2006 Honda Civic Hybrid Road Test

What a year it's been for motorists! I can't say that the astronomically high fuel prices, which went up to $1.40 per litre in some parts of the country, are as difficult to live with as those long lineups at filling stations during the fuel shortage of the mid-'70s, but they sure are changing the way most of us drive. I, for one, am a little lighter on the throttle than I used to be, enjoy thrifty gas misers more than gluttonous premium vehicles, at least over long periods of time, and if I'm stuck with a gas guzzler, tend to fill up with a lower grade of gas than I would have before the $1+ per litre era.

I've heard similar stories from friends and colleagues, many of which are thinking about going smaller for their next vehicle, or leaning toward diesel or hybrid technology. Personally, I'm a big fan of both. Diesel is a less complicated way to solve one aspect of the current fuel crisis, increasing range from a tank of fuel and therefore reducing consumption. Diesels also lower greenhouse gas emissions over traditional gasoline engines, partially due to using less fuel, but some emissions, such as nitrogen oxides and particulates, are often increased. There's also the problem of 2007 emission regulations, and the fact that there isn't a single diesel sold anywhere in the world that currently meets them.

While automakers such as Volkswagen, which sells forty percent of its Canadian customers TDI diesel engines, and Mercedes-Benz, which has long offered diesel power to an extremely loyal clientele, will no doubt find ways to meet the 2007 regulations, a small number of rival manufacturers aren't worried one iota about such problems. Rather, Toyota, Honda, Ford, and to some extent GM, are raking in market share, if not profits, with hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs). With noticeable benefits in fuel economy where it matters most, in the city, and very often advantages in acceleration, hybrids are not only becoming the darlings of the environmental movement, but also answering consumers need for a more economical transportation alternative.

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