Prius or Civic?

Personally, i like the distinctive look of the prius better. I briefly took a look at the civic, but that was only cause the dealership was just up the street. My sister has a non-hybrid civic, and the few times i've driven it i wasn't impressed at all.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Ravenlocks @ Apr 20 2006, 10:57 AM) [snapback]242619[/snapback]</div>

I considered the two. I like the look of the Civic, it is a very attractive vehicle, but not as unique as the Prius. I also found the Civic dificult to get in and out of, even tho I am not particularly tall. And I did not like it's small back seat area.

Because I had to evacuate with 3 dogs and 2 cats (in crates) for Hurricane Katrina, I needed a more practical vehicle than the Civic. Mainly, I needed one that had great cargo area when the rear seats fold down. The Prius fit my needs much, much better than the Civic. And I read that it is true hybrid, while the Civic is something less than a true hybrid.

Gary
2006 Prius
Super White
Runs on Bulldog gas too

 

My two cars previous to my Prius were a 1988 Honda Civic and a 1994 Honda Civic, so when I finally decided to buy a new car, I immediately thought of the HCH and the Insight (I've wanted a hybrid ever since the Insight first came out, but couldn't justify getting rid of my perfectly good Civic).

I ended up with a Prius for the following reasons:

- I liked the display better and the location of the controls
- I LOVE the hatchback (I've missed having one ever since I got rid of my 1983 Rabbit)
- VSC in the Prius
- Prius gets slightly better gas mileage in city driving
- Prius was identifiable as Prius from a distance (unique look)
- Sitting position is higher in the Prius (for once, I don't need a pillow!)
- '06 Civic color choices, in my opinion, suck. LOL

 

All the reasons why I chose the Prius over the Civic have been listed above. But I was very loyal to the Civic -- had new ones in 1994, 1998, and 2001. When I bought a car last January, I was looking at the Corolla and the Civic. They were both about the same price, and the Corolla had daytime running lights and a 6-disc changer. I let my head rule, and I got the Corolla. But my heart really wanted the civic, and I was never really happy with the Corolla (Granny car).

I got my Prius this January (20th), and I love it. I like the message it sends as I drive it around, i.e. I care about the environment, gas savings, and cool technology. The Prius says all this and more, in a way the civic could not possibly say.

Peace --

 

After doing my research on both cars I was split between the two. Then came the test drive, which quickly changed that. I liked the looks of the Civic more than the Prius, but I went with the Prius based on better MPG, more options, and better acceleration. Other issues in my decision making were back seat leg room seemed better in the Prius and no fold down rear seats in Civic.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(BayouBulldog @ Apr 20 2006, 11:18 AM) [snapback]242628[/snapback]</div>

The "true" hybrid thing is mostly a marketing issue, created by Ford, by what I can tell. They wanted to distinguish their system, which is similar to the Prius, so they came up with the term "full hybrid", meaning it can drive in EV mode. Then there's the Honda system, which uses batteries to improve the gas mileage, but can't run in EV mode, although I think they're changing that part of it. Then there's the GM system which just has a beefier starter so it can kill the engine when stopped, but otherwise doesn't assist. (Not sure what the Saturn Vue uses). The bottom line is what is the performance and the real-world mileage. Honda's Insight beats the Prius in mileage, but at some considerable expense in performance/practicality. The Civic hybrid gets mid-40's mpg, compared to an average of close to 50 for the Prius. Not a huge difference at the pump, but I do think you get more with the Prius, for not much difference in price. It's probably easier to buy a HCH however.

nerfer

 

It all depends on your needs and what you're looking for in a car. The Prius met all my needs/wants and then some. Here are some links to former Prius vs. Honda Civic Hybrid debates:

Prius vs. '06 Civic Hybrid

Went for the Civic Hybrid Instead

Last Post - I'm going Civic (not Hybrid Civic)

 

I didn't like the fact that the largest thing in your sight line on the Civic was a tachometer, which i feel is relatively useless.

I also wanted a car that stood out. For some people that is a negative, for me it was a positive.

However, the deciding factor for me was the stability control.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Ravenlocks @ Apr 20 2006, 08:57 AM) [snapback]242619[/snapback]</div>

I have had three Civics. They are nice cars, they do well. When I was looking for a car, I started with Honda, because I have had several. The one problem with a Honda Civic is that it is small. Even the Accord is smaller than the Prius. But none of the dealers I went to had a Honda Civic Hybrid (or for that matter, an Accord Hybrid) that I could test drive. No test drive...no sale. And I was looking to buy a hybrid.

