About 100 days ago, I “rightsized” from a powerful Audi A6 4.2 sedan to a 2006 Honda Civic Hybrid. The Audi had been a delightful road car – very solid, comfortable, with lots of creature comforts. I logged about 70,000 miles in that A6. Trusty steed, indeed…although my last service appointment was a surprise in terms of the cost of the maintenance required.
But the Audi was much more than I needed for my daily commute and local travels. Much more – and that last round of service costs pushed me over the edge. So, I decided to sell it – which I should have done a year or two earlier based upon how Audi’s are viewed in the used car market – and bought a new Honda Civic Hybrid that seemed to almost fall into my lap after I signed up to be put onto the waiting list at a local dealership.
I’ve now logged almost 3,000 miles on the Hybrid…enough to get to know the car pretty well from a driver’s standpoint. I’m still a few months away from my first service appointment – to replace the engine oil – and we’ll learn more about the maintenance aspects after that.
So far, I’m really pleased with the change. There are a few annoyances – like the position of the emergency brake lever right up against my right leg – but overall this is a great “little” car. I’ve come to really enjoy the almost “go cart” like handling – down low, close to the road, very responsive, etc. I opted to avoid the navigation system – so none of that distraction.
In terms of mileage, I’ve averaged 39 miles/gallon since I bought the car. On the highway, I routinely get into the low 40’s. Yet the motor-train on this car is fun to drive. You get the right amount of “electric kick” off the line when you need it. The continuously variable transmission makes you feel like you’re flying a turbine – no sense of gear shifts, etc.
Bottom line: this is a car that I’d highly recommend. If you’re concerned as I was about the impact of your car on the environment, this is definitely a step in the right direction – along with being “fun” as well.
2 replies on “100 Days With A 2006 Honda Civic Hybrid”
In January I did the same thing, from a 16mpg v6 Volvo to a Toyota Prius that I’m getting 41mpg.
I too am quite happy with my Prius, love the built-in GPS and backup camera, and it is interesting how you can “hack” it to do different things, like run only on batteries for a period (great for getting in and out of the garage with no fumes).
Also important to me is that although every other Toyota I’ve driven is too small for me (I’m 6’2″) in the drivers area, the Prius was just right.
Extra bonus I also got the stickers that let me cross the Bay Bridge and highways in the car-pool lanes. Although I don’t commute to SF, this has saved me 1/2 or more on many trips passing through SF during commute hours.
Wow! This is really a great car. It seems that this car is the best vehicle to use while touring around. Very powerful engine and very efficient. I actually use Audi for traveling but this time i’ll try to use Honda. I really want to see which is better.