The smart-looking
2008 Honda Civic sedan hybrid looks much like any other Civic sedan, yet it provides an impressive 40/45 mpg city/highway fuel economy rating.
Those buying hybrids like the Civic are fulfilling a desire to 'go green' or they are tired of pumping hard-earned cash into their tank.
But, because the 2008 Honda Civic sedan hybrid looks so much like a typical Civic sedan, your neighbors and fellow motorists won't be aware you've 'gone green' unless they see the Hybrid tag on the Civic's rear fascia.
Under the Civic hybrid's hood is a 1.3-liter i-VTEC 4-cylinder engine and a 20 horsepower electric motor that both combine to produce 110 horsepower.
Honda refers to the Civic's hybrid system as Integrated Motor Assist (IMA). The IMA hybrid system uses the gasoline engine as the primary source of power and the electric motor/generator provides both additional power and electricity regeneration capability.
A continuously variable transmission (CVT) is mated to the Civic hybrid's engine, with the 15-kilowatt, 2.8-inch wide electric motor/generator sandwiched in between the two.
The Intelligent Power Unit (IPU) controls the flow of electricity to and from the electric motor/generator, and a compact nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) battery pack.
During acceleration, the gasoline engine and electric motor work together to propel the vehicle. During cruising, the gasoline engine and/or the electric motor can propel the vehicle. In certain steady-state cruising situations, the IMA system can deactivate all four of the engine's cylinders and operate using only the electric motor.
During regenerative braking, the gasoline engine deactivates and the electric motor acts as generator to replenish the battery pack. At a stop, the engine can enter an idle stop mode to save fuel and reduce emissions by turning off the engine.
The hybrid air conditioner will continue to keep the cabin cool even if the gas engine shuts off at idle. But as is the case with any hybrid, there is a bit of quirkiness that the driver needs to get used to.
First, when slowing to a stop, the gasoline engine may shut down. The driver is informed of this by the illumination of an "Auto Stop" indicator on the instrument panel.
The most quirkiness occurs as the engine comes back online, though. There's a slight lag or hesitation, but it's not objectionable when you consider the trade-off, great fuel economy.
After making a complete stop whereby the engine has shutdown, it automatically comes back online either by lifting your foot off the brake pedal or for you two-footed drivers, by tapping on the throttle.
Unfortunately, the car can suddenly creep forward if your foot is lightly on the brake and the gasoline engine automatically comes back online. This can catch you by surprise if you've been stopped for a while and aren't expecting the engine to fire back up.
Another quirky situation I experienced with my Civic hybrid was driving in stop-and-go traffic. I was on I-55 driving into the city one morning during rush hour and traffic was slowing down and then speeding back up.
As I was slowing down, the gas engine would shut down. Then, as I lifted off the brake to push the throttle, the gas engine would come back online. But under certain conditions this resulted in the car jolting forward harshly as the engine and transmission tried to re-establish control. The first occasion of this caught me off-guard and I actually thought someone had rear-ended my tester.
Still, the quirkiness is worth tolerating as the Civic hybrid lets you drive comfortably past many gas stations. Around town, you can travel almost 500 miles on a tank (12.3-gallons) of fuel. That's impressive.
Obviously, the Civic hybrid won't throw you back in the seat while accelerating, but there is enough power so that merging onto the highway with a carload of passengers isn't so stressful.
Inside, I found the cabin to be roomy and comfortable. But I'm not a fan of the unusual two-tier instrumentation. It features a high-mounted digital speedometer separately-mounted above a large tachometer. It just looked weird to me.
But I did like the easy-to-use touchscreen navigation system with voice recognition. The 2008 Honda Civic sedan hybrid is great for commuting around town without having to drop a lot of money in your tank. For that, it's worth a look as gas prices continue to rise.
2008 Honda Civic Hybrid Engine: 1.3-liter (110 hp) I4 engine with Integrated Motor Assist
Transmission: Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT)
Drive type: FWD
Fuel economy (city/highway): 40/45 mpg
Base price: $24,350
As tested: $24,985 (includes $635 for destination)
Web site: www.honda.com