Nice review. I agree with your emphasis on the road noise versus an otherwise very quiet car. This is the first thing I would change on the next year model, a little more attention to sound insulation related to the road noise level.

 

Congrats on your new car... <tapping foot impatiently waiting for mine to arrive>... you'll find after having autostop for awhile that you'll curse cars that don't have it.

Why doesn't EVERY car have autostop? It just makes sense, and doesn't rely on any hybrid technology to save gas.

 

Yea. Thats a good question. Seems like that would save quite a bit of fuel overall.

 

AutoStop wouldn't work too well in a non-hybrid car... that's a lot of repetitive stress to put on a standard starter motor. In addition, standard cars don't have the rollback prevention feature, and some cars just don't start fast enough to make it "seamless".

 

You will also need a seperate electrical system like the hybrid..electric power steering, HVAC, etc. All this adds cost to a regular car. Why do you think some features are missing in the Hybrid vs. EX. Moon roof, rear disc brakes, rear center armrest...... I'm sure they were not only eliminated to shed weight but to also balance production cost.

Rick

 

It seems that each Honda area configures its Civic Hybrid to fit into a particular niche in the marketplace. Disk brakes all round are fitted in Europe where the car is set against the VW Jetta in a luxury version as a benchmark. Read the post below "Facory leather seats for hybrid is a REALITY". The moonroof however is too heavy because of the additional structural stiffening required

 

There are climbs on Oso and Crown Valley on both sides of the 5, and I actually deplete my battery pack much more going toward Ladera Ranch, as there are stop lights on the incline on Crown Valley in Ladera. I like taking Antonio to Ortega Highway to the 5 though. Antonio has a long, uninterrupted decline with a 65mph speed limit where I can fully recharge the battery, and along Ortega to the 5 is slightly downhill most of the way as well, making it possible to coast for much of it.

As far as the CVT quirkiness... I find I've become so acclimated to it, that driving a car with a typical automatic now bothers me initially, especially automatics that take a while to upshift. I quite like the seamless nature of the transmission. Revs though can get high on the hills though, especially when starting from a red light, which is why when starting on a hill, I'll usually start out with a fairly strong throttle position immediately, then gradually ease off as I go. This kicks in full assist to begin with, so I don't need to rev up as much later.

 

My '03 5-speed doesn't have any rollback prevention, I have to do it the old-fashioned way!