Honda Civic – Review: Auto enthusiasts oughta love hybrids. But many grind their teeth, and stick up their snouts, pshawing these compact commuters even though growing crowds and environmental concerns are making them increasingly valuable. The truth is, our commute is growing in actual miles and time spent wallowing behind a long line of cars -- thus the value of hybrids like the Civic, and other efficient cars.
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2006 Honda Civic Hybrid Review
The answer for mild-mannered environmentalists
What We Drove
Hybrids are part of the automotive universe now, and that’s a good thing. They specialize in doing what many cars do: commute in traffic bad enough to curl your toes. In fact, there should be more hybrids and clean-burning cars on the road, because as traffic worsens, hybrids are an excellent step in the right direction toward clean mobility. As one of the most popular cars on the planet, the Civic needs a Hybrid model -- and so we drove one. The 2006 version we drove (which carries over to the 2007 model year), had a sticker price of $23,195 -- including $595 destination. That's not cheap, but it’s loaded like an EX trim; the only add-on is a $1,650 navigation system.
Performance
Take "power" out of "powertrain" and you’ve got the Civic Hybrid’s performance. The electric motor provides a nice torquey take off, but then it bottoms out like a drunk at a wedding. Going up a hill, you start feeling bad for the car – it eventually gets there but complains loudly as it tries. But with patience the Civic Hybrid gets you to where you’re going, and unless there’s a hill, you may not even notice the lack of power. With all that braking regeneration hoo-ha attached, you’d think that braking would be funky. It’s a bit weird and mushy at times, but the pedal was prompt, if not very linear. It’s much better than the previous Civic Hybrid.
Handling
We’re not sure if it was the weight, the low rolling resistance tires or the lack of punch, but carving a canyon with this vehicle didn’t seem to be a good idea, even though its conventionally powered siblings seem to live for twisty roads. As is predictable, the Civic Hybrid understeers pretty quickly and shifts its weight considerably when pressed hard. What it does well is handle the daily grind, meaning that the steering has some nice tension to it, you get a fair amount of feedback from the brakes and the wheel, and driver input is promptly recognized.
Visibility
Lots of glass all around the cabin and well placed mirrors means great visibility. Indeed, the new Civic – not just the Hybrid version – is one of the best cars to drive in terms of outward vision from the car and avoiding other motorists.
Fun to Drive
In terms of the more standard automotive fun-to-drive categories, it’s a bit torquey, and the steering is nice, but the Civic Hybrid’s lackluster power and soft handling doesn’t encourage sporty driving. But the Civic Hybrid is still entertaining in its own way. It’s fun to know that you’re helping the environment. It’s also fun to know that, while driving this car, you aren’t part of the problem – you’re helping to solve it as best you can. It’s also fun to watch the bar graphs and try to maximize your fuel savings.
Front Comfort
Up to five passengers can find the 2006 Honda Civic Hybrid a comfortable vehicle in which to travel, but the front two have the choicest seats. The front bucket seats are supportive, with decent bolsters. A padded center armrest ratchets forward for optimum positioning, and a tilt and telescoping steering wheel ensures a proper fit for the driver. Cloth-covered door armrests and padded windowsills provide support for those long drives, and the ample leg room dimensions should prevent all but the tallest front passengers from feeling cramped.
– Thom Blackett
– Thom Blackett
Rear Comfort
Rear seat passengers are granted generous amounts of overall room, padded armrests on the doors, and their own supportive bench. However, riders out back are not treated to a center armrest or decent cupholders, just two expanded door pockets. Maybe it’s just me, but if you’re talking about a car that can achieve mileage in the 40s or 50s, chances are I’m gonna want a sip of something before our next fill-up, and I’d rather not hold a sweating McDonald’s cup between my legs.
– Thom Blackett
– Thom Blackett
Interior Noise
The Civic Hybrid is a very quiet runner, like most hybrids. Indeed, the most annoying noise is when the engine squeals under duress and when the hard tires kick up a little on the road. The Civic Hybrid also benefits from being a Civic, which means that it’s devoid of squeaks and rattles, and boasts the same solid body structure of the latest line of Honda’s compact.
Loading Cargo
The trunk’s low liftover is ideal for loading groceries, and the light doors are good for business people burdened with jackets and briefcases. The hybrid powertrain precludes Honda’s usual folding rear seat, which cuts down on the utility of this model Civic. No passthrough is a glaring oversight, as a quick trip to Home Depot for curtain rods now requires a detour to a Ford dealership for a Super Duty F-450 Crew Cab with the biggest gas-sucking V8 Ford offers, thus defeating the whole reason for getting a hybrid in the first place. OK, OK, we’re kidding… you could get a Chevy instead.
Build Quality
It used to be that you could just say "It’s a Honda" and that would pretty much sum up any quality concerns a shopper might have. Yet, we’ve seen enough Honda and Acura products pass through our hands over the past couple of years to warrant pause before offering up the gold stamp. Not so with the Civic Hybrid. In terms of build quality, our test car received the necessary quality assurance time before leaving the factory, exhibiting consistent gaps, interior bits and pieces that were solidly affixed, and a rattle-free ride. Likewise, the materials were primarily impressive, including the seat fabric, padded windowsills, and hard but durable plastic on all areas except for the top side of the center console.
