Hi - I test drove a 2007 HCH yesterday, and I was very impressed overall. The fit and finish of the car was great, the acceleration was decent, and I loved the gauges and seats.

The only issue I had was the brakes. There was almost no travel to the pedal whatsoever. It didn't really "give" when I pressed it or brake the car right away. I had to press really hard, and then the pedal would only move a little bit and apply the brakes rather abruptly. Is this something common to all HCHs, or was my test drive model on the fritz? Does it have something to do with the regen braking? If so, I could probably get used to it, but it felt very different from any car I've ever driven.

 

My breaks get a little funny when the battery is full and I don't get any regenerative breaking. I feel like I'm stopping our old Pathfinder instead of my Civic, I have to press the petal farther and harder. Did you notice if the battery was charging when you were breaking?

 

Yeah - the battery was charging when I was braking. If I decide to buy I'll have to give it another test drive. I was offered a price of 20,700 or 22,300 for the HCH without/with the Navigation option. Does that sound like a good price to people?

 

Good price. The first portion of travel applies regenerative braking, then the regular brakes kick in. I try to avoid regular brakes whenever possible for long life