• HOME
• 
• AUTO LISTINGS
• 
• FINANCE
• 
• NEWS
• 
• DIRECTORY
• 
• REVIEWS
• 
• FORUM
• 
• BLOG
• 

2006 Honda Civic Hybrid Road Test

Hooray for the Hybrid

What comes to mind when the words Honda and hybrid are put together? For me, I used to think of the Insight, that quirky looking two-door with the semi-covered rear wheels that was introduced to the American market at the turn of the century. But now when I put the two words together, two additional things come to mind: the Accord and Civic. Since 2000, Honda has integrated its most popular selling vehicles into its hybrid lineup, not only creating greener and more fuel-efficient cars but also making them available to, and affordable for the masses.

This years all-new Civic Hybrid features freshly

New Civic looks as futuristic as its Hybrid drivetrain is. (Photo: Alexandra Straub, American Auto Press)

modern styling coupled with a spirited 1.3L, 8-valve, i-VTEC, 4-cylinder gasoline engine with Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) producing 110 horsepower (17 more horsepower than the previous generation) and 123 lb-ft of torque.

Furthermore the new Civic Hybrid has grown larger, following the growth spurt of its four-door

Its longer and wider than the outgoing Civic Hybrid. (Photo: Alexandra Straub, American Auto Press)

gasoline-only counterpart, making for added comfort via greater interior room.  Its outward dimensions have increased by 1.4 inches lengthwise to 176.8 inches, 1.5 inches in width to 69.0 inches, and the biggest increase of all, its wheelbase expanding by 3.2 inches to 106.3 inches.

The larger exterior has enabled Honda to incorporate an advanced compatibility engineering (ACE) body structure

Most importantly, its extremely efficient. (Photo: Alexandra Straub, American Auto Press)

to the sedan, which spreads out the crash energy when impacted from different sized vehicles. The body is also secured with side impact beams for all four doors, as well as side curtain airbags and dual-stage, dual threshold front airbags (SRS), power-assisted front ventilated discs and rear drum brakes with ABS, plus daytime running lights (DRL) to make it even safer.

Ill start off by saying that this is one amazingly fuel-efficient car. I drove almost 200 miles via a combination

Its all about Hondas IMA system. (Photo: Alexandra Straub, American Auto Press)

of mostly city and highway routes, and had over half a tank of gas left at the end of the week. I had to force an extra dollars worth of fuel into the car to get my additional air mile points at the gas station, and only paid $13 total. I couldnt believe my eyes. My two friends with me at the pump told me to stop talking about how little I paid at the pump since they were getting tired of hearing about it. It literally made my week. Government tests show that this hybrid consumes and estimated 49 mpg in the city and 51 on the highway. Wow! I know that the EPA are never

Hardly easy to explain, the Hybrids drivetrain is certainly easy to live with. (Photo: Alexandra Straub, American Auto Press)

correct when compared to real world driving, but firsthand experience tells me that this is one thrifty vehicle no matter whether the official numbers are 100 percent accurate.

So how does the Civic Hybrid manage to get such amazing fuel economy? Without getting too technical, its the collaborative effort of the lightweight and low-friction gasoline engine, coupled with a powerful DC electric motor, which incidentally takes up less than 2.5 inches of space under the hood, along with an efficient continuously variable transmission (CVT).
Additionally, "at steady speeds below 40 mph, on level

Everything needed is displayed on the Civics multi-tiered instrument cluster. (Photo: Alexandra Straub, American Auto Press)

roads and under light throttle, fuel injection can cease and the car can be propelled solely by the IMA systems electric motor," says Honda. "At higher cruising speeds, the gasoline engine provides the power. This is due to the new generation of regenerative-braking technology, the 2006 Civic Hybrids IMA system can tap into the kinetic energy of the car more efficiently than ever. The systems motor turns itself into a generator during braking, helping to slow the car while it builds up the energy stored in the batteries." I couldnt have said it better myself, honestly. Interesting is that with the new Civic Hybrid, Honda has left behind its old engine-assist only mild-hybrid system for a full-hybrid one,

Plenty of torque makes for fairly quick acceleration. (Photo: Alexandra Straub, American Auto Press)

more like that in Toyotas Prius.

Like the old Civic Hybrid, the idle-stop feature temporarily shuts off the gasoline engine to save fuel and minimize emissions. Displayed on the all-new, multi-tiered instrument panel is a green "auto-stop" light that flashes to indicate when this function is operating. This feature comes into play when decelerating, and stops playing immediately after the brake pedal has been lifted. When in the idle mode it feels as though the engine isnt even on (which technically it isnt), and therefore it produces no noise or vibration. Its very soothing. When the brake pedal is lifted and the engine comes back to life, however, the transition isnt entirely smooth. Its hardly bothersome, but its noticeable.

Since the engine is shut off in idle-stop

Still pricy, but a better value than the old Civic Hybrid. (Photo: Alexandra Straub, American Auto Press)

mode, there are fewer emissions coming from the already cleaner than normal car. This enables the Civic Hybrid to achieve the status of Advanced Technology Partial Zero-Emissions Vehicle (AT-PZEV)... talk about going green. But going green doesnt come without some expense. While this high-energy Hybrid still produces generous engine output at 110 horsepower and 123 lb-ft of torque, as mentioned above, when comparing these specs to the previous gasoline-only Civic the Hybrid trails by 5 horses, but has 13 additional lb-ft or torque. Thats pretty impressive. Of course, when compared to the current base Civic, which offers a maximum of 140 horsepower and 128 lb-ft of torque... not much of an advantage in torque, but a significant jump in horsepower. Like I said, going green does require a price.

Yes, and on that note the Civic Hybrids sticker might not be so pleasurable

Lots of standard features makes the higher price more palatable. (Photo: Alexandra Straub, American Auto Press)

either, at least on first impressions. Coming in at $22,150 the newest greeny is not what I would call cheap, but it is the most affordable Hybrid available in the U.S. and about the same price as the less impressive one it replaces. OK, thats impressive! Its Insight sibling, which has already been discontinued but is possibly still available, starts a bit cheaper at $19,330, and the Accord Hybrid is priciest at almost $31K. The new Civic Hybrids savings, however, are literally at the pump, not to mention saving the environment from harmful emissions.

Page:  1

AUTOMOBILE REVIEWS BY MAKE

Acura  Audi   Bentley   BMW   Buick   Cadillac   Chevrolet   Chrysler   Daewoo   Dodge   Eagle   Ferrari   Ford   Geo   GMC   Honda   Hummer   Hyundai   Infiniti   Isuzu   Jaguar   Jeep   Kia   Lamborghini   Lexus   Lincoln   Lotus   Maserati   Mazda   Mercedes-Benz   Mercury   MINI   Mitsubishi   Nissan   Oldsmobile   Plymouth   Pontiac   Porsche   Saab   Saturn   Scion   Subaru   Suzuki   Toyota   Volkswagen   Volvo