Blogging Roller: Honda Civic Hybrid

I also have a Civi3 hybrid (06), "nice choice" imo. I've noticed the 49 mpg sweet spot is at around 65 mph highway and rises as the speed decreaces to around 70 to 80 mpg at 35 mph on a flat road with few stops . I reset my 1st odometer after every service and the 2nd odometer after each fueling stop. Typically my first odometer reads around 42 mpg after 3000 miles. I have seen higher, ie: if you need to eke out every mile from that last gallon in the tank, slow down to 35 mph and you'll effectively "almost double" the driving range you'd get at 65 mpg, unless you're on an incline, where the driving variables change. I'd love to get a look at the odometer in my Civi3 on a trip from Lake Tahoe to Sacramento some sunny warm day when traffic on I80 is light. Are there any of those left? Honda FCX 2008

Posted by Will on October 17, 2007 at 05:41 PM EDT #

I own a 2006 Honda Civic Hybrid and have owned it for two years. Last year, with just under one years driving, I drove it on a trip to Missouri via Texas and back, over 4000 miles. I averaged 48 mpg for the whole trip. For the last 4 to 5 months, I have noticed my mpg dropping significantly, about 5 to 7 mpg less in town. I recently took the car on a trip to Texas and back again. I drove at around 63 mph for both trips. My mpg for the second trip was 40 mpg, about 20% less than one year ago. Honda has checked the car and states that every thing is working as it is supposed to. I feel that I am being ripped off! Any information or suggestions?

Posted by James H. Hastings on December 05, 2007 at 03:25 AM EST #

Hi, I just bought an Honda Civic Hybrid 2008. I loved the car but was so desapointed on the mileage. I drove about 280miles in Minnesota and never went above 5mph above the speed limit (which was either 55, 65 or 70). All I got is 34 mpg. I also have to tell you that I would start quite slowly after each stop to try to keep the mileage pretty hight. This trip happened at night last week so I had the radio on, the heat on, the lights on and the navi on. Is that all I should expect in winter????? This is so far from the 40/45 they talk about with the new EPA.

Posted by F.G on December 17, 2007 at 06:36 PM EST #

One thing that I had to change when I first started driving my 2006 Honda Civic Hybrid was how fast I drove. If you drive 65 mph or faster, you will notice that your mpg will be much lower than what is published. As I stated in my previous comment, you can get outstanding mileage (48 mpg for over 4000 miles) but not if you drive 65+ mph! I want to know why my car is getting 20% less mileage now compared to one year ago! Honda wants me to accept this is normal!

Posted by James H. Hastings on December 18, 2007 at 05:27 AM EST #

I also drive a 2006 Civic Hybrid, four door auto transmission on fairly level roads at under 50 mph, using cruise control, no heat or lights ,no passengers, my weight 150 lbs, using regular gas fuel, careful accelerations, I was able to attain 53mpg city / 63 mpg highway using odometer fillup figures to calculate fuel consumption. I purchased this car after retreiving my deposit on a Toyota Prius which they couldnot supply and which I did not care for due to the poor visibility out the rear window. f

Posted by Christopher Tarallo on January 04, 2008 at 09:01 PM EST #

I've had a 06 civic hybrid since 4/06. As much as 54mpg highway when going 50-55 through southern VT. I live in northern Maine and do a lot of short in town driving. In the winter the electric assist/braking regenerative system doesn't kick in until the engine is warm, it might need 5 miles of driving to get warm enough and I don't go near that far, so often I get no benefit from the hybrid aspect of the car when it's cold (often subzero here). 25-35 mpg but I've got a major hill to chug over in my short drive and the battery regeneration system never warms up enough to "add back" on the down hill side. I recently drove 350 miles in colder weather, 55-65 mph, and got 48 mpg despite changing from the low resistance tires that came with the car to tires more suitable for snow/ice/muck. A oxygen sensor recently went out. Highway mpg dropped to low 40's until it was replaced under warrenty and now highway mpg seems to be back. The dealer also installed a software upgrade to the computer as part of the warrenty work. My only disappointment has been with the lousy mpg intown when it's cold. Which is November to April here.

