Satisfied or Not Satisfied with your Hybrid Car?

I have a 2004 Civic Hybrid and have driven it about 85,000 miles so far and still runs/starts/goes as if day one.

It is our 1st small car in 20 years and have been wonderful.
It has all the pep we'd expect from a small car but gets great economy. The best part is in a pinch we can drive for very radial extreme efficiency not available to many other vehicles.

Other than oil changes and other regular, normal maintenance have had zero problems or issues. I usually grow bored and tired with the same 'ol car after about a year but this is 3 years running and still fantastic.

-Steve

Same here. I own a 2006 Honda Civic Hybrid and a 2007 Prius.
Traditional cars no longer have a parking spot in my garage or drive way... ever !!

Cheers;

MSantos

Hybrids are a big improvement over pure ICE. I had and EV1 from '00 to '03, got my wife an HCH in '03. Personally, I'm holding out for another plug-in vehicle. Hybrids are better than pure ICE but they can only delay the inevitable (running out of oil, global warming, and petro-politics). The power for plug-in's can be powered from alternative energy sources. Besides, I like not having to go to gas stations.

Bought the 2007 Camry in July and it is a great car. Average 36 mpg with 4400 miles on it. Very comfortable car.

For fuel efficient mountain driving:

Hybrids:
The new HCH-2 (or Prius II) will do better for you because the cars' power management systems completely control and maintain the battery. This will help avoid the experience you've had with yours since it was a manual transmission vehicle (If I am right). With a CVT or eCVT that issue should be a thing of the past.

Diesels:
For the moment a VW or Mercedes is the only easy means to make that happen. However, their quality and reliability is really bottom of the barrel (particularly for Volkswagen).
If you do not mind waiting a little longer, Honda will be introducing their next generation Diesels to North America soon. It should be by then, a "textbook example" (as it has been in Europe and other world markets) on how to do it right.

MSantos

Just got mine - a 2006 Prius - still reeling from the excitement. Glad to hear all the good comments. :D

You have a wonderful car ashevillejax, and good mileage too.

I applaud you for your interest in driving more efficiently. I used to be hard core 85-90MPG Left lane aggressive tailgater and had no clue how much fuel $$ I was wasting for the thrill.
I drive almost 100 miles a day (47miles each way) and in Jan 2004 bought a new HCH. Here I am 3 years later and drive completely differently in a safer, more efficient and courtious manner.

Your cruise control may prove to be WAY too boring as was in my own case and is not the most efficient way to go.
I'd suggest reading this excellent efficiency write-up specifically for your car:
http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/articles/t-adapting-basic-hypermiling-techniques-to-the-hch-ii-1306.html

Couldn't be happier. Filling up every 10 days sure beats filling up every 4 days! Runs exceptionally smooth, ample room inside and what can I say about gas mileage! I have 10,000 miles on my 2006 Hybrid and am going in for second oil change.

Our 2003 HCH CVT has 115K miles and the only problems (all repaired under warranty) have been the EGR valve, an AIS sensor in the passenger seatback and the rattles in the A-Pillers. Replaced the original tires with Dunlop SP20FE's at 57K and replaced those with more of the same at 105K. Original brakes still look good. I guess I should replace the spark plugs, but it still starts and runs great and the MPG meter on the dash shows 51 at a little over 300 miles for this tank of gas. Lifetjme mileage at the pump is right at 43 MPG. I'm 61years old, and this is the 1st NEW car I've ever owned, that I still liked after about a year or so. We've had this one for over 4 years and still love it. It's our 1st Honda and 1st hybrid, but definitely not our last.

Rick

I purchased my 2006 Toyota Prius about a year ago and have fallen completely in love with it. I rarely have to stop at the gas station and can drive with a clear state of mind knowing im helping the environment.

Liar?
How so?
If I REALLY try hard I can get 54 mpg. And that is in the White Mountains region of New Hampshire where there is no such thing as a flat road, everything is either up or down. But I do mean it when I say "try REALLY hard". I spend the whole time feathering the gas, letting it decellerate going up hills, keeping one eye on the FE meter ALL THE TIME, coasting when I can going down hills, etc. It is like work, I am exhasted after long trips, my right calf actually aches from the constant play with the gas pedal. My wife who drives it every day, gently but like you would a normal car, gets 37 mpg. We have taken one long trip to Boston since we got it and I got it up to 63.5 mpg going down route 95 from NH to MA nearly 70 miles doing the speed limit and NO MORE.

