Discuss this story in the forum at CarTalkCanada

Find this vehicle in CanadianDriver’s Classified Ads

Photo Gallery: 2007 Honda Civic Hybrid

A lot of things have happened since CanadianDriver last tested the redesigned Honda Civic Hybrid in 2006: the price of gas shot up to well over a dollar a litre; Al Gore and David Suzuki brought the seriousness of global warming to the attention of the masses; the federal government started offering rebates for hybrids and other fuel efficient vehicles; and some provincial governments increased their own sales tax rebates on hybrids.

Still, only about 10,000 of the 1.6 million vehicles sold in Canada in 2006 were hybrids, according to Desrosiers Automotive Consultants. Automotive analysts, such as J.D. Power and Associates, are predicting that number will grow dramatically over the next five years as more vehicle manufacturers begin offering hybrid models and consumers warm up to those government rebates and potential dollar savings on gasoline.

But there’s another, more altruistic reason hybrid sales are likely to rise: some motorists are genuinely concerned about the amount of carbon dioxide coming out of the tailpipe of their cars. These consumers want to reduce their personal contribution to global warming, however small that may be.

2007 Honda Civic Hybrid. Click image to enlarge

Thanks to Natural Resources Canada (NRCan), we can now put a definitive figure on that contribution. NRCan’s Energuide 2007 Fuel Consumption Guide lists annual carbon dioxide emissions for each vehicle as well as fuel efficiency ratings.

In the case of the Honda Civic Hybrid, that amounts to a reduction of 1,248 kilograms of CO2 per year when compared to the C02 emissions of the regular Honda Civic sedan with automatic transmission. (The regular Civic emits 3,408 kg of CO2 per year while a Civic Hybrid emits 2,160 kg.) These figures are based on NRCan’s fuel consumption ratings for the Civic Hybrid of 4.7 L/100 km city; 4.3 L/100 km highway, and the regular Civic sedan (automatic) of 8.2 L/100 km city and 5.7 L/100 km hwy.

2007 Honda Civic Hybrid. Click image to enlarge

In addition to fewer C02 emissions, the Civic Hybrid also emits fewer harmful pollutants, such as hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides – the ingredients of smog – and less carbon monoxide. In the U.S., the Civic Hybrid has received the best ratings available for non-electric or fuel cell cars: federal Tier 2/Bin 2+ ILEV rating and California AT-PZEV emissions ratings, just a step below zero emissions.

How does Honda achieve this? Let’s look at the Civic’s hybrid technology.

2007 Honda Civic Hybrid. Click image to enlarge

The 1.3-litre engine makes 93 horsepower at 6000 r.p.m. and 89 lb-ft of torque at 4500 r.p.m. and the electric motor adds up to 20 horsepower at 2000 r.p.m. and 76 lb-ft of torque from just 0 – 1160 r.p.m. Though the figures don’t quite add up, Honda says the combined power figures are 110 hp at 6000 rpm and 123 lb-ft of torque between 1000 r.pm. and 2500 r.p.m.

Under acceleration, the gasoline engine alone, or the engine and electric motor combined, can propel the car. While cruising at under 60 km/h, the electric motor can propel the vehicle by itself, and at higher cruising speeds, the gas engine takes over. During braking, the gasoline engine deactivates and the electric motor acts as generator to recharge the battery pack. In addition, the energy created while braking also helps charge the battery. While stopped at a stoplight, the gasoline engine can stop running to save fuel and reduce emissions, and will start again automatically as soon as the brake pedal is released. It all sounds complicated, but it’s remarkably seamless to the driver and passengers.

The Civic Hybrid, like all OEM hybrids, is completely self-sufficient: it doesn’t have to be plugged in overnight to recharge – although some manufacturers are reportedly working on plug-in hybrids. Personally, I don’t see the point: why draw extra power from the power grid that is created by burning coal or oil?

2007 Honda Civic Hybrid. Click image to enlarge

In CanadianDriver’s long term test of a 2006 Civic Hybrid conducted in the winter/spring of 2005/2006 when temperatures dropped as low as minus 30 degrees Celsius and surface conditions varied from deep snow to glare ice, our Civic Hybrid test car averaged 8.7 L/100 km. But when the weather warmed up in the spring, the Civic Hybrid averaged 6.1 L/100 km, using as little as 4.8 L/100 km on the highway.

This concurs with the experience of Assistant Editor, Jil McIntosh, who’s 2006 Civic Hybrid test car averaged 6.0 L/100 km in mostly hilly rural driving in the summer; and with my own experience last week with this 2007 Civic Hybrid which averaged 5.6 L/100 km in mostly urban driving in the summer. However, I noticed that my car’s Trip B odometer reading of 2,457 km showed average fuel consumption during that distance to be 6.4 L/100 km. Much of that would have been conducted in the winter.

Still, even at its worst, the Civic Hybrid’s fuel consumption is better than the regular Civic sedan, and better than most vehicles on the market. According to NRCan, only the Toyota Prius and Smart Fortwo have better fuel economy.

The main difference is that it is slower when accelerating, at least from 0 to 100 km/h. Independent acceleration tests conducted by the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC) on the 2006 Civic Hybrid (which is basically the same as the 2007 model) show a 0 to 100 km/h time of 14.9 seconds – that’s about five seconds slower than a regular Civic sedan which has 30 more horsepower and weighs 50 kg less.

2007 Honda Civic Hybrid. Click image to enlarge

Still, this figure is deceptive, since the Civic Hybrid develops maximum torque between 1000 and 2500 r.p.m. compared to 4300 r.p.m. for the regular Civic – as a result, the hybrid model feels more responsive starting off from a stop light, and in typical city driving.

