'm driving in bumper to bumper Washington DC beltway traffic most of the time, so I'm real happy with the mileage. Since the first fill-up, I'm driving the car at 65mph and below. The car gets much better mileage than my 1200cc sport bike. I'm happy with the power of the car as well. I have had it up to 90mph, and it felt strong. Has anyone run flat out in a Civic Hybrid? I know it sounds crazy to most hybrid owners, but I'd like to know how fast this car will go. I definitely didn't buy this for speed, but if anyone has topped it out, I'd like to know what you got.
Just for info on the bike mileage it only averages about 37mpg riding very sane, and it has dropped as low as 12mpg in spirited riding. The best I have ever seen was 50mpg on a 400 mile road trip for on stint at 65mph indicated. The rest of the trip, I only got about 30mpg.
In my opinion, big sport bikes are probably the most inefficient form of transport besides the pure speed they have.
Maintenance is expensive. Most mechanics are charging $85.00 an hour. A set of tires can run upwards of $600.00, being replaced every 5000 miles, if they last that long. The valves need adjustment every 15000 miles if you ride the bike nice. And of course, the mileage isn't pretty.
So far, I'm loving the civic. My car pool pal likes it as well. My round trip is 92 miles and his is 116 miles. I set the cruise, something I haven't ever done. We have added an average 6 minutes to our trip by slowing from 75-90mph to 65 and below. Can't believe it.

 

Wow that's great MPG for those conditions with your new car!

BTW welcome to greenhybrid.com and thanks for the MPG info on the bike.
I always thought those got 3-digit MPG readings but I've never owned one.

I'm not sure of the HCH top speed, since I've owned mine I've stopped my old habit of 85-90MPH commute to work :wacko:

 

[I'm not sure of the HCH top speed, since I've owned mine I've stopped my old habit of 85-90MPH commute to work]

Thanks for the welcome. My car pool bud drove today and what a difference. He has a 2004 Cirrus with a v6. It's a nice car. At my drop off he was at 250 or so miles on his tank with just over a quarter of a tank. We both had a bad habit of 80+mph driving, but he's quitting after today to see how he compares to the civic. I was interested in posting our results here actually. We each try to drive 10 days per month, and we were talking about the rules today on the way home from work.

The most important part will be our open road cruise speed. We said 65mph.
2nd, once we get into the thick of things, picking the same lane everyday. We know what the best lane is for the most part. Neither of us drive these cars on the weekend, so the comparison should be pretty equal. We are also taking the exact same root every day. This should make for some interesting results.

As of right now, I am getting 48.4mpg. I'm real happy.

My original goal was 39mph, but I'm aiming a bit higher. About 43 for an average. I'll stop for gas when I can, but I'd like to stretch it between 450-550 miles. Gas is well over 2 bucks a gallon, so we'll see how much I save, compared to my pal.

 

Hi Challenger,
I, too, stopped driving over 80mph on the way to work when I got the HCH. I now drive at 73mph, and have a 160 miles round-trip commute, which is mostly cruise-control on the highway. I have had my '04 HCH MT up to 95mph so far.
I have a lifetime average of 48.4mpg, so it seems you're on target anyway. I've put 47 tankfulls so far.

C' ya!

 

Holy crap cbxtc6, that is a huge commute! I thought mine was bad, but you are, without a doubt getting your moneys worth from the Civic. I like the mileage that your are posting too. The one thing about my drive is that there is a bunch of 30-50mph driving, and I am trying to coast more than before. I'm trying to figure out the best acceleration method. Any pointers? I'm using the cruise where I can, but its tough in this traffic. I'm still getting getting the hang of driving a bit slower. It feels strange getting past up, or watching someone weaving traffic behind me. Nerve racking.

With your average, it seems you can get about 4 days out of a tank? That is incredible. 800 miles per week is an out-house full of driving. Speaking of that, the seats are pretty good in the Civic.

The best seats of our vehicles are in our truck. My wife loves our 4 door Dodge Dakota. Great for our almost 2 year old. Easy to get in and out, but not a minivan. It is a 2wd, but has the 4.7 V8, and good torque.
Mileage is not so good. I'd guess around 16mpg.

I'd have to say though, if someone is a bit on the plump side, the Civic seats might be a tight fit. May be that extra umph needed to get into the gym.

 

Hey, those civic seats aren't just too small for fatties! Some of us have broad shoulders, and they are just too small for us 'mericuns.

My biggest complaint with this '03 HCH is the narrow seats. If it wasn't for the side airbags in the seats, I'd replace them.

Life (not fat) speed

 

I'm not a small person at 6 feet 1 inch and 225lbs.

The wheel is as high as it goes, the seat is all the way back.

I find the seat tight but not uncomfortable.
If I have do dig something out of my pocket (Keys etc)I have to stop and exit the car first.

 

One of my bigger friends was in the car, and liked the interior, but felt that the seats were a bit snug. He has a Ram, so he likes his space. I love his fuel computer. The best mileage I have seen has been 13mph on it.

I've put a bit over 1200 miles on the car since I've had it. Yesturday, I got the chance to run it flat out. 5:30 in the morning and 4 lanes of empty highway. Just over 110mph, and it was still accelerating, just really slowly. Slowed it back down to 70mph to cruise, and I'm still averaging 41mpg.

 

Challenger1,

Thanks for taking one for the team! It is good to see the HCH can get up and go if needed and not take too big a hit to MPG. Just curious. Were you going down hill?

Billy

 

Nope, pretty flat, and more of an uphill than anything. It was pushed right up the the redline. It was really loud. The motor didn't sound enthusiastic about the endevor, but I was impressed that it was able to pull over 105mph. What impressed me more was that after I was flat out, and returned to 70mph cruise for the remaining 60 miles of my trip, I was still reading above 41. After this morning, its down to 40 even, but it warmed up for 30 seconds, and it is cold out. Oh ya' the antenna really screams in the wind.