Hi,

New guy here.. Actually an old guy but new to this forum...

My wife and I are about to purchase our first Hybrid and we are in search of any information regarding the 2007 Civic Hybrid.

I called Honda America yesterday and they told me that nothing was going to be released until early to mid October.

Right now - given the features and data - we are teetering between the Ford Escape FWD Hybrid and the Civic (based on 2006 info)..

Can anyone help and push the scale to the Honda side?

BTW - We'll be trading in my 2005 Mustang GT on this car also. My thought is that Ford might give me a better trade-in value. Any experiences there would be good info as well..

Any dealer recommendations?

Thank you.

Regards - Randy

Minneapolis, MN.

 

Given that you are considering 2 completely different vehicles, I'd offer the following

1. Civic Hybrid fuel economy is much better; high 40's - low 50's versus low 30's for mpg
2. Civic Hybrid is a Honda; great reliability ratings and high residual value
3. Civic doesn't have the space of the Escape - obviously - but if you don't need it then it's just overhead that you would pay for in lower gas mileage

The only downside to the Civic Hybrid is that they are in such short supply in most areas that you may not be able to test drive one before you buy it.

 

Hi Dr Russ,

Yep - two different vehicles alright.. I should have been a little more clear - sorry about that..
We'll actually be buying two. But not both at the same time...
The Escape will ultimately become one of them - it's just a matter of when as the Escape will be replacing a like-sized and capability vehicle (2001 PT Cruiser).
The Civic Hybrid will be replacing my daily driver. And actually - I just saw the review for the 2007 Camry Hybrid and like it quite a bit as well.

So - If we get the Honda - I will be driving the first of two Hybrids in the household. If we get the Escape - my wife will be the first.

Another thing to understand is that like many people, we aren't doing this because it makes sense from an economic point of view, but from an ecologic point of view. We're to the stage in our lives where we have finally grown just a little more responsible and want to do "what's right" and to show the manufacturers that there's enough interest and sales to continue the development and sales of Hybrids.

Thanks for your help!

Regards - Randy

 

Actually I was on the same boat with you one month back. I was on the waiting list for a 07 HCH which suppost to be available by the end of OCT. Then I saw honda release the 07 change on regular civic and hybrid, there is NO CHANGE in 06. Althought I can't prove there's absolutely no change in 07. Luckily my deal call me they've a 06 on the lot and see if I want it. That's my 06 civic now.

I paid MSRP in so.cal. Provided I save few hundreds over new MSRP, two months wait time, and pertty much 99.99% 07 would be the same as 06. I feel I make the right decision.

 

Generally, the first year after a FMC ('Full Model Change', or redesign) is a carryover year for Honda. Thus, you would expect them to not change much except exterior color on the car.

However, I know the Si is going to get Honda's version of Vehicle Stability Assist for '07 (user defeatable), and since they consider both the Si and Hybrid to be the 'high end' of the Civic line, *maybe* the Hybrid will see it also ? Again, that's just speculation on my part, and if I were Honda, I wouldn't put VSA on the hybrid (for '07).

IIRC, tire pressure monitors are mandated for MY '08 across all manufacturers - I think Honda is putting them in one year early on at least one carline - but I can't remember which one that is right now. *If* that goes into the Civic lineup, it'll probably be added across all models.

Oh - one thing I recall - on the '07 Hybrid - if you opt for Navi, you get XM already built into the car, and only need to activate the service. No Navi = No factory XM. It remains a dealer installed option on those cars (~$800).

Also, the price of the Navi is going up about $200-$250. Honda (actually, Alpine) got caught short on supplies of the touchscreen, and lots of people who wanted Navi on the EX / Si / Hybrid couldn't get it. Either Alpine raised their costs of supplying the product, or Honda's trying to reduce the take rate on the option.

Me, I'd still opt out of the Navi, and use an outboard portable Navi like my Garmin C330, and plug a portable XM player into the Aux jack - it's so simple, and you get the most use out of both devices that way (built into the car, they're trapped within the car, after all)

Other than that, there will probably be no other changes. I know for sure that there are no exterior color changes in the Hybrid palette.

Was there anything specific you were looking for, or were you just wanting to make sure you weren't missing out on the 'latest & greatest' ?

As far as pricing - Honda released the pricing on the Civic lineup - *except* for the new Si Sedan and the Hybrid. Expect that it will go up by ~ $400-$500. I'd get it earlier in the model year - in the spring, after gas prices start going up, it'll not be discounted.

That's all I know for now, anyway...

 

The Escape does have financing specials right now -- Check Edmund's Incentives page. But why go from a wagon crossover to an SUV?

I'd venture that you may not even see any increase in gas mileage from a PT Cruiser to an Escape.

Going from a Mustang to an HCHII is a different story. You'll more than double your mileage.

I say get the Honda now and wait for something better to come out -- like a wagon or crossover style.

Have you considered the Prius? It's a sedan hatchback that's nearly a wagon.

 

My wife has a major diagreement with the designers / stylists of the Prius - I don't find it offensive but not exceptional in regard to asthetics.

I think the Ford Escape FWD Hybrid would be able to pretty well double the fuel economy of the PT Cruiser.

I've spent a few more hours looking at info on the web and find that maybe the Toyota Camry Hybrid may make a better car for me as I like the styling a little better than the HCH and while it's economy is not as good, it has more interior room and potentially a better hybrid system than Honda's.. Not knocking Honda but so far it would seem that only Ford's Escape Hybrid and the Toyota / Lexus offerings are the only ones that are true dual mode. I drove an Escape Hybrid 4wd last week for over 5 miles in EV mode starting from many dead stops - never firing the ICE until it needed to start replacing lost charge..

Still gathering data.. Thank you for all the pointers and feedback folks..

 

My dad recently tried privately selling his 2005 GT Mustang, and got no response at all. It is very well kept, and has almost no miles on it... I'm not sure exactly what he was asking, but I think I heard him say 19. I think he puts some of the blame on gas prices. Thought you might want to know.
According to Edmunds... based on what I remember about his car he should have been about to get $22,6. The national base trade in is $19,033.

 

I just sold MY04 350+ HP STI on autortrader.com... the key is lots of pictures. I used my ISP as the host for the pictures and provided a link in the add. I only got three callers, I sold it for 2k above trade in... now I'm getting a NAV system.

Since I had cash I was able to negotiate effectively and got 500 off MSRP + spash guards at cost.

I drove it home today for the first time and was averaging 39 MPG, according to the computer. The dealer is about 50 miles from my house.

Oh ya I also got 1/4% off my loan cuz i bought a hybrid through my credit union... 4.45.