[noflash]

We traded in the wifes '00 323it for an '06 Honda Civic Hybrid. While she is on maternity leave, I am driving it.

It is an amazing car. It has cured my near-road-rage. I now do not have to pass every car I see and I can merge on the interstate without hitting 90 mph.

Cruising on the interstate at 65 does not feel like 35 in the e90. 65-70 with the better than expected stereo, comfy seats, and futuristic dash is quite relaxing -- just what I need for my commute home.

Anyway, the car is still breaking in so I haven't seen incredible gas mileage. I have seen from 33 to 42 mpg on this car's first tank. I hope to average in the mid-40s.

And best of all it is a Partial-Zero Emmisions Vehicle. The only thing I am emitting is Smugness.

Oh, and of course I still have my 325i. Almost forgot, this is the wife's car. Still, I call it my little Zen-Pod.

Pics to come.

[Chris.G]

NO, you didn't. Man no offense but a Honda Hybrid???????????

[nyc3r]

sounds like a great daily car. How much was the Civic Hybrid?

[SP330]

The new Civic's are amazing they have as much space as a 6th gen Accord (1998-2002). Congrats.

[KL2DC]

Signs of realizing old-age j/k

The new-gen civics are awesome cars though...

[noflash]

I am shocked as well. It is a great commuter car, and I have the e90 when I have an adrenaline deficit.

We bought the car for sticker at $22,700 (incl. dest.) and there is a $2100 Federal Income Tax Credit (not a deduction, an actual dollar amount credit!). So the cost of the car is 20600.

[ALPINE6SPD]

Great car but when the batteries go they are a lot worse for the environment that the few emissions your saving. The half-life of a battery is very long and the acid is poison.

[aapriadi]

new civics are hot, i hope the new accord will be awesome too
i'm already thinking about buying the new civic si, gonna stop modding the bimmer and mod the si instead

[vladinecko]

hey i know what you mean about driving slower than it actually feels. every time i take my E36 for a spin now and do 40-50mph, it feels like i'm flying whereas in my E90 it feels like i'm just taking off. handling is everything, f**k horsepower.

[ROCKETRON]

While the hybrids may be clean and economical for slow town work, once the petrol engine comes in they lose a lot of advantage. If you had good diesels in the States then most people would prefer them as the modern diesels will give better overall MPG than the hybrid with lower co2 whenever you are going fast enough to need the petrol as well. The modern diesels would also give a lot more power than the hybrid. If the hybrid had been electric and diesel that would have made a lot more sense and i am sure they would have been a lot more popular in europe. I understand Peugeot is developing one but i doubt you will get it in the States as you have not woken up to diesel yet, but i am sure in the next few years you will.

[noflash]

I have great respect for euro-diesels but even with the great gas mileage they are not environmentally friendly. Correct me if I am wrong, but even with the new US low-sulfer fuel we'll never have a ULEV (ultra-low emmissions vehicle) diesel.

[ffvvss]

I was actually thinking the same...asking my girlfriend to get a civic hybrid that we can drive once in a while, reducing the risk of speeding tickets (and auto ins.) and gas $$.

[rolling18]

Originally Posted by ALPINE6SPD

Great car but when the batteries go they are a lot worse for the environment that the few emissions your saving. The half-life of a battery is very long and the acid is poison.

1 large NATURAL volcanic eruption produces far more polutants than all of man has produced so far... (heard that on Public Education TV)

I feel no guilt for my cars emmissions... (farts)

[BMW2006]

Originally Posted by noflash

And best of all it is a Partial-Zero Emmisions Vehicle. The only thing I am emitting is Smugness.

[ward]

isn't the 325 a pzev too?

[noflash]

Originally Posted by ward

isn't the 325 a pzev too?

You'd think it'd be easier to look up, but no.

I think it is an LEV and the California version may be an ULEV.

Non-hybrid Civics are SULEV-II.

There aren't many PZEVs.

[StewtheBassman]

noflash, in Canada the Hybrid comes "loaded"...armrest, folding back seats, mp3 plug, etc...

The interior dimensions of the new Civic are pretty much the same as our beloved E90...how about that?

I test drove (for fun) the coupe and the EX sedan....nice suspension, great manual shifter and clutch, not too much wind noise, and great ergonomics (reach/rake as well as 6 way seats).

Thanks for the review, glad yo ulike your (wife's) car! When is she due???

[BMW320i]

hehe yah i know u need 2 relax sometimes and not get bothered by the cars on the road and try 2 overtake any car u can

during the days which i had my suzuki Xl7, i got kidney stones, so driving the Xl7 (5MT) was difficult, so i used a Mitsubishi lancer from my dad's company, one of the simplest cars ever, but i was very happy with it (as a contemporary car) and used it for 2 months without complaining, till i got the stones and the planted pipe out...

that car had very good mpg compared 2 the Xl-7, and very light cluch, accel pedals and steering wheel, so i didnt get annoyd by the cheapness of the interior or the power loss

[ROCKETRON]

[QUOTE=noflash]I have great respect for euro-diesels but even with the great gas mileage they are not environmentally friendly. Correct me if I am wrong, but even with the new US low-sulfer fuel we'll never have a ULEV (ultra-low emmissions vehicle) diesel.[/QUOTE
As all the cars in europe now meet euro4 standards some need a particulate filter and some dont to meet the standard. The CO2/km emission is a lot lower than in any petrol car and most european countries recognise that the diesels are cleaner than petrols and offer financial incentives (lower taxes on fuel/car/BIK etc). Also a car that averages 45 mpg as against 25 surely has to be a lot better for the environment. I would say that it is political reasons that stop them taking off in the states not down to how clean they are. Peugeot are also in the process of developing a diesel hybrid which really would give some benefits with overall fuel consumption/emissions/high torque enabling high relaxed gearing for effortless cruising.The reason the Toyota Prius is not very popular in europe is because the overall consumption is not as good as a run of the mill modern diesel car and with less performance and a high buying cost they are a no-no really.

By the way i think if you guys in the US were to get a drive of the e90 320d/330d/335d you would be shocked at the smoothness and the power and the effortless cruising due to the high gearing enabled by the high torque of the engines. Remember the 320d (4 cylinder 2 litre engine) develops more torque than the 330i petrol engine and the 330d is out of this world for performance/flexibility/responsiveness etc..

[noflash]

Thanks for the reply. I would be VERY interested in a diesel bimmer for my next car -- I'd love to try out a 320d. And I'd be interested to know their emissions ratings here. We've just switched over to a cleaner diesel (cleaner than Europes btw) and diesel prices are higher than Premium right now. Still I'd love bmw to bring them over.

[whippersnapper]

I know the RX400H has much lower emissions than its diesel counterparts from other brands whilst offering superior performance

[whippersnapper]

Originally Posted by ALPINE6SPD

The half-life of a battery is very long ....