- Doors and Seats
4 doors, 5 seats
- Engine
1.3i/15kW Hybrid, 4 cyl.
- Engine Power
100kW (comb), 89Nm
- Fuel
Hybrid (91) 4.6L/100KM
- Manufacturer
FWD
- Transmission
Auto (CVT)
- Warranty
3 Yr, 100000 KMs
- Ancap Safety
NA
Honda Civic Hybrid
City slicker
With a new diesel-powered passenger car arriving almost every week this year, you could be forgiven for thinking the alternative petrol-electric hybrid movement had lost momentum. All sorts of brands, from Holden to BMW, are pushing the oil-burning concept across a wide array of segments. Hybrids can count only Toyota, Lexus and Honda as card-carrying members and each with only a single hybrid model, for now at least.
But these manufacturers haven't been idle. Lexus launched its GS450h this year, and Honda has a new Civic Hybrid, based on the impressive all-new Civic range. In essence, the new Civic Hybrid follows the principles established by its predecessor of the same name. The Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) system remains, with improvements claimed to give more power (with 85 kW, it's more powerful than Toyota's Prius), better economy and better battery recharge. It's also now capable of running purely on electric power at low speeds.
At $31,990, the new Civic Hybrid is a little more costly than its predecessor but $5000 cheaper than the base-level Prius and, with climate control, power windows, cruise, six-stack CD player, six airbags, stability/traction control and ABS, is better equipped.
On the showroom floor you'll find little to separate the Hybrid from regular Civics other than its badge, different wheels and some additional instruments. The cabin style is likely to divide opinions but it is roomy, comfortable and well built. Flexibility, though, isn't a match for its petrol mates because the batteries make a split-fold rear seat impossible.
Put the foot down, though, and there's no mistaking the Hybrid. The rev-happy enthusiasm of your typical Honda petrol engine is gone, replaced by the smooth but soulless drone of the 1.3-litre VTEC four as it holds a set rev point and lets the continuously variable transmission drag the car up to speed. Outright acceleration is mediocre.
For typical urban driving, however, it's a much better prospect. The IMA system delivers a handy boost in torque at low revs, giving decent response when you need to plug a gap in traffic. You can feel the electric motor kicking in, and the shutting down of the engine at standstill doesn't always occur at the best of times, but these are slight irritations.
No such issues with road manners, which are all but indistinguishable from petrol Civics. The Honda Hybrid is agile, predictable and capable when driven with intent. The absorbent ride and low noise levels mean it's relaxing over the long haul too.
The Hybrid delivers reasonable economy around town, and in these conditions we averaged 6.3 L/100 km, dropping to 5.9 L/100 km after a stint of highway running. That's some way off Honda's claim, and what we've seen in the Prius, but it's still impressively thrifty nonetheless.
The Honda isn't at its best on the open road. At highway speeds the petrol engine does all of the work and, with few braking opportunities to regenerate the battery, the battery-level gauge soon drops close to empty.
In the end, though, the Civic Hybrid mounts a convincing case. It's not as economical as its more sophisticated (and expensive) Toyota rival but it delivers most of the benefits for much less money.