Honda Civic Hybrid update

Greetings from Half Moon Bay, California! Now, before I tell you how we're doing MPG-wise, bear in mind that the Civic is working pretty hard -- all of the driving has been done with either two people and a full trunk or four good-sized occupants. My best run (alone, mostly 50 MPH with cruise control) averaged 47.3 MPG; my worst (four-up driving up hilly mountain roads with the hybrid battery depleted) was just over 30 MPG. So far, we're averaging around 38 MPG. I have mixed feelings about this figure. On the one hand, it's pretty good for a compact sedan, especially one as roomy as comfortable as the Civic. On the other hand, it's nowhere near the figure I was expecting from all the hybrid hype, and nowhere near the 45-or-so MPG most people seem to get from their Toyota Priuses (including the three I've tested).

To be fair, Philip Powell tested a Civic Hybrid last year and was able to achieve the elusive 50 MPG figure even when driving "vigorously". I've driven with Philip when he was taking it easy and it was pretty darn quick, so I imagine his idea of vigorous driving is similar to mine. Amazing that we're seeing such different results.

As for the TomTom -- we haven't been using it much, as its suction-cup mounting system and the Civic's steeply-raked windshield just don't do well together -- the unit is too far away for my short arms to reach, and the suction cup won't stick to the Civic's dash. A few months back I tried a Garmin unit that had a weighted bean-bag-like mount which worked much better. Too bad the TomTom didn't come with one of those. -- Aaron Gold

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