Well, smooth shifting (or the lack thereof) is pretty "normal". There are some luxury cars with transmissions so smooth that you can't feel the shifts and there are also some non-hybrids which have CVTs. Regardless, whether you can feel the shifting or not doesn't make a difference in every day driving. On the other hand, the wierd start / stop of the HCH engine does if you spend a lot of time in traffic.

My point wasn't that the Prius is just like any other car. My point was that it feels more like a normal car than the HCH. Besides the CVT, the only real difference that I can feel is the way I put it in gear. Yes, the electric drive is very different but again, controlling it feels exactly the same as controlling a normal automatic.

EDIT: I'm not trying to pick a fight. I am just trying to clarify / defend my statement about why I feel the Prius drives more like a normal car. I think that is one thing that impresses me about the Prius. It feels different and you know it's different but controlling it and the real life experience requires very very little adjustment.

 

I’ve test drove the TCH, Prius and HCH. Tested and studied the Camry and Prius before the test drive. Really loved the Camry. Loved the gas mileage of the Prius.

Tested the HCH last. Thought I’d save the best for last. Immediately fell in love with the interior. Tested one with the NAV System. Did I say I loved the Camry? Especially with that JBL sound system.

I let the wife drive first while I tested the back seat. On the road, the HCH from the back seat was not comfortable. Not smooth at all. Every time we hit a small bump in the road the back suspension bottomed out against the struts rubber bump stops. This was something a lot of owners complained about but I over looked as others being to picky. I guess I was wrong.

On my test drive, I felt the HCH was a little on the rough side. My current sports car with its aftermarket tuned suspension was much smoother than what I experienced in the HCH. I was very disappointed because I really wanted the HCH. The ride, compared to the Camry and Prius was so rough that even my non-technical wife had to comment on the ride feel….and brakes. Ouch. Especially the rough transition from stop whenever the gas engine was engaged and how much it appeared to struggle up hills on the freeway. She even asked the salesperson why the rear suspension bottomed out on bumps. It was an embarrassment to him and me.

We figured that it must have been that peculiar car. So what does he do? He drives us to one of their storages yards to test drive another HCH( Same color and options) in of all things, a new/used Toyota Yaris. WTF.

All I could think of on that drive to the storage area was how smooth and refined the ride in the Yaris was. So much so the test drive in the second HCH was completely ruined. And by-the-way, the second car drove exactly the same as the first. And that weir and clucky starting and stopping of the engine was very hard to overlook. All this collected data, pictures, reviews, HCH forums, reports and brochures on the HCH and now a broken heart.

We went back to retest the Prius and Camry and fell in love with them both….again Especially that Camry. But since the car will be primarily for me, I think I’ll go with the Prius. The Prius seemed more personal. The Camry was big, very, very comfortable and spread out. But it does look as if our next family car at least will be a Camry (TCH). And since I’ve experienced it….both cars must have that sweet JBL system.

That long story just to say….you never really know until the test drive. I never knew how closed minded I was until I actually experienced the difference for myself.


Did I mentioned how nice the TCH was?

 

Thanks for the great responses. Funny that the Camry hybrid should come up. I snooped around one at the Toyota lot as we were leaveing, and I have to say it looks pretty good. Seems to run about $4k more than the Prius, but space does seem much better. The tradeoff (per the GH dbase) is 10 mph worse efficiency.

But now I'm straying from my thread title....

 

xavier, thank you! I feel vindicated lol...I'm glad I am not the only one who found the brakes and start/stop of the HCH engine very rough.

What did you like about the civic interior? I'm surprised that so many people liked it...I personally favor the Prius interior. That blue tachometer and tiny digital speedo (the Prius's is much larger) just was too much for my taste.

 

Actually, I think we're all in agreement that each has its advantages and disadvantages. What makes one 'better' than the other really depends upon the user's requirements.

What is nice are the wide range of choices, both new and used in what has recently become a buyer's market, which means the consumer has options, choices, that were not there as recently as a year ago.

Bob Wilson

 

Yes, you deserve to pat yourself in the back.

Now, to complete your performance you just have to assure some folks that...

Ozymandias <> Xavier6162


Cheers;

MSantos

 

This is a discussin board. People communicate. They discuss. If I want to say something to someone else I will say it. I'm sorry you feel a need to make jabs at me because of that. However, you really should stay on topic and contribute to the discussion...it's much better that way.

 

I drove both the Honda Civic Hybrid and the Prius to make my selection. It came down to this:

The number one, MPG: The Civic gets better MPG on the highway or accelerating the way the average American does. The Prius gets better MPG under 40mph and accelerating light for an American (and perhaps normally for everyone else). The Prius makes a mockery of the Civic in stop and go traffic because it can leave the gas engine off for little stuff while the Civic... kinda freaks out. I've gotten as low as 20mpg in the Civic in stop and go; I've gotten as high as 89mpg in the Prius in stop and go. But if you've got open highway the Civic can do 75 and get 55mpg; the Prius will get closer to 45mpg at that speed.

The Prius is bigger. It's heavier and has more room. The trunk is kind of amazing on the Prius - you're basically driving a flatbed back there if you don't have passengers in the back - mess with it at a dealership you'll be impressed. That said, the Civic fits more readily into the many "Compact" spots out there.

The Civic has better acceleration. A bunch of people on this Prius forum will say that's not true and a bunch of people on the Honda one will say it is - whatever. I've driven them both, the Civic's got it by a little bit.

Looks are up to you.

The Prius has more toys/potential. The Civic is a Series Hybrid so it is what it is. If you're willing to learn how to drive the Prius (and drive slow) you can get ridiculous mileage out of it - it's fun. The Prius's ability to drive on all-electric also leaves it open to a lot of fun modifications, like the EV Mode button (search the Prius forum) and Plug-in Hybrid mods.

Stop and go is a matter of life in LA, so I went with the Prius. I also love to tinker. That said, every time I drive to San Diego I wish I was in a Civic.

 

Well, Soop...

Just wanted to let you know the Civic Hybrid is definitely a parallel hybrid - NOT a series !

The Prius (at least mine) is a Parallel-Series hybrid- while not a true series hybrid, it is as close as it gets to being one - at least until a real one appears in the market.



Cheers;

MSantos

 

Hi, a couple of points:

1) Coming from an Accord I think the TCH would be the most logical place to start looking at hybrids as it is the most Accord like.

2) There is a good deal of misinformation on this thread so be careful. Suggesting you test drive all the likely candidates was the best advice so far.

3) The HCH is definately not a series hybrid. I've got one, I know. The terms are confusing and it took me a while to understand them as applied to hybrids. HSD makes the whole situation even more confusing because it is both series and parallel. Series is when an engine turns a generator and that generator powers a traction motor. This is clearly impossible on a Civic because the HCH only has one motor/generator.

4) The biggest complaints I usually here about the Prius are sketchy handling and poor visibility.

5) The biggest complaints about the HCH are the lack of a fold down seat (the non-hybrid has fold down seats) and long term CVT reliability worries.

Most of the other differences come down to taste. Some like the futuristic, "hey look at me I'm driving a hybrid" style of the Prius, others prefer the "stealth" of the normal looking Civic.

PS Many of us with Civics got them because there was a long wait for a Prius. This situation no longer exists so you can get a Prius right away and might even get a discount!

PSS I believe the Prius has an advantage in town but I believe the Civic and Prius are about equal on the highway.

PSSS The Civic will run even if the main pack has failed, the Prius will not.