2006 Honda Civic Hybrid Review

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.

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.

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.

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.