Car Gazing
Civic Hybrid saves fuel without looking freaky
By Derek Price
Call me crazy, but I think technology should be totally transparent, not flashy and self-absorbed like many of today's electronic gadgets.
That's why the Honda Civic Hybrid is so appealing. Aside from a small badge and a couple of extra gauges on the dash, this high-tech wonder looks and feels remarkably similar to a plain ol' Civic.
There's no need to plug it in, no special controls to learn, and no wild styling that seems to shout, "I care more about Mother Earth than you do!"
Behind this deceptively simple facade is a complex system of generators, batteries, and electric motors that allows it to travel more than 50 miles on one puny gallon of gas. Considering it has room for five and a relatively large trunk, that's nothing short of a miracle.
The secret to achieving such impressive gas mileage is a small, 1.4-liter gasoline engine that gets help from a high-output electric motor. The four-cylinder engine provides more than enough power for chugging down the highway, so the electric motor only kicks in during acceleration to provide a little boost.
Acceleration, however, isn't impressive. The gas engine and electric motor combine to make only 93 horsepower and 116 pound-feet of torque, which is enough to comfortably maneuver through city traffic but not enough to impress spike-haired teens at a stoplight.
Instead of having to plug it in to an electrical outlet, the Civic Hybrid's battery is recharged every time you touch the brakes through a process called regenerative braking.
Basically, generators in the braking system turn the wheels' energy into electricity as you slow down, and the electric motor switches to become a temporary source of power for the battery. It's a complicated system, but it works flawlessly.
Once the car rolls to a complete stop, the engine shuts off to save fuel. This feels strange at first, almost like the car died, but the engine gently rumbles back to life the instant you lift your foot off the brake.
It's still a mystery how Honda gets the engine to re-start so quickly and quietly every time.
Inside, the Civic Hybrid is virtually identical to the regular Civic, meaning it has two roomy front seats and a small back seat that supposedly seats three. If you try to pack three adults in back, expect to hear wailing and/or gnashing of teeth from your wheeled torture chamber, though three kids should fit fine.
On the downside, Hondas typically have very tight, well-engineered interiors that don't squeak or rattle excessively, but the Cargazing test vehicle had a couple of annoying noises coming from around the glove box. Maybe this was just a bad apple, but it was disappointing to hear with fewer than 5,000 miles on the odometer.
Pricing is competitive at $19,650, plus $1,000 if you want an automatic transmission. That's similar to the 2004 Toyota Prius.
Perhaps the Civic Hybrid's greatest strength is its ability to blend in on the highway like an urban chameleon. Other hybrid cars, like the Prius, are mobile billboards for Greenpeace that stick out like Al Gore in a clown convention with their otherworldly styling and eco-snob attitude.
The Civic Hybrid, though, is more like Al Gore at the country club – neatly trimmed, refreshingly idealistic, and mind-numbingly bland – just the way technology should be.
(Derek Price is a newspaper editor and freelance writer living in Texas.
Contact him at dprice@cargazingonline.com)
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