Civic Hybrid is not economical at all. All the "methods" used to increase mileage can be used on any car...not just a hybrid.

I have an 07 hch. I regret buying it. I get 33 MPG. IF you want to save the planet, buy a regular civic, drive it like a grandma-as you would a HCH and donate the cost difference to greenpeace or something...

 

Jp, In your other negative posts, you indicated you had expected a 50% increase in gas mileage over your BMW, you stated your BMW got 22 mpg, your HCH gets 33 mpg, by my math, that IS a 50% increase....please do everyone here a favor, sell your HCH and get another BMW, life is too short to live with a car you don't like and far too short to read your greenpeace insults....some of actually care more about the earth than street racing, being the lead car when the signal turns green or getting to the stoplight first.

BTW, how much is the tax incentive on the standard Civic? thought so, truth is, I suspect if you are not happy with the hybrid, you would not be happy with a standard Civic....you would just complain it got the same mileage as your BMW.

 

I still want to see him get 30 mpg driving a regular civic the way he claims to drive his hybrid...

Or any other car for that matter...

 

While I apperciate your comment JP, I have only heard a few people say the mpg is less with the hybrid than it is with a regular Civic. Please do understand, I am trying to get the full picture on the hybrid before I buy one, but I feel you are not happy with your hybrid because you did pay more for the hybrid than a you could have for a regular Civic, and you aren't getting the mileage predicted. The mpg is an estimate on what you could achieve under the right circumstances. I don't expect to get the 45 mpg but I do plan on trying my hardest to drive the hybrid as intended and not speed around like I might in a BMW. I'm wanting to do my part to help the environment and not pollute it anymore than what has already been done and if I can do that in a hybrid, getting only 33mpg as you are, I would feel I'm still doing my part since the emissions is so much lower than it would be on a regular vehicle.

 

If you get 33 MPG on the HCH, you will only get 22 MPG on a regular Civic. When we get really bad mileage, we get 44 MPG. On a recent trip back from Arizona, I got about 42 MPG going 80 miles per hour bucking a pretty good headwind. You must have 3 tons of lead in your right foot!

 

On a P.S., what I don't like about the Civic is the road noise on rough roads. I would also like to see heated, cooled, memory seats that are more comfortable. A fold-down rear seat like in the Camry would be nice.

 

jp gets 33 MPG. Therefore, the Civic Hybrid is not economical at all.
OK, jp, but others disagree. As the price of gas continues to increase (anyone think it's headed back DOWN to $2.50 a gallon?), it makes more and more economic sense.

I think jp would be surprised at how poor MPG he would get in a regular Civic or Corolla. His driving terrain, distance, speed, style (something) is just not conducive to good MPG.
Even so, for him swapping a 22 MPG vehicle for a 33 MPG one, consider this:
in 10,000 miles of driving, he's saved about $455 on gas alone.

[BMW cost: 10,000 miles/22 MPG * $3 a gallon = $1,364]
[HCH cost: 10,000 miles/33 MPG * $3 a gallon = $909]
[MY HCH cost 10K miles/46.4 MPG * $3 a gallon = $647]

I bet insurance, tires, maintenance intervals, etc, are cheaper too in the long term than in his former BMW.
Now, his supposition is that he'd be better off in a Corolla/regular Civic than in the HCH2 may be true. But it's doubtful that he'd actaully get better MPG than in the HCH2. It's just that his overall cost of ownership would likely be lower in the Corolla. This could easily be true for him, and could be true of many folks. I didn't like the Corolla, and thought my MPG would be better in an HCH2 than in a regular Civic. The Honda Fit or Toyota Yaris may also be good choices, if you're looking at lowest overall cost-of-ownership.

 

Ooohhhh.... It was the $800 steering pump that made me swap my old bimmers out for our HCHIIs. oh, and global warming. That too.

 

Mileage will vary depending where you are located. If you are located where people are getting 50+ mpg, you might get the same results. If you live where someone gets 35-40 then you will get similar.

My Civic is just now starting to achieve 40mpg. It has nothing to do with my driving style, it has more to do with shorter commuting and hilly terrain. My Civic hardly ever sees a highway or freeway system. It has literally been on the highway about 20 times since I got it in September of '07.

The Civic is not a BMW, which in itself is a Godsend. My Mercedes-Benz was a real piece of crap and having co-workers with BMWs with their own problems I am glad my Civic has not been to the shop. I am currently at 5% oil life on my Civic now and it is at 6100 miles, so your oil life will also vary.

My only complaint with Honda on this Civic is the lack of fold-down or pass through seating. But Honda could update the Civic in the future and add that ability so I can wait. And for now, when I need to use something bigger, I can call Enterprise (They'll pick you up ).

 

Well, I'll add my 2 cent contribution to the thread:

I have a 2006 HCH (mine) and a 2007 HCH (my wife's).

Positives:
These cars have been absolutely solid in every respect imaginable and definitely better that any other car I've had (including my wife's previous 2004 Acura).

In the summer I regularly get less than 4 l/100km (58 mpg or more) driving 100% city routine. In our Winnipeg winters I get at most 6.2 l/100km (37 MPG or more) and it is a predictable and reliable experience like that of no other car I've had before (except the Prius II).

Negatives:
As others have mentioned, it would be nice to have the rear folding seats in the odd occasions we need to carry something bigger. But I have also found that it is possible to carry pretty beefy items in the rear floor since the rear doors open wide and the rear floor is flat. Many items such as small furniture kits can be carried there in an upright position without much hassle.
The other peeve: No navigation system available in Canada.


Side Observation: The OEM tires of the HCH-2 and Prius are not winter tires, not even by a long shot !!! Installing and using winter tires is not only a matter of safety but also an exercise in basic common sense.


Cheers;

MSantos