Hello,

I just took a 20 minute test drive in the 06 HCH. Main roads, side streets, and highway. Here are my impressions:

1. Acceleration was adequate. The ICE revs pretty high to get any noticeable "pull". I'm used to RWD/AWD V6's.

2. Suspension seems to be nice and "tight".

3. Steering wheel is very nice. Good size and great ergonomics. Steering also had a good mix of power and "feel".

4. I liked how you can change the water temp display to instantaneous MPG. I wished more manufacturers included small multifunction displays(MFD) in vehicles. However, I wished there were more information type readouts available like those available on my wife’s RX330. On her car, the "info" display on the main MFD display shows AVG speed, trip distance(car start to current time), AVG MPG from last fillup, etc. I realize that the 06 HCH does have a AVG MPG on the "odometer" display, I just wished there was a screen on the main MFD that consolidates this and other information.

5. One thing that concerned me is the "regenerative breaking"(I think that's what I felt). As I make a sharp RH turn, I tend to let off on the accelerator as I go into the turn, and step on the throttle as I'm in the turn. In the 06 HCH, I found that as I let off the throttle, I decelerated MORE than other vehicles I've driven, to the point where I had to step on the throttle earlier into the turn than what I would normally expect.

6. Road and wind noise is descent, but I'm used to driving a different class vehicle which is MUCH quieter than the 06 HCH.

7. The battery charge readout was always 3 bars from the top. Is this normal?

8. The AVG MPG on the "odometer" display, for the car I test drove only read 26.7 MPG. What could have caused such a low reading?

9. I didn’t pay much attention to other details like wipers, radio, NAV, voice commands, etc. I was mostly concerned with the driving feel of the car. I would appreciate any comments on any “cool” and different features which separate the HCH from other vehicles.

10. General impressions are that the 06 HCH feels just like a "regular" car. I've test driven an older 2003 Prius and felt that the Prius was different. From the way that you start the Prius from the feel of the ICE starting and stopping. The Prius felt like a different animal. Good or bad....I don't know. Just different. I generally liked the 06 HCH, but is it worth the $2790 compared with an equally equipped EX? I’m uncertain. Maybe that's the reason why the Prius is a much better seller than the HCH. Toyota does not sell a comparable non-hybrid version, thus the "premium" for the hybrid system is much easier to justify.

Richard

 

Yeah, it revs high. Don't let it bother you. You can also press more gently on the pedal and accelerate at anywhere between 2000 and 4000 rpm depending on how fast you want to go. Remember, it's a CVT so you can accelerate while keeping the engine at a constant rotation.

Yes, it was the regenerative braking that you were feeling, but you can reduce or eliminate it by pressing lightly on the throttle. The only time you'd want to drive this car without your foot on the gas is when you really want to slow down.

I think of it as being really quiet; I guess it depends on what you're coming from. I came from a Jetta.

Yes. It lowers and rises very often and that's fine. In fact there's no need to look at it at all; it's the least useful gauge there is.

The engine hasn't broken in, the tires haven't broken in, the tires are underinflated probably, the car didn't have time to warm up during the short drive, and maybe it's cold where you are? I got mileage like that too, initially.

In terms of ROI, probably not. Hybrids use advanced technology to squeeze more energy out of fuel and gravity but that technology costs money. You become more fuel-efficient but slightly less money-efficient. Also the car is cleaner than the regular Civic. Still, I get 35 mpg in the worst of the city (constant stoplights, traffic, etc.) and right now, at 1000 miles, I get 41 mpg round-trip at mostly 80 mph. This is in warm weather without A/C. And I'm probably the least conservative driver here.

Honestly a non-hybrid Prius wouldn't sell well since it's not that great a car. The hybrid drive is excellent and it alone makes the Prius a good car; otherwise it's decent but unremarkable. The '06 Civic, on the other hand, is a good car even without the hybrid drive.

 

I have an 03 HCH, I test drove an 06 and was disappointed. You still can't fold down the back seat like you can on the regular Civic, you can't go in all electrci mode very often, the Prius can do both.
You also can't add the plugin hybrid mode from Edrive coiming out as an aftermarket option in 06. The test convinced me to look for a 04 or newer Prius. I also was only offered the lowest trade from Honda and I only have 42 K on mine with no damage or problems.
I always get 55-60 in my 03 HCH CVT by driving smart. My high is 74 on a round trip. The 06 was new but I was disappointed.
Jim

 

jstack6:
If you have the 12k for the EDrive mod, knock yourself out. Not to mention the $$ for their warranty.

Once broken in, the 06 HCH will get the FE of an older HCH +5% (58-63 while driven smart)

EV Mode is possible with the 06 HCH (100MPG on the instantaneous). Here's NASAgineer's directions:
1) Take your foot off the gas (coast) and wait for the instant MPG gauge to max out at 100MPG. At this point the valves are sealed and no gas is flowing.

2) GENTLY apply pressure to the accelerator until you see one or 2 bars of assist showing. If you do it gently enough, you can get anywhere from 1-3 bars of assist (3 is my record so far) with the instant MPG still pegged at 100MPG.

 

Getting into EV mode is easy once you get the hang of it. The problem is that the electric motor is not strong enough to keep the vehicle at constant speed (much less accelerate) unless you are on a decline. Still, I'm averaging around 50 MPG (800 miles so far on my 06), so I'm not complaining! I love the car, and I doubt I would be doing much better in a Prius.

 

Right. Basically, the electric drive is more of a technique to extend the "coasting" range of the car, rather than a replacement for the gasoline engine drive. There are a lot of situations where I would find that very nice though, such as going on gradual declines where I lose speed while coasting down, I could use the EV mode to maintain my speed without having to deal with engine-on at low throttle creating tons of pumping losses. If used strategically, even this fairly low-powered electric drive could dramatically cut fuel consumption.

I would also be interested in seeing if the '06 Civic Hybrid could be set up with the Manual-IMA mod that a lot of the Insight drivers have installed, where the electric can be controlled independently of the regular throttle. On the '06, I presume in certain situations, you could go into a valves-sealed coast, then manually run full-out electric drive, which might be good for getting rolling from a stop, or accelerating on a slight decline as well. Applying this mod, plus a larger battery pack could also enable a Plug-in hybrid optoin as well.

 

True, and I didn't mean to imply that I don't use the EV mode much. I use it just about every time I coast, unless I need to stop faster. It's fun to see if I can get all the way to the red light, or the top of the next hill without the engine starting back up. Plus, even when it's not in full EV mode, every bit of assist is a little bit of power that the ICE doesn't have to generate, so fuel is saved.

That would probably make a big difference. I can only get about 3-4 bars of assist in pure EV mode. If I increase the throttle more, the ECU decides to turn the ICE back on to give me more power. If I could get 100% assist without the ICE turning on, I probably could maintain a constant speed, and even accelerate at lower speeds. Of course, given the small size of the pack, it wouldn't last long. It would be fun though! Where can I found more info on this manual-IMA mod?

 

jstack6; Man; (Sorry) to here how that (Test) went for you on the
2006 HCH ll:

Terry

 

I've seen 5 bars of assist in ev-mode, but it's hard to hold. I've seen 4 bars consistently - it should be possible.

 

[QUOTE= Where can I found more info on this manual-IMA mod?[/QUOTE]

Seehttp://www.99mpg.com/
It's pretty interesting and I'd like to see if it's adaptable to HCH II.