Prius vs. '06 Civic Hybrid

I was in the same quandry myself. I just bought a 2006 Prius a few weeks ago (and I didn't have to wait at all- there was a car with the options I wanted on the lot.) I did give a lot of consideration to the Civic hybrid (those were the only two cars in contention.) All the pros and cons have been mentioned already so I won't repeat. I do think Honda did a fantastic job redesigning the Civic. Some like and some hate the interior- I happen to like it, especially in the blue which is available only with the hybrid. And I did trade a Honda, so that was a reason to consider a new one. The factor that almost tipped my decision toward the HCH was the Civic's tighter handling.
However, in the end I went with the Prius for two reasons. I often carry around guitars, boat gear, etc., and the hatchback is a big plus (if even the HCH had fold-down rear seats, that would have been a plus.) Second, I like the design of the Prius and that it looks like nothing else on the road. But it i fortunate that there are other choices for people who want the benefits of a hybrid without drawing attention.
Anyway, one thing I do know is that I would be unlikely to buy a vehicle ever again that is not made by either Toyota or Honda!

Michael
2006 Prius (Barcelona Red)

 

My .02. Since you already have the Prius, use it for your hauling, rear seat folded stuff. Get the HCH and let it be sporty. I drove a stick shift Insight and '05 HCH and both were much more fun to drive than I expected. While it is much less in your face different than the Prius, you might like having an alternative sometimes.

 

If you can live with the rear seats not folding down, if I were you, I'd probably get the Civic. You already have a Prius in the family.... time to diversify.

And the fact that you had to come here and ask us for opinions, DISPITE having already having a Prius in the same households tells me a lot! And it should tell you a lot in itself. Go for the Civic.

You know the Civic gets bashed for having the hybrid technology adding on as an after-thought, but given that the overall MPG for the Civic is about the same as the Prius demonstrates that the Civic's "not so cool" hybrid technology isn't so bad afterall.

One flaw I see thus far in the Civics is it's transmission. Goto the greenhybrid forums and you'll see mention of transmission failure due to the fact they're using belts. Toyota's tranmission will probably outlast the Civic. So if you're planning on keeping the car for a long time, you may want to tact that on to the non-rear folding seats.

I'm researching both cars... and I have yet to make a choice.

 

Are they really about the same price?

Do you know what the tax formula/credit is for the Civic?

I know the Prius is about a $3,150.00 tax credit. I don't know what the Civic is.

Maybe this is covered in this thread but I didn't see it while glancing over it.

Maybe the difference in the two credits is nominal and may not matter to you.
Just something for you to consider as well if you haven't already.

Aaron

 

From my research, the Prius has the best credit which is over $3000. I think the Civic's is around $2000. Really, if you compare a Package 1-3 to the Civic with Nav, you're really paying around the same price. Less if you're comparing it to a Package 1 prius.

The prius is a bigger car too...

 

Hi TNPrius. I don't think I can add much to the discussion. I'm into my second month with my new 2006, and I'm really lovin' it. Of course, since you already have a Prius I guess you don't need any "the Prius is great" pep talk!

I think the 2006 dash material will be fine over time. I've gotten a couple of "foot swipes" on the glove box area from people that crossed their legs, but it wiped right off.

But what I'm really writing about is to greet a fellow Knoxvillian. I moved to Southern California from Knoxville over 20 years ago, but I still consider Knoxville home. I bought my first new car, a 1978 Celica, from Sam Monday Toyota on Clinton highway. Is that dealership still around? That was the first of four Toyotas I've had. If the Prius lasts as long as the Celica and my Land Cruiser then the next car I'll be shopping for will be the 2021 Prius descendent!

fd

 

The IntelliChoice 2006 Best Values of 2006:
http://www.intellichoice.com/best_values/bovy

Best Overall Car Under $23,000 : Toyota Prius

Best of Compact Class: Honda Civic Hybrid w/Navigation (Auto)

One is the best overall.
The other is best of the compact class.

Both are intelligent choices.

 

You do know that you can get the Bluetooth WITHOUT the Nav with the 2006 Prius correct?

It comes with the upgraded stereo.

Aaron

 

Wow, how gratifying it was to see the American Manufacturers make this list!!

 

You know what's interesting about the intellichoice site, they predict the Prius 5 year cost to be around $19k, but the Civic hybrid cost to be around $24k. I wonder how do they come up with their figures...

 

To be fair and balanced, I'd say that an area in which the Civic excels is ergonomics. Seat comfort, easy to use climate controls without taking one's eyes off the road, and less blind spots are all places where the HCH2 excels. I also give them kudos for their dash layout. It bothers me that the Prius forces one to take eyes off the road so frequently for common tasks like adjusting the heater or checking mileage. The HCH2 is much better in this regard.

If one often uses the MFD to train for better fuel economy, then one frequently is not looking at the road. I am now a bit more cautious around Prius drivers for this reason. IMHO, mpg info belongs in the front display, right next to the MPH. (Sure would be nice to have engine temp there too.) It's somewhat ironic that Toyota went to great lengths to build in cell phone options, but then put so much distracting technology to the right of the driver's vision path.

 

I dragged my wife to the Honda dealership a couple of days ago to check out the '06 HCH. A hybrid was not on the lot, but we sat in an '06 Civic for a good 10 - 15 minutes. We have two bases of comparison: Our Prius, and my previous 1994 Honda Civic Dx (which I think is the best car overall I have ever owned).

First impression was that the interior space, although not cramped, feels a lot less than the Prius. Both of us are small sized adults, but we have obviously gotten used to the Prius' spaciousness.

I was annoyed by the interior design. The bits of tinsel on the knobs is garishly adolescent. The ergonomics seem fine; the look, though, was cheap in my book. I also thought the plastics looked cheap.

I like the exterior styling, but I refuse to actually buy a car that is not a hatchback.

I miss not having a small car with a non-mini-van driving experience, but the '06 HCH is not it. Looking forward to the Yaris and Jazz. A hybrid of Yaris or Jazz would be wonderful.

 

you adjust to that. after 11 months of driving, i can flip to the climate screen, turn on the fan, turn off auto a/c and sometimes adjust temp up or down, all without looking at the screen. sometimes i have to look where i'm touching to get the temp adjuster. but i usually don't change that.

eventually your fingers learn to do the walking for you