i think you're right. the gen2 ecu is programmed to try and maintain 50mpg. you can clearly see this by when and how much it chooses to kick in regen. basically, if you're getting anything above 50mpg and your battery is above the midway point by one or two bars, it will regen. however, it immediately cuts off if your mpg drops below 50mpg. it will regen with more bars the higher your instantaneous mpg is. my guess is that while this programming makes it harder (if not impossible) to hit the high 60mpg numbers that you manual civic owners can hit, it also makes it easier for us to drive our cars normally and hit the 50mpg mark.

just my 2 cents.

 

I certainly give you guys credit. However, I have a ~7 mile trip and 13 traffic lights (one way) 5 days a week to work and back with a stop shortly before work (in the Denver metro area). During these trips, I work hard to maintain my FE. I have been able to maintain a 70mpg FE over RTs of ~20 miles, but my normal driving will not allow many trips like this.

 

Wow, when did this happen? I haven't been on much lately, and, bam, we're relegated to steerage!! Wife is still getting 49+ mpg on our '04, and it's almost paid for!! Stick that in your HCH 2!!

 

I tried to wait for a manual 06' but, was told it's not going to happen. I would say that the advantage the MT's had vs CVT/AUTO trannies is multiplied by people who can use them to the extreme. I am for the first time trying to get over 50mpg on a full tank of gas which alot of discipline is involved. I had a race with an Expedition early in the tank which dropped me from 54.7 to 51.1 this car is fairly quick(yes the hybrid won easily). Later in the tank I went to the movies in Rolling Hills estates which is on top of a mountain started at the bottom with 53.8 and reaching the top I was at 51.2. Coming back down the mountain got me back to 52.5. I drove from the LAX area to the valley through the Sepulveda pass during rush hour several times per week. Long story short it is only one way to give a good comparision on what each can do. MT vs CVT same route with the best drivers on a planned route(or a hybrids Olympics). I have no doubt that the MT will win but, by how much is the question.

 

The Gen 1-MT was rated at 48/51, if I remember correctly.

 

I went to edmunds.com, cars.com and the GreenHybrid database and they all show 46/51 as the EPA rating for the Gen 1-MT. The Gen 1-CVT is rated at 48/47 according the the database.

 

Doh. I could've sworn my window sticker had 48/51 but I just checked it. Wonder where I got the 48 from...?