I've been lurking here for a few weeks now, learning as much as I can and considering the HCH2 and Prius. I have the lucky circumstance of working at a company where I can easily borrow both a Prius and a HCH2 pool vehicles to test out for a while. I spent a week in each one about a year ago, then another week recently in the HCH2 again now that I'm getting serious about purchasing.

There are some very good arguments for buying the Prius instead. I spent some time on the Prius sites also. It has better rear seat room, a trunk passthrough, more cargo space, very slightly better city mpg, etc. But when I drove it, it felt more like an appliance. There was no driving joy in it at all. It was built for those "get from point A to point B" people, or maybe some who want to advertise to everyone that they're in a hybrid. I want a car that's pretty practical, but also fun to drive and gets great mileage. I'd like a trunk passthrough, but otherwise the HCH2 was an easy choice. The hybrid tires don't suck nearly as bad as I was expecting. The handling is nice and flat w/out any squeaking from the rubber. Plus, since you can easily get one at invoice price now AND apply a tax credit, the Prius starts to seem rather pricey in comparison.

In my week of playing (including times when I was checking out maximum acceleration), I averaged 43.2 mpg. On one two day average, I managed to eek out 47.5mpg. This was on cold, sub-freezing days too, w/tires at a pathetic 31psi! I find it to be a very fun game to try and get that number up as high as possible. It really appeals to the geek engineer in me. If I can save money and reduce the amount of my income going to the middle east in this whole 'gaming' process, even better!

I originally was shopping for my wife, but she's convinced the trunk size is inadequate for the kid's junk and such. I've enjoyed driving the pool car so much, I decided to get one for myself instead! I am literally leaving to go pick up my new car (Mag Pearl, no Nav) from the dealer in about 35 minutes! Try as I might, I can't quite part with my current car (Evo VIII), so I plan to keep them both, at least for now. Am I the only Evo owner on here?

Anyway, I just wanted to post real quick and say Thanks to MSantos, Orient Express, and all the other enthusiasts on this site. I appreciate all the info you've shared with the community to make this an easier decision. I'm sure I'll be back in the future with lots of questions.

-Rob

 

Congrats and good luck! I agree with your assessment of the comparison between the Civic and Prius. The Prius had more valuable options (bluetooth, keyless entry, push button start, backup camera, HID headlights, LED taillights, etc), but was very uncomfortable to drive. Although the Prius had a lot more rear leg room (4 inches!) and the hatch style with fold-down seats, the style of the Civic won me over. It just feels like more care went into the design and finish of the exterior, and especially the interior. The $1050 tax credit is a nice bonus over the Prius as well.

 

Welcome!

Have fun with your new HCHII. You'll find a lot of useful information on this site.

 

Congrats and welcome!

 

Yes, congrats. I've got an 2006 Mag Pearl (best color ) with Navi.
You'll love it. And please do return here and tell us your tales.
We all learn from each other.

 

Wellcome in the club. Now, you have hours of reading to do to learn how to drive this thing. A lot of fun and experimentation.

PierreM

 

Just picked mine up last Saturday. I echo that the primary reason for the choice over the Prius was the superior handling characteristics. Moreover, Toyota isn't dealing on the Prius around here and I saved $5000 with the Honda - $6050 with the tax credit! It would take a lot of city miles to make that difference back...

 

welcome to the site and to the mag pearl club. you obviously have good taste. thank tarabell, too. i sold my supercharged 350z for my hch2, and i don't miss it.

 

Congrats and welcome!

Well, my previous car (before buying a HCHII one month ago) was a Subaru Impreza WRX. So, I can understand you feelings!

On the other hand, it's even more fun to drive a hybrid if your previous car was a real gas guzzler!


Lori

 

Time to post some pictures of your baby!