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Until this year, Honda’s only gas-electric hybrid was the Insight, a two-passenger coupe designed for maximum mileage. The Insight sipped surprisingly little fuel, but its special purpose design meant folks who wanted to carry four persons could not avail themselves of its benefits.

For 2002, Honda has put a similar but larger gas-electric powertrain into the Civic Hybrid and created a car capable of carrying four people and luggage. This practical application of gas-electric technology puts the Civic Hybrid on equal footing with the Toyota Prius, another gas-electric hybrid. The Environmental Protection Agency rates the Hybrid’s fuel economy at 46 miles per gallon in the city and 51 on the highway. During the city miles I put on the car, with the air conditioning running full blast, my fuel mileage was 35.2 mpg, according to the car’s computer. Emissions are minuscule.

Prices start at $19,550 for the five-speed manual and $20,550 for the continuously variable transmission. Standard equipment includes power windows, power locks, remote keyless entry, anti-lock brakes, automatic air conditioning, AM/FM/CD player, side airbags, cruise control and alloy wheels.

This hybrid powertrain is packaged into a Civic whose interior has been upgraded with a bright blue gauge package, chrome trim, nicer cloth upholstery and an automatic climate control system.

The Civic Hybrid’s powertrain has three components: a 1.3-liter, SOHC four-cylinder gasoline engine that has 85 horsepower; a 10 kilowatt electric motor/generator situated between the engine and transmission; and a battery. A sophisticated computer controller manages the division of labor between the engine and electric motor, as well as charging the battery pack. This “brain” is packaged together with the battery and located behind the rear seat in the trunk.

Most of the vehicle’s propulsion comes from the gasoline engine, with the electric motor applying assistance on an as-needed basis, such as full acceleration or climbing hills. When the car coasts, the engine disables three cylinders for less friction. Coasting recharges the batteries. Regenerative braking also charges the batteries when you slow down. You would never really know any of this was going on without the gauge in the instrument panel that shows when the electric motor is supplying power and when it is recharging the batteries.

To improve mileage further, the hybrid powertrain has an auto stop mode, wherein the engine ceases running while you are sitting at stoplights. As soon as the shift lever is moved from neutral to first, the engine starts instantaneously. My experience showed this function to be unpredictable. A couple of times it didnUt respond as quickly as it should have, which made for troublesome starts in traffic. I ceased using it.

In regular driving, the Hybrid powertrain performs and feels pretty much like a standard Civic. Because the combined torque of the hybrid’s gasoline engine and electric motor is slightly greater than the torque provided by the engine of the regular Civic, performance is roughly equivalent to the gasoline-engined model. It accelerates quickly enough to keep up with traffic, although driving it to achieve maximum fuel mileage requires a light foot on the throttle and shifting early. The optional continuously variable transmission is essentially a stepless automatic.

The Hybrid’s upgraded interior is quite nice. Seat upholstery material is considerably fancier than the standard Civic’s, and the blue luminescent gauges looked great. The full list of convenience items marks this as a top-line Civic.

Compared to the standard Civic, the Hybrid is about 220 pounds heavier. I assume most of the additional weight is due to the battery pack. The suspension is tuned to provide a soft ride, but I would have preferred a bit firmer ride because the test car always felt as if it was fully loaded. Again, I presume that is due to the extra weight of the batte y pack.

Honda says it expects to sell about 2,000 Civic Hybrids a month, so they are likely to be in short supply.

Price
The base price of the test car was $19,550. With destination, the sticker price was $20,010.

Warranty
Three years or 36,000 miles.

Point: Gas-electric hybrid cars are a transition between a traditional gasoline engine and whatever the next powerplant is, be that fuel cells, hydrogen or something we don’t even foresee at this time. Using an electric motor to supplement a small gasoline engine results in excellent fuel economy and very little emissions. Honda’s Civic Hybrid is efficient, well-equipped and reasonably priced.

Counterpoint: The added weight of the battery pack gave the test car a feeling of always being loaded down. The auto stop feature, which shuts off the engine at traffic lights, did not always respond as it should.

SPECIFICATIONS:
Engine: 1.3-liter gasoline engine, 10 KW electric motor
Transmission: Five-speed Front-wheel drive
Wheelbase: 103.1 inches
Curb weight: 2,661 lbs.
Base price: $19,550
As driven: $20,010
Mpg rating: 46 city, 51 hwy.
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