Prius vs. Civic

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Prianista @ Dec 8 2006, 10:25 PM) [snapback]359616[/snapback]</div>

Civic can not run on just electric and is only a mild hybrid. And it's not Toyota

The Prius Wins

 

And the writer of the article should have come to PriusChat first, so he would know that you CAN turn off the annoying backup beeper.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(stomsf @ Dec 8 2006, 11:54 PM) [snapback]359619[/snapback]</div>

He does point out that the Prius is the choice for a family car because of the hatchback and fold down rear seats, though. For some reason, I thought the Civic was much lighter, but he says they're only 60 lbs apart.

 

We test drove both today, and found the Civic to be quieter, more stable on the road, and handled better. It also got better mileage than the Prius over the same route. The noise in the Prius has totally turned us off the car. We're going to have to choose between the Camry hybrid or the Civic hybrid when we get ready. Both are much better cars!

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Per @ Dec 9 2006, 01:54 AM) [snapback]359645[/snapback]</div>

What noises were you hearing? If it was the back up beeping, like the previous poster said, you can turn that off.

Personally, I didn't like the way the Civic drove at all (even though neither compare to my old MB C320). I particularly didn't like how noticeable it was at lights when the engine would cut off and start again. I felt the Prius was much smoother when it disengaged the gas engine.

Oh and most of all... I HATED the seats in the Civic. I got out of that car after the test drive with a horrible backache. The seat has tons of padding at the base of the back and nearly none at the top, so I was sitting in an awkward position the whole time. I also couldn’t get over the weird configuration of the brake pedal and the gas pedal. It seemed as though the brake pedal was affixed at 90°. To each their own, though.

I would say that if you are considering the Camry vs. the Civic to go with the Camry. You might as well get the car with more luxurious accoutrements.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Per @ Dec 9 2006, 01:54 AM) [snapback]359645[/snapback]</div>

Much better? Different strokes for different folks, I guess. The Civic Hybrid I drove felt a bit more nimble than the Prius, the lack of a fold-down rear seat and trunk room really compromise the utility of it for me. MPG also seems to be a win for the Prius.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Per @ Dec 9 2006, 01:54 AM) [snapback]359645[/snapback]</div>

Huh. I also test drove both before I bought and felt the Civic was much noisier than the Prius.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(AsleepforNow @ Dec 9 2006, 05:21 AM) [snapback]359661[/snapback]</div>

I could put up with the dumb back-up beeper, but there was a drone up front that sounded like there was no sound insulation up front at all--mostly road noise coming through. I was sitting in the bac while the salesman drove it over to their second lot to scout for more samples--they hada about 10 Priuses altogether. There was a lot of noise coming from the rear of the car while in the back seat. Believe me, I have been trying to like the Prius--I like the exterior styling and the hatchback concept, but even the Toyota Matrix drives a lot better, and I would prefer it over the Prius if I wanted versatility of cargo. For the $10,000 price difference, it would keep me in gas a long time! I also don't like the dash of the Prius, and the concept that the driver is too stupid to do anything but step on the accelerator or brake and fuel it up.

 

The noise from the rear could just be an artifact of a wagon or hatchback. I noticed it on my Matrix also. On a sedan, the noise from the rear wheel wells would get trapped in the trunk. Without the division between cargo and cabin area those sounds become more noticable. The open area might even ampilify them.

 

Huh? Where does he get this from?

 

The Civic hybrid does have a folding rear seat. I have folded it down in one car. Not much of a pass-through, though.

 

I own an '07 Prius and an '06 Civic Coupe with a 5-speed manual. Obviously some characteristics won't translate, but, I think I can comment on a couple of things.

I find there's more road noise in the Civic than the Prius. It's possible that the Civic Sedan Hybrid has more sound deadening, but, the reports I see online do not bear that out. Everybody complains about road noise in the new Civics. I think it has something to do with the rock hard all-season tires they come with [a trait they share with the Prius, by the way].

The seat comfort is superior in the Honda, although the slightly-too-low lumbar support can be aggravating, especially if you're a sit-up-straight kind of driver.

The handling in general is better, but, I'm not particularly fond of the Civic's steering feel. It seems to have a weird combination of kind-of-heavy-feeling so you can "feel" the road, without actually getting that feel. In other words, give me one-finger numb steering [the Prius], or, give me heavier steering so I can know exactly where the tires are in a corner. What's the point of heavy, numb steering?

I like the looks of the dash layout on the Civic, but, it doesn't really work for me. I shuffle steer. My hands are never higher than 9 and 3 on the wheel, and I feed the wheel from one hand to the other from the bottom of the rim [try it some time, you'll never have crossed up hands in a corner again]. Consequently, I place my wheel kind of high to get it out of my lap. Problem is, I can't see the speedo readout with it in that position. Definitely not a good feature when The Man is about!

 

I just traded an 01 Civic for an 07 Prius. Before deciding, I test-drove the Prius, the Civic Hybrid, and the Civic EX.

The Civic Hybrid is smoother (the upside of not trying to run electric-only) and handles better. I prefer its interior and greatly prefer the Civic seats, which are very supportive. The Prius is a bit quicker and according to most of what I read, gets slightly better mileage. Plus the Prius has more colors and a lot more options (which, in turn, drive up the price).

For me, the decision came down to the rear seat - the Prius is a hatchback with folding rear seats, the Civic Hybrid has a small trunk with a fixed rear seat. I don't need the extra carrying capacity very often, but when I do, I NEED it. I considered the Civic EX (which does have a fold-down rear seat) as a cheaper alternative, but decided I wanted a hybrid and I'd just blow the extra money on something else anyway.

I'm convinced any of the three would have been a good choice, but after the first week, I'm very happy with the Prius.

I'm very happy with PriusChat too - I'm finding answers to questions I didn't even know to ask!

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Per @ Dec 9 2006, 05:29 PM) [snapback]359874[/snapback]</div>

The Civic hybrid definitely does NOT have a folding rear seat because they've placed the battery behind the seat. This was one of the main reasons I opted for the Prius instead.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(dancekat59 @ Dec 13 2006, 01:03 PM) [snapback]361636[/snapback]</div>

Thanks. I was starting to think maybe they had changed that, or the dealer was wrong when we looked at an '05 HCH before getting our Prius.