Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Review: 2013 Honda Civic Hybrid

Photo by Curtis Reesor
If you frequent the blog, you’ll have seen our reviews on the 2012 Civic Si Coupe and EX Sedan, as well as the 2013 EX Sedan. The general consensus is that we liked the ’13s more than the ’12s, that the looks aren’t terribly exciting, but the cars are well built, comfortable, but generally unexciting (sans the sporty Si). This go around, we got to spend time with the ’13 Civic Hybrid. And I must say, of all the new Civic sedans I’ve driven, this one might be my favorite.


Let’s face it: I don’t expect amazing performance from a hybrid vehicle. I do, however, expect it to get good fuel economy, be comfortable, and have plenty of tech. These expectations are easily met with the Civic Hybrid. As it should, it gets better fuel economy than the gas-powered Civics, is available with leather interior, has all kinds of tech goodies such as a great digital information center, navigation, satellite radio, an above-average sound system, rearview camera, plus all the hybrid goodies like regenerative braking, electric motor assist, and all sorts of readouts about what the drivetrain is doing. However, unlike the Civic EX, you can easily achieve 40 MPG. If you opt for a Civic Hybrid with leather, it’ll cost you around $3,300 more than a similarly equipped—and fully loaded—Civic EX-L with navigation. You also cannot get the Hybrid with a moonroof or fog lamps. One other caveat: The Civic Hybrids come in six “colors,” all of which are either white, silver, or black.

From an exterior perspective, both cars have similar looks. But the Hybrid gets some unique features, such as LED running lights, blue-tinted chrome bits, unique—although not terribly attractive—alloy wheels, a small rear spoiler, clear taillights, and a different grille.

Our test car’s interior featured leather upholstery with heated front seats, Bluetooth, navigation, and just about everything you’d find in a similarly equipped non-hybrid Civic. You do get a couple of different menus on the car’s information center, such as how the hybrid system is working, and such. The Honda navigation unit still isn’t the most intuitive, but over the years, the system has gotten better.

Once on the road, the interior remains quiet and fairly devoid of wind noise. Road noise is noticeable, but not obtrusive. There’s plenty of room in both the front and back seats for four adults (five if necessary), and trunk space is generous. Overall, the car’s interior, especially when trimmed in leather, is comfortable, well thought out, and intuitive. By the way, the car is now has Top Safety Pick+ crash rating from the IIHS, so it’s got plenty of safety goods built in.

Powering the Civic Hybrid is a 1.5-liter eight-valve engine with an electric motor assisting with get-up-and-go. In fact, their system is called IMA, or Integrated Motor Assist. Making 110 horsepower and 127 ft./lbs. of torque, the car is not fast, especially when in the fuel-saving ECON mode. But even when not in ECON, the car is sluggish. I drove mostly in the ECON mode, but would shift the car from D (drive) to S (sport ) when I needed a tad bit more oomph, and I use the word oomph lightly. At 2,987 lbs., that 110 horsepower really has its work cut out for it.

One of my biggest surprises was the car’s handling. Again, while not at Civic Si levels, it was very competent both in the curves and on the highway. The steering is well balanced and feels just right. Turn-in was surprisingly good, and despite the narrow 195/65/15 low rolling resistance tires, cornering was respectable and felt very precise. Honda typically does a good job with its suspension tuning, and even for a hybrid vehicle, I’d say Honda did its homework with regards to keeping things in check. And no, it’s not ready for the autocross track, but it is better than I expected. Our Civic also features Honda’s LDW, or Land Departure Warning system. If you start to wander across a solid line on the road (either side), you’ll receive a warning indication on the dash and a chime to let you know to bring it back.

The Civic Hybrid’s fuel economy is rated a 44 city and highway, and I was able to get 40 MPG. While certainly nothing to complain about, I never was able to get close to 44, and to get 40 I really had to baby it. It should be mentioned that when in ECON mode, the car features stop/start technology. Come to a stop, and the car shuts off. Take your foot off the brake, and it comes back to life. This means less idling, which means less pollutants and increased fuel economy. It takes some getting used though.

Our tester with leather and navigation had an MSRP of $27,850 including $790 in destination. So is it worth the extra dough for more MPGs and burning less fossil fuel? I guess it depends. The 2013 Civic EX model I reviewed in March got a disappointing 25.3 MPG (it’s EPA rated at 28 city and 39 highway). Our resident motorcycle writer, Ducatti Scotty, owns a ’12 Civic sedan with the automatic transmission and gets about 30 MPG with his. I got 40 with the Civic Hybrid. If you look at combined ratings, the Civic Hybrid gets 12 more MPG, and according to the EPA, the fuel savings costs are about $450 a year. The delta? You’d have to own the Hybrid for about seven years to make of the extra purchase cost with fuel savings. Again, that’s comparing a loaded EX-L with navigation to a loaded Hybrid.

Our tester with leather and navigation had an MSRP of $27,850 including $790 in destination. So is it worth the extra dough for more MPGs and burning less fossil fuel? I guess it depends. The 2013 Civic EX model I reviewed in March got a disappointing 25.3 MPG (it’s EPA rated at 28 city and 39 highway). Our resident motorcycle writer, Ducatti Scotty, owns a ’12 Civic sedan with the automatic transmission and gets about 30 MPG with his. I got 40 with the Civic Hybrid. If you look at combined ratings, the Civic Hybrid gets 12 more MPG, and according to the EPA, the fuel savings costs are about $450 a year. The delta? You’d have to own the Hybrid for about seven years to make of the extra purchase cost with fuel savings. Again, that’s comparing a loaded EX-L with navigation to a loaded Hybrid.

Photo by Curtis Reesor. 
So while I like it better than the gas-powered non-Si Civic sedans, its biggest competitor, the Toyota Prius, is still a tough competitor in the compact hybrid arena. But if you’re going set on getting a Civic EX sedan, you should pop behind the wheel of a Hybrid, and see if it’s worth the extra price to you.

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