– Thom Blackett
– Thom Blackett
Materials Quality
The Civic Hybrid feels good inside, like a $22,600 car should, with quality plastics, soft touch surfaces and durable materials. Of course, you get pretty much the same interior when you purchase a less expensive Civic. Highlights included the woven headliner, quality plastic dash trim and supportive seats with good bolstering. One nice touch are tight-fitting caps for the 12-volt outlets. On the downside, we were surprised that the rear window plastic trim comes loose. On the outside, we appreciated the plastic covering around the metal trunk arms and liked the integrated turn signals in the rear view side mirrors.
Styling
Compared to the standard Civic sedan, the Hybrid’s wheels are different, as is the front grille area. Other than that, the Civic Hybrid enjoys the same award-winning design as all Civics. Though some of our staffers weren’t too crazy about the wheels, our eye tells us that the dramatically styled Civic, with its lasting, modern style, is already redefining the shape of future cars. Need proof? Check out at the just-released 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer, which already looks dated by comparison.
Interior Design
The Civic has a mostly smart interior design that makes a daring exterior style work on the inside too. We love the way vents are integrated into the dash up front, love the sporty and grippy steering wheel, love the hard and cool transmission shifter. Unfortunately it looks like Honda’s designers ran out of pizzazz as they made their way to the back. There aren’t high levels of refinement compared to the front, and it looks like the only design dictate was, "make room for two, three in a pinch." There is no cargo-extending folding rear seat – not even a pass through for long objects – just two weak door-mounted cupholders. It’s basically a bench seat and some seatbelts.
Storage
The Civic is a front-passenger biased vehicle. There are lots of storage compartments in front: in the doors, under the center console, below the center stack, on the dash to the driver’s left…pretty much anywhere a void would be behind an interior panel, there’s instead a storage cubby. A sliding cover hides the two cupholders on the center console when they’re not in use. We also love the little touches, such as the nicely damped glovebox door. Rear seat passengers are limited to door pockets with weakly designed cupholders.
Controls
With the exception of the hybrid power gauge – a bar graph denoting how much battery versus engine power you’re using so you know when you’re saving the earth – the Civic Hybrid is pretty much exactly like its brother Civics when it comes to control layout. It has the (in)famous split dash, which some people love and some love to hate but is nonetheless brilliant in its function. Environmental and infotainment controls are large and clearly marked, as with regular Civics, though we can’t help but feel that steering wheel-mounted secondary controls are a bit of waste since everything is so handy at the dash level.
Competition
On paper, there are few competitors to the Civic Hybrid. On the face of it there’s only one: the Toyota Prius. But if you put aside the powertrain and gauge competition land focus instead on benefits, such as miles per gallon and environmental friendliness, one would have to consider the Ford Focus, Mazda 3, Mitsubishi Lancer and other subcompacts – even the regular ol’ Civic – and other subcompacts that come close in gas mileage and offer a Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle (PZEV) engine. Are they hybrids? No. Do they accomplish what hybrids accomplish? Almost, which is close enough for most people. Smart commuters will take a look at these four-cylinder alternatives in addition to the Civic Hybrid.
2nd Opinion – Blackett
Honda Civic Hybrid – Thom Blackett’s Opinion:
Upon its return trip to Honda headquarters, our Civic Hybrid test car’s trip computer read about 33 mpg. That seems awfully low, so I’m sticking with the 40-plus mpg I enjoyed during my drive, which included city and highway traffic at slow and pedal-to-the-floor speeds (the latter requiring long stretches of asphalt). That being said, I could easily see putting this comfortable vehicle in my own parking spot if the cost of fuel was my primary concern. Commuters seeking an affordable, efficient ride that blends in with the rest of traffic would be hard pressed to find a more suitable alternative.
Upon its return trip to Honda headquarters, our Civic Hybrid test car’s trip computer read about 33 mpg. That seems awfully low, so I’m sticking with the 40-plus mpg I enjoyed during my drive, which included city and highway traffic at slow and pedal-to-the-floor speeds (the latter requiring long stretches of asphalt). That being said, I could easily see putting this comfortable vehicle in my own parking spot if the cost of fuel was my primary concern. Commuters seeking an affordable, efficient ride that blends in with the rest of traffic would be hard pressed to find a more suitable alternative.
2nd Opinion – Perry
Honda Civic Hybrid – Ron Perry’s Opinion:
You might better the standard Civic by a few mpg in the Civic Hybrid, but you lose the sporty fun and acceleration the Civic is known for. Outside of the acceleration issue there isn’t much to dislike about the Civic Hybrid. If you’re a patient soul in need of an environmentally friendly car, then I definitely would recommend a test drive in the Honda Civic Hybrid.
You might better the standard Civic by a few mpg in the Civic Hybrid, but you lose the sporty fun and acceleration the Civic is known for. Outside of the acceleration issue there isn’t much to dislike about the Civic Hybrid. If you’re a patient soul in need of an environmentally friendly car, then I definitely would recommend a test drive in the Honda Civic Hybrid.
Photos courtesy of Ron Perry, Honda Motors of America
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