But I guess i'm just another liar...

Matt

PS: I would never buy anything else but a hybrid or some other green tech vehicle - VERY SATISFIED!

I'm in central Ohio. 5 weeks into HCHII ownership. I have had only one road trip with the car. I had 52 mpg average. Most of my city driving has been in the 42-44 mpg range. Very happy with the car.

I have yet to come across anyone face to face that has hod poor mpg with their hybrid.

I have had my 2008 Civic hybrid for 5 weeks (2000 miles) and love it. My wife is constantly commenting on how much she can tell that I like it. Perhaps I like it a little too much as it is a lease and I really need to park it a bit more often but can't help myself if I have to choose between it and my wife's '04 Odyssey. I am getting 43mpg in mostly city driving but after reading up on hypermiling I am up to 45 on the display this tank (as noted by others mine is 1 to 3 mpg low). I live in Kansas City where it is hilly and have to be careful to plan ahead. I figured it up the other day and I have saved roughly $150 over my previous car (04 Olds Alero with major electrical issues, it started itself in the middle of the night) coincidentally that was the difference between the payments. I couldn't be more pleased and the fact that it is paying for itself is an added bonus that everything that I read said wouldn't happen even though as I said I drive it more than I would have driven the Alero.

BTW thanks to all out there who provide info on hypermiling my wife has been able to get 20mpg in pure city driving (the epa mileage estimate under the old system for city is 18). That may not sound like much but over a tank it really helps.

There are some some people who lie about consistently averaging over 50 mph in the city/Hwy combined.

But you MSantos are a BIG FAT LIAR if you say you consistently average "well over 60 mph" City/Hwy in your OEM Honda Civic Hybrid! You have no credibility with a statement like that. Show me picture or a link that has a picture of your dashboard and your vehicle's lifetime odometer reading of your claim and I'll apologize. We all know what our Honda Civic Hybrids are capable of and you're full of it to say you average "well over 60 mpg". What does that mean? 65/66/67 mpg? You're full of ka-ka!

John F,
Working with some of the peeps at cleanmpg.com including MSantos, I have increased my MPG 29.9%. Haven't hit the 60s mpg yet but am working on it and have gone from 42.7mpg to 55.5mpg in just 3 fillups. My average is now over 51mpg. So I can attest that it is possible. Want a pic, I can supply that also. Now take you foot out of your mouth and off the gas pedal and learn something.

Not my pic but one driver I would be happy to emulate:
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/504/801.jpg

I posted a few days ago about how I love my '08 HCHII. I do have a question though. I drive very conservatively and try to regen and glide as much as possible. I can never seem to get the battery to a full charge. I am wondering if this is a problem that I should have my dealer look at? I drive 30-40 miles per day (15-20 miles each way) all surface streets but on a main road so I don't hit too many red lights. My route is somewhat hilly but I usually let the car slow down and catch back up on the downhill side. I have had the car 6 weeks or so and have only had the car at full charge for a total of 1 hour at most. I also haven't had the car go into forced charge for at least 4 weeks so I guess that is good.

Thanks

Skirra:

The Panasonic battery packs that we have on the HCH-2 (like the ones on the Prius) like to have the state of charge on the 60% to 80% range. Too high or too low for too long is not desirable and the battery management will be very aggressive in restoring the SoC to that range.

Unfortunately many dealers don't know about this and they will just ship you out the door without a good answer and especially if the car has no DTC codes. But as Mendel mentioned, this behavior is normal and even desirable. So nothing to worry about. :)

Cheers;

MSantos

Hi tabwalker:

Not a problem at all.

How do I know this? Heck, where I live (central Canada) gets to much much colder with temps reaching -50F and even lower.

However, unlike most Canadian Hybrid vehicles which are sold with an Engine Block Heater, most US bound units are not. Because of this, I suggest you order a block heater and have it installed by your dealer. An EBH is an absolute requirement needed to reduce the fuel economy hit as well as accelerated engine wear in the winter months.

By the way: In my city, is very hard to find a taxi that is not a hybrid. Very telling is it not?

Cheers;

MSantos