Civic Hybrid drivers will also notice a difference in how the transmission works – the Hybrid’s continuously variable transmission doesn’t have the familiar gear changes of a typical automatic transmission. When accelerating lightly, the engine speeds up to about 3000 rpm and stays there until you lift off the throttle. Hard acceleration will cause the engine to speed up to 5000 or 6000 rpm and stay there until the car reached cruising speed. But under normal driving, the engine is generally revving in the 1000 to 2000 rpm range, very quiet and very fuel efficient.

Cruising on the freeway, the engine does just 1800 rpm at 100 km/h, and 2400 rpm at 120 km/h, and I would have to say that the Hybrid is actually quieter than the regular Civic.

The transmission gearing is PRNDSL: S is for ‘Second’ which increases the speed of the engine for quicker throttle response. L is for ‘Low’ which provides an even higher engine speed for steep hills and slow speeds.

2007 Honda Civic Hybrid. Click image to enlarge

When the car comes to a stop at a stop sign, the engine will automatically stop running and a flashing ‘auto-idle’ display will light up in the instrument panel. Then, as you take your foot of the brake pedal, the engine automatically starts and you can drive away. The automatic start function seems less clunky than in earlier models, and is hardly noticeable. Under certain conditions, such as when the battery needs charging, or the air conditioning is on full blast on a hot day, the auto-idle feature won’t kick in. But in my June road test, the auto-idle activated even with the air conditioning running.

Auto-idle is only possible because the powerful electric motor attached to the engine and transmission acts as a starter motor, making quick starts a guaranteed proposition. As well, the powerful nickel metal-hydride battery has enough juice to keep the air conditioning and power steering running without the gasoline engine running. I grew to like this feature the more I drove the car – especially driving in bumper to bumper traffic. Why should a car’s engine be running and polluting while the car is stopped?

2007 Honda Civic Hybrid. Click image to enlarge

I was impressed with the Civic Hybrid’s highway ride – it’s very smooth and comfortable. Like the regular Civic, the Hybrid has a fully independent suspension, and the tires are 195/65R15-inch all-seasons. The Dunlop SP 31 tires on my test car proved quiet on the highway and offered good grip in the dry, but I encountered a brief loss of traction on wet pavement while accelerating and turning on an off-camber corner. This may have been due to the conditions rather than the tires. Overall, the Civic Hybrid feels less nimble than the regular Civic sedan, but for the typical commuter, it’s not a significant difference.

The electric power-assist rack and pinion steering feels a bit artificial, but it requires minimal effort when parallel parking or manoeuvring at slower speeds. As well, the Hybrid’s tight turning diameter of 10.6 metres (34.8 ft.) is very tight, and slightly less than a regular Civic sedan. On the freeway, the steering is firmer and the car tracks very well in a straight line.

The Civic Hybrid has front disc/rear drum brakes with ABS, and according to AJAC braking tests, it stops from 100 km/h to 0 in 40.6 metres (133.2 ft.), even better than the regular Civic sedan with 42.8 metres (140.4 ft.). Still, the regenerative braking system makes the brake pedal feel somewhat heavier than normal brakes.

Given the fuel economy and emissions benefits that the Civic Hybrid offers, I would say that the sacrifices in performance are worth it. It only took me a week to get used to the differences, and when I filled up the tank at the end of the week, the payback was very gratifying.

2007 Honda Civic Hybrid. Click image to enlarge

The two-tier instrumentation design is the same as the regular Civic, but there are some additional instruments: an instant fuel consumption readout is just to the left of the digital speedometer and this is handy for seeing how much fuel you’re using at any given time, such as when you’re cruising on the freeway. It also provides feedback on just how much more fuel you use in aggressive driving.

Just to the left of the round tachometer is a battery charge level gauge, a real-time electric assist display, and battery charging display. When you accelerate hard, the electric assist display lights up indicating that the battery is helping the engine to accelerate; when you brake or coast, the battery charge display lights up indicating that the battery is being charged.

A couple of other important differences between the Civic Hybrid and the regular Civic: the Hybrid has unique alloy wheels, a rear lip spoiler, an aerodynamic undertray, no folding rear seatbacks, and a smaller trunk.

2007 Honda Civic Hybrid. Click image to enlarge

The Hybrid’s trunk is smaller than the regular Civic’s (10.4 cu. ft. vs 12.0 cu. ft.) because of the large battery and electronic controller behind the rear seats. For the same reason, the rear seatbacks do not fold down.

The Civic Hybrid is well-equipped with such standard features as automatic climate control; front, side and curtain airbags; power windows; keyless entry; power door locks; power mirrors; 160 watt stereo with CD player and six speakers; two 12-volt outlets and auxiliary jack; height adjustable driver’s seat; steering wheel mounted audio and cruise buttons; and tilt/telescopic steering column. The 2007 MSRP is $26,250, up from $25,950 in 2006.

Warranty coverage is 3 years/60,000 kms on the entire car, 5 years/100,000 kms on the powertrain, and 8 years/130,000 kms on the emission components.

2007 Honda Civic Hybrid. Click image to enlarge

In PEI, the provincial sale tax rebate for hybrids is up to $3,000. Add the $2,000 federal rebate and the potential total savings is an impressive $5,000. In Ontario, the provincial tax rebate is up to $2,000; Manitoba is $2,000; B.C. is $2,000; and Quebec is $1,000.

Hybrid buyer’s should be cautioned that if they trade-in a vehicle to buy a hybrid, the provincial sales tax rebate will be smaller because it’s based on the sales tax on the difference between the trade-in value and the purchase price rather than on the total purchase price.

More info on the federal eco-auto rebate program and links to provincial sales tax rebate programs can be found here.