i agree that the honda civic feels cheap, i have had a lot of friends that have owned the regular civic and i've always felt that it had a cheap feel to it. my main reason for not considering the civic hybrid is that civics look boring, and there are so many on the road. its just kind of like that car that you always see but you never notice.
I had been looking at the Civic Hybrid when it first came out. I found a number of shortcomings. 1) The Civic Hybrid looks just like most other Civics. 2) Base price for the Honda was about the same as for the Prius. 3) Interior room was just too small compared to the Prius. 4) Too many analog displays. I had also looked at the Accord Hybrid. My previous car was an Accord EX. If I wanted the Hybrid version, it would have boosted my MPG another 4 MPG and cost an extra $6000. What was the point of that? The Prius blew both cars away!
My last car was an 04 Honda Civic Hybrid! I traded my VW Jetta Diesel in on the Honda which was a good deal since diesel fuel is now as high as premium and their value has fallen substantially. I traded my HCH w/ less than 2000 miles on the car because of all the reasons stated in this forum. The best mileage I could get was 36 mpg and that was driving like an old lady. I disliked the HCH more than any auto that I have ever owned! I honestly dont think there is another auto out there that can equal the Prius. I have an 05 and will probably trade for the 06 when it is available. Cheers
I looked at the HCH but it came in strange colors, seats didn't fold down and the stereo was awful. It really was no comparison to the Prius. Bob
My last two cars have been Honda Civics. When I looked at the last one, we talked about the Civic Hybrid at the time, but my husband wouldn't let me even consider it then. When it was time to get a new car, I really wanted to do more looking at the Hybrid. While I was visiting my dad, I did a bit of research in his Consumer Reports (which we don't get), and was very surprised at the differences I began reading about. Then I test drove a 04 Prius (an 05 wasn't available), as well as an 05 Civic... and as far as I was concerned, there was no comparison. As soon as I could, I got the Prius.