Posted by Bill Brandenberger on January 18, 2008 at 10:24 AM EST #

I bought my '07 Civic Hybrid 10 months ago and have put on about 11,000 miles, averaging just under 42 mpg. I'd been hoping for more, but the hilly stop-and-go driving through the neighborhoods of Arlington, VA seem to drag down the higher mileage I get on the Interstates. The best I've been able to sustain is 48 mpg driving from D.C. to Philadelphia. For that I had to stay down in the 55-60 mph range. When I drive more in line with the rest of the traffic around 70 mph, my mileage goes down to about 44 mpg. I've also noticed the colder winter weather siphoning off a few more mpg. I'd really like to see the electric motor contribute more. When I'm cruising along on the highway with a full charge, I wonder why doesn't the electric kick in and help out more. I have a hypothesis that if I accelerate quickly and use the electric motor to its fullest capability the fuel consumption is less than if I accelerate slowly with no help from the electric. Anybody have any thoughts on that?

Posted by Jim Chung on January 26, 2008 at 03:18 AM EST #

I have a 1993 Honda Civic 4 dr, DX. It has over 270,000 miles and still gets over 35mpg on the regular 87 octane, up to 46 mpg highway at 65-70 mph. Why are new cars sucking more gas, i.e. just sucking period. P.S. I have installed a glass pack for less back pressure. A bit louder but it's added a few hp.

Posted by Seth Fisher on January 29, 2008 at 02:10 PM EST #

I purchased 2008 Civic Hybrid and already have 6600 miles on it. I too am frustrated with the fuel efficiency. If I drive 55mph on flat roads I can get 45mpg. But in the real world I inhabit, I'm doing 70-80mph as a salesman, trying to make a living, and I only get 35-37mpg. Less than that on rolling hills, and there's LOTS of them in the Carolinas. My mechanic told me that Civics use the electric-assist as a smaller percentage of power to the wheels as compared to Prius. Cold weather also hurts, as the tire pressure decreases, resulting in less efficiency of power to pavement. I keep thinking, I could have gotten the same mpg in a regular Civic....and my 2000 Hyundai Elantra got 31-33 highway, for thousands less money. So I had to wire the iPod to the stereo in the Elantra, big deal!

Posted by Robert on January 30, 2008 at 12:18 AM EST #

I purchased an 07 Civic hybrid last summer. Since then, I have driven about 15000 miles 50/50 city/highway. I live in ND, which is very flat. Consistent with other comments, highway MPG is pretty good (40-42 mpg) below 65 mph, and drops dramatically (to 33-37 mpg) when speeds of 70 to 75 mph are pursued. Another big issue on the highway is wind - which we also get a lot of here. I good headwind (20 + mph) will begin to dramatically and adversely affect mpg, but a good tailwind has the opposite effect although not as positive. City driving is routinely 40-45 mpg. HOWEVER, engine temperature and exterior tempurature are the MOST IMPORTANT factors for my mpg in town and on the highway. In winter, city driving mpg suffers dramatically because the the engine does not heat up so the batteries don't charge when braking. To obtain maximum benefit in these conditions, I coast to a stop and do very little braking and accellerate slower than normal. This helps, but is not enough and is only do-able, because I drive on non-busy roads mostly. The WORST thing for my MPG is EXTREME cold. When temps get below 10 degrees farenheit, the engine will not heat up enough to charge batteries when braking until i have driven for a good 5 miles - which puts me at work. On the highway, it is worse. I regularly drove 80 miles one way on the highway in the cold this winter. When exterior temps were below 10 degrees F, the fuel efficiency droppeds anywhere from 20-40%!!! Ya can't all that on the tires. So, I have been wondering if anyone has experimented with methods of keeping the engine warmer in winter? For example, has anyone in cold climates installed a block heater - which in theory, would allow braking/battery charging sooner because the engine is warmer to begin with? I have my doubts about how much this will help, since I keep my car in a semi-heated garage (approx 35-40 degrees F typically) and that does not seem to make much difference, other than starting and warm up are quicker when temps are below freezing outside. Another idea: Has anyone experimented with reducing airflow in the engine compartment during extreme cold weather - which, in theory would reduce heat loss fromthe engine in extreme cold? Truckers do this by blocking air coming into the engine compartment through the grills and I would guess that they know what they are doing.

Posted by Dave on March 16, 2008 at 10:47 PM EDT #

I own an 06 honda civic hybrid and I just wanted to comment on the gas mileage. I see the mileage in mine is around 50mpg at 55-60 mph. Also my son was in an accident and the safety features really saved him and his passenger from being hurt .The side and rear curtain airbags functioned great and stopped him from hitting his head on the window from the side impact. Love this car!!!

Posted by TANYA TOPETE on March 17, 2008 at 02:41 AM EDT #