The Prius is a taller vehicle than either the Accord or the Civic. Yes, you do sit higher, and in many instances, that is a major plus factor.

 

I test drove both. I liked the Honda Civic ride, handling, gauges, and controls better than the Prius.

I chose the Prius because:

1 I needed a hatchback or a stationwagon. Civic battery location made the car next to useless for carrying cargo.
2 I could not see the point of having a hybrid that shut off the engine at traffic lights if I had to idle like a regular gas guzzler when the AC was on.
3 Prius felt overall roomier.
4 I didn't think a mechanical band drive would be as reliable or smooth as the electric synnergy drive.
5 Prius felt more responsive (probably due to 4)
6 Prius battery pack design seemed superior.
7 Prius had the keyless entry.
8 Prius seemed better in mpg (though now looks like Civic is more of a match on the highway with the 2006 version.)

 

I did consider a HCH but the very fact that you cannot fold down the back seats was a NO GO for me.

 

Before considering a Prius at all, I had considered numerous small sedans and the Civic was one of them (non-hybrid). I considered others as well. My main goal was to get something that did better than 16mpg (that's all my jeep got).

When I discovered the Prius, I was intrigued. After a test drive, I was sold. I got both great mileage and still had cargo space.

 

I test drove both and just found the civic hybrid to be too small, and low to the ground. The prius is just a much better engineered car in my opinion. I took my uncle (5'6") with me when I was test driving cars and the leg room in the back of the civic was almost nonexistent for him when he was sitting behind the salesman, who was only about 5'9". The civic has a much sportier feel and tighter handling than the prius but I often carry passengers and needed the extra room (plus I liked all the features the prius has that the HCH doesn't). The thing that sums it up for me is after the day was done and the test driving was over my uncle (keep in mind he is 72 years old so not exactly a technological buff) says "There is just no comparison between the two cars."

Mike

 

My wife and I looked at both the Honda Civic Hybrid and Toyota Prius for her. In the end we chose the Toyota Prius. We came to the following conclusions about the two cars;

Honda Civic Hybrid - PROs -nice dash board and controls, nice interior, comfortable ride, lower price.
CONs - no hatchback, terrible colors, poor salesmanship(they new little about their own cars)

Toyota Prius - PROs - nice ride, good colors, great headroom, knowlegeable salesman, great features,
it looks like a hybrid should(according to my wife)
CONs- Price, attempted to get me to pay a mark up(no way Jose), no mud or bumper guards,

 

I looked at the civic and liked it but choose the prius. One reason was that I liked the hatchback.Also I think the all electric mode is neat. The civic will shut down at stops, but the engine starts when you let your foot off the break. I realize it still may not use much gas by doing this, but I like the prius' stealth mode. Either is a very good choice.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(nerfer @ Apr 20 2006, 11:59 AM) [snapback]242653[/snapback]</div>

That's a very common misconception.

In reality, the term of "full" hybrid has existed from the beginning, back when the rollout of hybrids here first began in 2000... long before any of the domestic automakers cared. It was how we identified the different hybrid technologies. Owners used "assist" for the IMA system, exactly as Honda wanted it to be used. The term "full" was to indicate completeness, having even more than stealth. It's the ability to both create and consume electricity that really gives the "full" hybrid an advantage.

The "assist" design is at the mercy of the battery-pack, which has limited opportunities to be recharged as well as when and how much the motor can be used for power to the wheels. The "full" design doesn't even need the battery-pack for electric drive. A motor for creating electricity is very active and the second motor is always available to provide power. Both motors can vary the RPM at which they operate too, independent of the engine. The "assist" only has one motor that must always rotate at the same RPM as the engine. In other words, the "full" is a far more flexible design.

So no matter what the impression is about Honda changing, they can never come close to what a "full" already does. The physical components inside simple cannot operate the same way, they are simply way too different. It is most definitely not a "marketing issue".

 

Back in 2004, we actually had the luck to test drive a HCH and then a Prius. After both we decided on the Prius.

Reasons:

I barely fit in the HCH front seat and was very cramped in the back seat. Much less cramped in the Prius.

Horrible mileage shown on the HCH (I think it was around 28 for our highway trip).

Felt like very poor acceleration (wife was coming from a good sized V6).

HCH didn't have all of the cool technology features that the Prius had.

Toyota was first choice of vehicle, Honda was second.

 

In all fairness, only the new 2006 civic hybrid should be compared to the prius. This was the first year for an all electric mode I believe.