Honda Civic Named Top Car for 2006

4. I test drove both the 06 HCH and an older 04 Prius II(friend's, dealer had NO Prius to test drive). 06 HCH, IMHO, is more aesthetically apealing, inside and out. Comfort and road noise on the 06 HCH is acceptable, on par with the Prius. Electronics....advantage Prius. The 06 HCH's NAV seems like an aftermarket add on, the Prius looks much more integrated. Function wise, the NAV is just as good or better than Toyota/Lexus, however, there were NO statistical read-outs on the MFD. The 06 HCH only has the instantanous MPG and the "avg MPG" display. The thing I could not get over was the premium over a WELL EQUIPPED 06 Civic EX. The 06 Civic EX is rated EPA 30/40, while the 06 HCH is rated 50/50. OTOH, the Prius has NO non-hybrid model equivalent.....Echo, No, Corolla, No. I think this is one of the reasons why people(myself included) are willing to pay the extra premium for the Prius.

With all that said, I put down a depost on a 06 Black Prius, Package 7. I'm 2nd on the list, with an aticipated delivery date sometime in January.