2006 Honda Civic Review

Fuel-saving gasoline-electric hybrids are hot, seemingly being the same anti-establishment cars and the same "anti-status status symbols'' that the slow, odd-looking Volkswagen Beetle was in the 1960s or that the utilitarian, boxy Volvo was in the 1970s.

The new Honda Civic Hybrid is one of the most accepted hybrid autos, if only because it has the illustrious (and non-American) Honda nameplate.

The Civic Hybrid looks like a regular Civic sedan, with only a few minor cosmetic distinctions, such as different wheels. Owners thus aren't likely to get as many points from the "green'' crowd, as do owners of Toyota's uniquely styled Prius hybrid, which has a design that shouts to the world that it's a hybrid.

The latest Civic Hybrid benefits from features of the sleeker, roomier, faster and more refined regular 2006 Civic (Oct. 10 AutoTimes), which replaces a drab-looking Civic.

The new Civic Hybrid also is more powerful than its predecessor. It now has a 1.3-liter four-cylinder engine and 20-horsepower electric motor that produce a combined 110 horsepower, compared with 93 horsepower for the 2005 Civic Hybrid. Acceleration is far from vivid, but proved satisfactory during an even mix of city-highway driving in this area.

The Toyota Prius is the main rival of the Civic Hybrid. But Toyota seems far more enthusiastic about gas-electric hybrids than Honda, which thinks such vehicles are stopgaps until more fuel-efficient vehicles can be produced.

The Prius also produces 110 horsepower. But, unlike the Prius, the Civic can't use its electric motor when accelerating from a stop for two reasons: One is that the Prius has a more powerful 67-horsepower electric motor and the other is that the Civic Hybrid's gas engine and electric motor are sandwiched together and then hooked to the transmission. When one runs, so must the other.

That's not the setup in the Prius, where the electric motor and gas engine are hooked up to the transmission at separate points, thus allowing one power source to be driven while the other is shut off.

However, the Civic can operate using only the electric motor, but only in limited low-speed cruising conditions. For instance, the car must be moving at, say, 15-20 mph on a flat road at a steady speed with a well-charged battery pack.

Maybe you could do that on, say, deserted roads in a gated community, but hit public roads and such driving would not last -- fuel savings would be minuscule.

Under those driving conditions, the Civic shuts off fuel to the engine and uses its variable valve timing system to close engine valves and make it easier for the electric motor to power the car.

Honda long has said it likes to "keep things simple,'' and one advantage of the Civic Hybrid powertrain is that it's simpler than that of the Prius. Hybrids are complex, so the simpler the better with this type of vehicle.

A motorist must learn new driving skills to coax the best fuel economy from a hybrid such as the Civic. One must forget about high-performance driving and motor along like maybe your grandmother does. The whole point is to use the gasoline engine as little as possible and to preferably keep speeds below 60 mph.

During stops, the Civic Hybrid's engine shuts off so it doesn't needlessly use gasoline. However, it starts so quickly the instant you hit the gas pedal that even those unaccustomed to such engine behavior should soon become used to it.

The Civic Hybrid delivers an EPA-estimated 50 mpg in the city and 50 on the highway with the car's continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT). That's up from 47 mpg city and 48 highway for a 2005 Civic Hybrid with the CVT and 45 and 51 with a five-speed manual transmission, which has been dropped for 2006.

It's doubtful that the 2006 Civic Hybrid's driver will see 50 mpg in the city or on highways. But the same goes for estimated fuel economy numbers for the Prius and other hybrids. That's because cars are tested for fuel economy during laboratory conditions far removed from the rough-and-tumble world of real driving.

There's no reason why a Civic Hybrid driver can't see fuel economy in perhaps the mid-40-mpg range if he or she accelerates gradually, keeps cruising speeds low and uses the accelerator pedal cautiously. In short, they must drive more slowly than they ever did.

Then there's the cost-benefit ratio, which isn't very good when comparing the Civic Hybrid with the standard gasoline Civic sedan. For instance, the Civic Hybrid, which comes only as a sedan, costs $21,850, or $23,350 with a navigation system.

In contrast, a standard base Civic sedan with its 1.8-liter, 140-horsepower engine costs $14,560 with a manual gearbox and provides an EPA-estimated 30 mpg in the city and 38 on highways. It lists at $15,360 with a five-speed automatic transmission and delivers an estimated 30 city, 40 highway.

It's doubtful that a gasoline Civic will attain the EPA figures, any more than the Civic Hybrid will attain its estimated fuel economy figures. It's good news that the EPA recently announced it is working to provide more realistic fuel economy estimates, which it emphasizes are only estimates on window stickers of new cars.

For some reason, hybrid car owners have complained the loudest that their vehicles aren't attaining estimated fuel economy figures, although they'd get a lot closer to those figures if they became somewhat fanatical about their driving habits.

In all, the Civic Hybrid is an attractive, fun-to-drive package that should be especially alluring to the fuel-saving and/or environmentally friendly crowd. It's fairly well equipped, but you can't get a power sunroof or split-folding rear seat.

And, no, you never have to plug it into an outside power source.

2006 HONDA CIVIC HYBRID
PRICES: $21,850-$23,350

LIKES: Higher fuel economy. Faster. Benefits from features of sexier, more refined new Civic.

DISLIKES: It's life in the slow lane for the best fuel economy. Don't expect EPA-estimated fuel economy. Poor cost/benefit ratio.