But powertrain polish this neat little sedan, the steering precision, overall ride, and the balance of the road make the experience quite like driving a well-executed conventionally powered compact.
As effectively the Honda, but seemingly fragile Insight hybrid two-seater, the Civic use a gasoline engine for propulsion of the main; The difference is the use of a four-cylinder within the Integrated Motor System Assist, instead of the three-banger Insight, to handle extra vehicle and passenger weight.
A brushless, DC electric motor supplements the internal combustion engine with additional torque for more thrust, lower emissions and better fuel economy.
Electricity for the motor from a regenerative braking system that uses a generator to capture electrical energy, which is then deposited on a nickel-metal hydride for later use - no plug-in recharging required.
This high-performance Civic went on sale in Japan in December and will show up here "sometime in the spring, according to a representative of American Honda. Pricing and volumes have not yet been determined, although you can expect at least a $ 2000 premium over a conventionally powered model Civic EX.
From the perspective of the driver's view, the car looks just like a regular Civic - which, incidentally, is a good thing. The hybrid Civic drives much like a normal, old Civic, except there's a dashboard display that shows when the electric motors used to boost engine power, and when the battery is recharged by the engine or regenerative braking.
Discerning drivers will notice that the Civic closes itself off several times when stopped at a traffic light. Press the clutch and move the lever to first gear, though, and restarting the citizen directly unnoticably - you can hardly feel or hear it.
If you drive an economy car like the Civic, it should not expect to have lots of power on demand at any speed in any gear at any moment. And this is the case with the Civic Hybrid. Although we could not compare hybrid and non-hybrid Civic back to back, our impression was that there was a slightly lower hybrid power, especially in high demand, and the hills on a highway.
The Civic Hybrid dashboard display is quite different from the regular Civic, with indicators for the integrated motor assist or "IMA», as they call Honda.
As with the Civic, Honda has graced the Civic Hybrid with nooks and crannies and storage compartments galore.
The Hybrid gives only subtle touches of unusual power when driven. In most cases the real world, however, the Hybrid has enough power and torque itself out of crisis. We would expect that most potential buyers will be pleased with its acceleration.
As the engine is similar to the Insight, the Civic Hybrid has many of the same features, including «Idle Stop" feature.
The Hybrid has a comfortable and spacious seats Civic, simple and clean interior design and upscale materials. The special gauge cluster shows real-time fuel economy, electric motor assist and battery and rebirth.
Outside, the Hybrid is recognizable only by subtle cues. Driven on the highway, the Civic Hybrid produces little wind noise, but low rolling resistance tires Dunlop SP20 is more apt to be heard, especially when driving over the paint or tar strips.
Like the Prius over a Corolla, it is difficult to justify the additional cost of the Hybrid ($ 2,440 more than a Civic EX) in fuel mileage alone. While there is no reason to suspect the Hybrid is unreliable (it's a Honda, after all, and two years with our long-term Insight was virtually without problems), some potential buyers may be concerned about the durability of new technology.
Ultimately, we believe that the hybrid Civic Hybrid is the best package for 2003. But for those who just want an economic transportation and do not care if gas, hybrid or diesel, there are better options out there.
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