Hey guys and gals...let me start by saying I am very, very tired of getting 17 mpg in my Jeep...I went yesterday to look at the Toyota Prius and the Honda Civic Hybrid...I must say that the interior and exterior on the civic far exceed the Prius...but the MPG is vice versa...but from what I have read on here some of you are getting mid 50's?? from the civic??

So as the Toyota and Honda dealership are side by side and owned by the same person...which would you choose and why...what are some of the maintenance issues you guys/gals are having...cost of oil change...and most of all...power wise what are you giving up to a normal gas engine...is it a notable difference...you get my drift...

I am going tonight to both dealerships to test drive but due to having a 2 year old its gonna be tough for me and the wife to go together...might just have to put the car seat in each and go...

Thanks for your time and its really great to see so many people going to the hybrids...I have had 4x4's all my life so great gas mileage will definately be something new to me...

 

You should set your profile to show which city you live in. People in your area may be able to give you answers specific to your climate and geography.

You should also post a note as to what sort of driving you usually do. How long is your commute, etc.

We went with the Civic because of the interior & exterior styling, and because we've been really happy with the 2 Hondas we've had so far. Prius has a slight edge in highway mileage and a big edge in city mileage. Prius has 4-star safety ratings across the board; Civic has three 5-stars (driver frontal, passenger frontal, rear side) and two 4-stars (front side and rollover). Prius has the hatchback with fold-down rear seats; Civic's battery is behind the rear seat, so it doesn't fold.

As for performance, Autos.com says 10.0 for HCH2, 10.4 for Prius, but I've seen road test figures anywhere from 9.8 to 11 for both of them. But you're not going to see a noticeable difference in them.

 

Sorry...guess a little more info on me would help...live in Charlotte, NC...mostly going to be city driving to and from work( 45/50 miles round trip) and errands afterwards....but will also be family vacation car for beach trips (15 or so times a year)...

 

I bought my Civic because it looks like a car. I dislike the looks of the Prius (sorry if I offend anyone!!!). The only downside for me was storage space. The Prius had an edge there... but in reality, after 5 months in the Civic, I haven't really had any storage issues. The trunk is plenty big... you just can't fit really long things in there since the seats won't fold down. I actually fit two full size road bikes in the civic's trunk (wheels removed, of course!) and everything fit just fine. Had room for the bikes, wheels, helmets and all kinds of other biking stuff (for a 2,000 mile trip!).

I'm getting between 52 & 54 mpg on a regular basis, but admittedly, I drive slowly (57 - 63 on the freeway) and rarely use my A/C. My first tank was in the low 40's. By the fourth tank I broke 50 and never went back! It takes time to learn how to properly drive ANY hybrid... but it's not a burden. It's quite fun!

Two other advantages of the Civic vs. the Prius: Available navigation system (which is GREAT) and the overall price. I believe the civic is quite a bit less than the Prius.

Go test drive both.... regardless of which one you choose, you'll be getting far better mileage than the Jeep! Good luck and happy shopping!!!

 

In reality, on average, the Prius has a negligble fuel economy advantage over the Civic. Look at the database here, and you'll see the average (median) driver of the '06 Civic hybrid is getting 47.1 MPG, and the Prius' median is 47.7 MPG. I'm in that middle area, getting 47.3 (right now), with a very even mix of city and highway driving in central Ohio, where it's somewhat hilly, but not mountainous. I think the mid to high 50s people usually live in relatively flat places, as it's very hard to get over 50MPG in my experience when you drive normally (not hypermiling techniques) unless you're on back roads with few stop signs or lights. With flat terrain, in those situations, you'd get very good milage. My last tank was, I thought, my most impressive: 48.5MPG with a pretty even 50/50 split of city and highway, driving normally. The only special thing I really do is I try to enter pure electric mode when I can if the terrain is right for it.

On the highway, I get about 51, driving 68MPH on hilly highways. If you're in a lot of bumper to bumper traffic, the Prius should do better, but if you cruise more, either will be fine. I chose the Civic because of past success with Honda (had a great '92 Civic) and because I MUCH preferred the styling and dash. I can't stand the center mounted console of the Prius, and I don't like the general looks of it either.

 

well we are onthe way out the door to go have a test drive...will get back to ya when I get back

 

OK...absolutely loved the car...had good pickup and was not what I thought it was going to be...rode great...comfortable seats...and very quiet...the car felt bigger than it actually was...color me impressed...the Prius on the other hand...my wife said no need to drive it cause she would not be caught dead in it...and as she will drive it the most I can't argue much...

All in all...sold...will probably pick one up in the next month or so...how much were you guys able to get them down off the $22,700.00 sticker price...

 

I was able to get them down exactly $0.00 off the sticker price. Paid exactly MSRP + tax and fees. Not a single dealer in my area would go below sticker since there was such demand. I went with a very nice sales guy who also happened to be able to get me my HCH the fastest. They were also one of the only dealers around with one to test drive, since they gave my salesman one when they came out. Every year, he gets a new HCH, though he has to keep it spotless and empty so it can be test-driven.

 

I got the guy down $700 off sticker but he said he wouldn't come a penny lower...just wondering if anyone had success haggling with them on a hybrid...and if I could use dealer against dealer...probably going to be a month or two anyhow...wife says she would rather have the 07 instead of an 06 at the end of the model year...the dealer said if they had an 06 left it would still sell for the same price no matter how many 07's were on the lot...kinda find that hard to believe...so we will see...

 

Tiggere, I stepped over from a '95 Jeep Wrangler that was sucking up the gas too. I must have spent a fortune commuting 60 miles each day. I had to fill up every 3 days. It was rediculous. I own the HCH2. I've put over 20k miles since last November and I am so happy with it. People that ride in my HCH2 say that it is much easier to get great gas mileage and it's not as "techie" as the Prius. I hated the body style of the Prius, so I was first in line for the HCH2. As you can see by my mileage, I get over 50 mpg. After being a member of this website, I have learned how to get the best mileage on the vehicle. My last tank was 53 mpg. I paid +$1500 over MSRP. HCH + Prius are hot commodities in SoCal -- carpool privilege.