Americans have fallen for hybrids, hard. The sad part of this love affair is that they are ignoring the European-style turbodiesels that would be much more effective in the short term at lowering their reliance on foreign oil. Due to absurd regulations adopted by California and the states that have copied its fantasyland emission laws, we are denied torque-rich yet economical cars, light trucks, and SUVs.
This isn't the fault of the Japanese, who have capitalised on the outmoded EPA rating system still in use here to market cars that are reputed to get phenomenal mileage. They are to be commended for pushing forward
any technology that promises to reduce emissions, and
may eventually morph into the hydrogen fuel cell-powered rides that will save us all.
Back to the Honda Civic Hybrid. While not as stylistically adventurous as the five-door you enjoy, it is still an intriguingly drawn vehicle that gets back to Honda's American image for technological leadership. Unlike Toyota's poster-boy Prius, it isn't a stand-alone design. Instead, it's adapted from the best-selling four door, albeit with different wheels and a bootlid spoiler. No harm there; it still appears very Buck Rogers (or should I say Dan Dare?) to middle-America. The interior doesn't generally disappoint, either, boasting rich materials, a high-contrast colour scheme, and loads of space for all occupants. Its dash is a toned-down version of the UK-market Civic's, and blends high style with useful features such as the pseudo-HUD speedo.
The only blemish (and it was a big one for this driver) was a very odd moulding on the side of the centre console that my shin always seemed to rub against.
The drive is typical eco-focused hybrid: numb electric steering that seems to preview the car's early wash into understeer. No B-road fun here. And the car is quite gutless; step-off from the lights is lethargic and overtaking a fraught affair, especially at Denver's mile-high altitude where I drove the car. That said, this Civic is quieter than its
immediate predecessor and the arch-rival Prius. It also has a commendably comfortable ride, abetted by the increased wheelbase shared with all new American-market models.
One of the big (unadvertised) downsides of hybrids is that some of their economic superiority is down to 'low rolling resistance' tyres, which can contribute up to 2mpg. Come cold temperatures and they turn the car into a bobsled, undermining braking ability and making the car quite treacherous in turns. The low temps also seem to affect the battery pack's efficiency. Mileage seems to plummet 5-10mpg once the thermometer goes below freezing. While this won't hamper the car much in America's Sunbelt, it is a severe handicap in northern climes and during the winter in the UK.
As far as real world mileage goes, no hybrid yet up for sale in the US gets close to its ratings. The EPA says that the Toyota Prius gets 60mpg city and 51mpg highway; the owners' own bulletin boards attest to an average of 44mpg (English equivalent 36mpg). In my possession for a week during warm weather last year, the Prius averaged 35mpg (29mpg UK) driven normally, 45mpg (38mpg UK) if I attempted to eke out every last erg from the batteries and acted as a rolling chicane in traffic.
The Honda Civic Hybrid, utilising a more basic powertrain architecture, seems to hew closer to the 49mpg city/51mpg highway EPA promise: real world I achieved 37mpg (31mpg UK), though I couldn't coax it over forty during a cold snap here in the Rocky Mountains, which brought its daily average mileage into the twenties on a regular basis.
Me, I'd take your new Civic turbodiesel, and enjoy decent torque and performance (especially when laden with passengers and baggage) and its cutting edge new looks.
