I bought my 1997 Honda Civic HX (CVT) new back in the day for the then unheard-of CVT technology. On Monday, I was in a front-corner to front corner collision which totaled it. I've been skipping through the GH community for a while, trying not to get too deep in or risk shopping for a new car (and new debt) that I didn't need. However, I find I'm in the market for a new hybrid. :-)

Initially focused in on the 2010 Prius III, but availability seems to be an issue here in Southern California, so widened my search to the HCH. Truecar.com chokes on local/regional sales data (not enough), so I'm guessing that they aren't flying off the lot the way the Prius is. Any recent transaction stories?

Navigation:
How does it get road updates? Is there a service I'd need to subscribe to? DVD updates?

Bluetooth:
I've had a lot of road noise at highway speeds in my 1997 Civic. Does road noise interfere with hands-free operation of phone calls?

Other factors?
I'm wondering about other factors I should take into account when looking at the HCH vs. the Prius. Interior cabin space? Cargo space? I know there are users who own or have owned both models and can point out the contrasts for me.

Thanks so much in advance. This is an amazing community!

 

My '09 has NAV + Bluetooth. Both work better than other factory units I've had. Operation is fast, simple, and accurate. Sound quality is great, and cabin is quiet.

I prefer a sedan, and think the HCH styling is sophisticated and timeless. I prefer Honda's hybrid system and feel that it's more driver-participatory (fun). The HCH seems much more comfortable and pleasurable to drive. I don't need more space or the versatility of a hatchback. I like the visibility from a sedan. Oddly, I like that the HCH is less popular than the Prius. My HCH gives me 45-47 MPG consistently. I like the Polished Metal color and the beige leather color – a fully-loaded (and proven) bargain that cost me just $22,700.

 

Bleh. I've been told that the 2010 HCH won't be available in Southern California probably until late November. They don't even show up in the "on order" section of dealer computers.

2009 HCH has been sold out since before "cash for clunkers."

I guess I'm Prius-bound.

 

Don't think you can go wrong with a Prius! It is not the #1 seller for no reason. Let us know what you end up with. To bad you where not able to test a HCH2 however. Hal

 

Or wait until I get my CR-Z and I'll sell you my *very* low-mile HCH.

 

It is a DVD-based navigation system made by Alpine with Navteq-supplied map data. New DVDs are released by Honda/Navteq every year in the fall and run $185 full price. See http://www.hondanavi.com

With the Bluetooth HFL system, callers on the other end tell me they can hear background noise, but my voice is loud and clear over it. One said it sounded like I was at the beach...I guess that's not too bad .

I agree with Steve in that the Navi and HFL systems are very good. I only have a few minor gripes about them:

-When your phone is connected, you only see a Bluetooth icon come up on the navi display. No battery, signal strength, or even caller ID info show up on the display. I have little homemade dock for the car that I pop my phone into so I can easily see who calls.

-The HFL and navi each have their own separate phone books, which is a little silly to me. With most phones you can import your entire contact list from the phone to the navi phone book over bluetooth- but to voice dial, the contact must be manually stored in the HFL phone book.

-Searching for POIs on the navi can be a bit frustrating until you get the hang of it. If you search by keyword it can be difficult to sort results by shortest distance, and spelling/punctuation has to be pretty much spot on to find matches.

 

I just ordered a 2010 civic hybrid about a month ago. My car isnt going to be finished until oct 28th. the dealer told me that it would be another 30-45 days to get the car shipped to the dealer from the plant. so im guessing that none of the dealers will be getting any 2010s till around then. i ended up getting the civic hybrid with leather for around 23700 if that helps you out some. good luck with trying to hold back on getting a new hybrid

 

Congrats on your '10 HCH. I went to Honda's official site, and it seems the '10 is unchanged from the '09. Were you given any information about possible changes that I may not have noticed?

 

as far as i know there isnt any changes from the 09 to the 10. i went to a couple of dealers and they all said it is unchanged