We leased our Civic Hybrid in the fall of 2003. So, we've had a few years to base this review on. However, please note that we did just trade it in for an Accord Hybrid. The other vehicle is a Nissan Pathfinder Armada. I feel it is important you know this so you understand where my preferences lie. You may be different, but here goes!
Dealership: Honda dealerships are notoriously easy to work with. I was suprised at how easy Tracy Honda in Tracy California was to work with. The entire purchase process took an hour and half. 2% over invoice, lease, online blue book value for trade in, and we're out the door.
Why the Civic Hybrid: Here's where it's important to understand what the other car is. I wanted a SUV. I wanted a BIG SUV, my husband didn't. Until the set of cars previous to the civic, he had always had a civic. The hybrids were new. He's gas concious. So, the deal was, he got the Civic Hybrid, and I got the Armada. We're both happy, right? We didn't shop around, we didn't compare, we didn't haggle, we didn't test drive, nothing. We did all that on the Armada and were tired of car sales-sharks. When it came to the civic, my husband wanted it, was familiar with it, and that's that. I didn't care, it wasn't going to be my car. Boy was I wrong.
Overall Impressions: If you like Civics, or their equivelants, you are going to be very happy in this car. You don't give up much for getting great gas mileage. In fact, all you give up is a little itty bit of trunk space as the batteries are located between the back seat and the trunk. The trunk still fits two sets of golf clubs, or 5 suitcases, or LOTS of groceries. We never had a problem with trunk space. Otherwise, this car is like any other Civic on the road.
My problem with Civvy (that's her name) comes from the fact that my main car was the Armada. Go take a look, you'll see why maybe I wasn't excited about long driving trips in the Civic. I always felt cramped in the civic, it didn't have all the bells and whistles, automatic headlights, sirius radio, 11 cup holders, etc. Believe me, if I had never driven a large SUV, I would have loved the Civic as much as my husband did. That doesn't mean that the Civic wasn't good, it just wasn't "my" car of choice. Except of course when I wanted great gas mileage.
Gas Mileage: Okay, so gas prices, depending on where you live are between $2.50 and $3.50 now. So, you're looking for something with good mileage. Go hybrid. People say that the cost differential for the technology doesn't pay. I'm here to say yes it does. First of all, you can haggle. As long as the dealership is making a profit, they aren't going to turn you away. Secondly, there are plenty of Honda Dealerships, don't like one, go to the next. And finally, instead of buying one of the 05's, look for one coming off a lease. In fact, look at the glacier white one, just traded in at Tracy Honda. A two year old at $16,000 (allowing for mark up) with only 20,000 miles on it? I'd buy it if price was a concern.
The 04's were rated to get about 47 mpg hwy. Combined City/Hwy and in California, Highway that is stop and go, we averaged 54 miles to the gallon. An eight hour drive to Las Vegas requires only one fill up and that's because you didn't want to roll into town on empty. Technically, you could do it on one tank.
Becasue the Civic was our "second car" it generally was filled up only once a month. Compare that to the "main" car (which only gets 14mpg) which was filled up 6 or 7 times a month. Evan as the main car, it probably would have only been filled up about three times a month.
Driving: Okay, it's a hybrid. You'll hear everyone say how you have to get "used to it." Well, with the hybrid, it's just like any car. In the first few thousand miles you learn about the quirks of the car, when it accelerates best, how fast is too fast on turns, etc. The hybrid isn't much different. However, there are a few special considerations. But believe me, once you put a few HUNDRED miles on the car, you won't even notice them anymore, except for the noise, or lack thereof.
First of all, there is the "auto stop" feature. When you come to a stop, this car will turn off it's gas engine. It also turns off the AC. At this point, this car is as quite as sitting in your driveway without the key in the ignition. That's probably the freakiest thing about this car. And the hardest to get used to. There is a little "econ" button that you can turn off. This will keep the AC going when stopped, but also doesn't let the car go into auto stop mode if you have AC running. My husband drove with the windows down. I hit the little econ button and kept my windows up thank you. He got better gas mileage.
Secondly is the hiccup. Yes, you heard that right, the hiccup. When you are in auto stop, and step on the gas, immediately the electric engine gets you going. However, if you're creeping along the highway at 5 miles per hour as is so frequent in the bay area, you find yourself right at that point where the gas engine would come on, and now you're stopping again. This creates "hiccups" where the gas engine comes on, shuts off. In bumper to bumper, there isn't a darned thing you can do about it. However, sometimes you'll get the "hiccup" as you're proceeding through an intersection from a stop. Just means you need to accellerate a bit better, and hiccup gone. You'll find that you adjust your driving habits. My husband hardly experieces hiccups. I only get them the first 10 minutes or so of driving, and then you adjust to the car you're in. This is true of any car.
Dashboard: The coolest feature about this car is the dash board. It's hard to describe, but it's all blue LCD ish, and really cool. Then add to the fact that it actually TELLS you when the IMA (Integrated Motor Assist... electric motor) is running, charging, etc. As a passenger, forget the roadside scenery, look at the dash. As a driver, start tuning it out, or it can be distracting but fun to look at.
Maintenance: In the two years we've had it, all we've paid for is 8 oil changes at 23 bucks each. That's it. Nothing else. Nothing has gone wrong, nothing broke, nothing acted "funny". I know the shop guys by name for the Armada. No so the civic. 20,000 miles, and not a single glitch. However, you should take this car to the dealer for service. Not everyone is familiar with the Hybrids.
Overall, this car is perfect. It's just like any other civic on the road but get's better mileage and is cheaper to fuel. If you're in the market for a nice compact car with great fuel economy, this is the car for you. Unfortunately, I wanted something bigger... so we traded it in, on the Accord Hybrid. Also something worth considering.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 19852
Condition: New Model Year: 2004 Model and Options: Hybrid
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