Did Honda think ahead?

I took a peak at the local Honda dealer web sites...they all have 3-5 hybrid Civics in their accessible inventory. They have different MSRPs and colors, so I suspect they are real cars.

 

Our local Honda dealer has had a Civic hybrid in stock for months. They wanted me to make an offer on it way below sticker. The local Toyota has over a six month waiting list. Fortunately I was #3 on the list and got my Prius in November.

 

I've had more hondas than toyotas, but did not consider the honda because it never operated in purely EV mode. Didn't even look at it because of that reason. I wonder if anyone else had that in their mind?

Peace

 

Looked the Civic Hybrid over at the Detroit Auto show and it doesn't compare to a Prius. Interior room is about the same as an Echo but it lacks the headroom. Mileage is well below the Prius. However, the sticker price is about the same. I don't think they are moving many of them. I have always felt that the Honda system is too restricted, with no 'stealth' mode possible, and poor 0-60 times. They are bringing out a hybrid Accord soon but unless they change their system, it will be unimpressive.

 

That is PRECISELY the reason why the Honda got nixed on the comparison. IMO, what's the point of the secondary electric system if it cannot be used individually when conditions permit?

I REALLY like easing along in crawly traffic, parking lots, residential neighbourhoods, and small town main streets without the ICE running. :mrgreen:

One of the guys here doesn't like the look of the Prius, and asked me why I didn't buy the Honda. I took him for a ride. I then told him that the Honda system cannot work in the same manner that the Toyota system does, and that the Toyota system is far superior. This guy is a speed freak and has an Acura RSX. Even he was impressed with the stealth mode of the Toyota, and it's responsiveness for passing.

 

> what's the point of the secondary electric system if it cannot be used individually when conditions permit?

When the warm season finally begin and the public-at-large discovers what the ELECTRIC A/C has to offer, backorders for Prius will become much worse than they are now.

The ability to take advantage of electric-only when the opportunity occurs is something mild-hybrids will definitely envy.

 

I don't think so. Go configure one at carsdirect.com. They're selling for below invoice.

 

I have to agree electric only is key. The fact that it has no clutch, or torqe converter also will make it last much longer.

 

I own a 2003 Honda Civic Hybrid that my daughter has taken to California to school. I was going to get another for my commuter car but looked at the Prius in the comparison phase. What I see in the '04 Prius is head-and-shoulders above the Civic. I've place an order for a Seaside pearl AM.

Here are some observation based upon a year of driving the Civic:

1. MPG in the Civic for 20K miles I drove it before it went to CA averaged just about 50. That's better than I expected. Best tank MPG was a hair over 65 (level road at 50-55). I just had to try to see just how high it would go. For about a 10 mile streach it was over 72MPG.

2. The Civic drives just like a normally powered Civic. If you didn't know the difference, the car won't let on its different. In my opinion this is where Honda nailed the market for the Hybrid; the Prius classic is an example of design oddity being used to accentuate the underlying difference of the car.

3. When I bought the Civic, there was a waiting list. Mine was delivered in about 9 weeks. Today at the dealership there were 3 on the lot; but those were a different 3 than two weekends ago. Honda has overcome the short supply and now is offering discounts similarly to the rest of their lineup.

4. I actually like the instantaneous MPG readout on the Honda better then on the Prius. It is really straightforward and encourages the driver to beat the milage on the last tankful. I never had the fill-up problems described in some of the forums on these boards. Typically I could go between 500 and 600 miles on a tank. (Winter with snow tires on all 4 wheels dropped MPG somewhat; dipping to about 46)

Looking forward to delivery of a Prius in a few months.
Don

 

I agree with many things written earlier, but add "The back seat doesn't fold". Nor did it in the pre '04 Prius. For me, a deal buster. I rented both and '03 Prius and Civic and I got about 5% better milage in the Civic. Given that the '04 Prius is larger, has WAY more features (both cool and safety) and at the same price, I'd say Honda has some catching up to do.

 

i'd agree with the hatch and back seats folding, not to mention how the front seats slide-forward and lay-down-flush with the back. it's like a playground. I have thought that Honda chose the Insight to have appeal to people who are not afraid of something unusual and 'techy', and then did the civic because they thought uptake of hybrids would be slow and wanted a no-barrier, unnoticeably hybrid on the market for skittish consumers. I think there is a market for that, but it's much smaller than they might have expected. just guessing. it really hurts that the prius is a class size up and the same price. i would guess civic hybrid appeals to the skittish and honda loyalists.