Hi everyone,

I'm a new owner of a 2006 Magnetic Pearl HCH. I have been a lurker here for a couple of weeks prior to my purchase to get a feel for how everyone liked their HCH before making the dive myself.

Prior to this car I had an 2005 Acura TL w/navi that I totally loved but gas was killing me. A full tank costed me anywhere from $45-$50 per tank for 91 and I would only average about 315-325 miles per tank. I loved the car but I loved having money a lot more.

I'm still on my first initial tank from the dealer and I'm averaging about 40mpg. I have surpassed my 350 miles and have a quarter of a tank left so I'm sure I can manage 400+ miles on my first tank. Not bad since I do many short trips and am getting accustomed to driving the HCH.

The things I miss about the TL that I wish the HCH had are:
- Intergrated bluetooth connection
- Reverse tilt feature on both side mirrors
- Bi-Xenon High-Intensity Discharge (HID) headlights
- Power Seats
- Standard XM

Things I love about my new HCH:
- Excellent gas mileage
- Updated version of the Navigation. More advanced than the one in the TL.
- Smaller Turning Radius. This car is so much easier to maneuver.
- Auxiliary Input. Now I can listen to my iPod without having to purchase the honda iPod accessory.
- Large HUD. Its so much easier to see how fast I'm going, how much gas I have left, and my mpg.
- Being able to use 87 gas!! Living in So Cal 91 gas can get ridiculously expensive.

All in all I'm very satisfied with my purchase. Hopefully this car will benefit me in the long run. Now I just need to learn how to maximize my mpg as much as possible.

 

My lease is ending for my 2003 Acura TL Type S and I went through the same issue with gas mileage.

We're waiting to see what our mileage will be but I can tell you, it's as much fun to drive the Civic as it is the TL, although without the power...

The savings on the difference between premium (I have to buy 93 here in NY as almost no one offers 91) and regular will be 20-30 cents per gallon. Even if we get 35-38 MPG, we will be doubling our mileage with the Civic over the Acura.

For the 12,000 miles annually, we'll be looking at about 330 gallons for the Honda versus 630 for the Acura. The annual savings of 300 gallons at 20 cents extra for premium ($60) plus the 300 gallons at $3 a gallon in NY ($900) will be $960 for the first year, not including at least $2000 in a tax credit (Honda hasn't set it yet with the DOT, EPA & IRS for the 2006 Civic so I am estimating). While I can't say the premium will ever be met for the Civic Hybrid vs. Civic EX, however, the premium will be paid for in savings vs. our TL, which is the factor not considered in people moving to a Hybrid...

Pretty cool :-) (and my estimates are on the conservative side).

 

Hi HCH-Jun,

You did what I've been thinking about for quite some time now.

My wife's car is a '99 TL w/ navi. It's still doing fine, but I hate having to gas that thing up with super and only getting in the mid to low 20's for MPG.

Thanks for your report - it gives me something to base our choices on.

 

Actually in reality the way you are considering things, cost of old vs cost of new, is the actual consideration most folks use. It certainly was when i replaced my Volvo, which had many years left on it, with the HCH II.

From a cash flow standpoint, the HCH II was essentially free to me. Thats how big a difference maintenance and gas was month to month.

The media prefers to compare the Honda DX vs the Honda Hybrid in these type of comparisons but we all know that is just reidiculous and unrealistic in most cases.

 

rysa4, considering I spent about $100 or more per month on maintenance for the TL, and that the newer Acuras and Hondas now have a legitimate Maintenance Minder (as opposed to the idiot light), i haven't even factored in my costs for that!!

I figure I'm good with my 8 Year/120K Extended Hondacare and will only be buying Tires, Brakes, Oil, Fluids and standard 12 Volt Lead-Acid Batteries over the next number of years.

The 1 year maintenance cycle alone is well worth it (in spite of my dealer incorrectly advising changing the oil at 3500 miles and 3000 miles thereafter...old skool advice).

 

My 2002 Acura TL S was totaled in a 5 car pile-up and that' what brought me to the 2006 HCH. While I loved my Acura, I also love the HCH.

As for missing features, the only thing I really miss is the tilting side mirrors in reverse which you noted. I loved that feature on the Acura. But in exchange I get better than double the MPGs

Another poster wondered if they would ever recoup the "hybrid premium" over the standard Civic. Don't forget to calculate the tax credit when you do the math. It brings the break-even point a lot sooner.

Dan


EDIT: Opps! Looks like I didn't read the post correctly - you did calculate the tax credit. Sorry

 

The TL is rated at 91 octane or better for performance. The TL will also run just fine on 87 octane, but with reduced performance. It says this in both the owner's manual and on their website.

From what I hear, the slight decrease in power is so small, that a driver won't feel it in the seat of their pants. It'll only be evident on a drag strip or dyno.