I know their are many discussions of the real world mileage controversy posted on these threads, but can someone simplfy it all for me, a prospective civic 07 hybrid buyer?
My main reason to buy is I want a high mileage safe vehicle. I know the safety is excellent ratings wise. As for mileage, i read so many opinions in different places from this forum to consumer reports to edmunds..
i will be a city driver 80%...
I am a conservative driver, and things are very stop and go here...mostly flat with some mild hills
What should I realistically expect to average?
Why are the reports so divergent?

 

The reports are divergent because there are many factors that play a role in the mileage you get. Some of them are:

Weather (cold is bad - actually the car's engine being cold is bad for mileage)
length of trip (short is bad - if the engine isn't warmed up)
hills (going UP hills is really bad)
Acceleration from a stop (fast is bad)

I can tell you that my work commute is 2.2 miles, mostly flat, 2 stop signs and 6 traffic lights. In the summer I get 45-50mpg. In the winter I get 25-33 mpg. The winter mileage is due to two or three things. First is that the engine (oil) is cold and it takes a lot more power to overcome the friction of the oil viscosity. Second is that the car doesn't autostop at lights until it's warmed up(or not at all in my 2.2 mile trip). And third - if you are constantly doing short distance, cold engine driving in the winter the regenerative braking won't kick in - depleting your SOC (statement of charge - batteries). It doesn't work until the battery pack is up to a certain temp (I think - someone correct me if I'm wrong). This is a killer too as it causes the car to go into forced regeneration mode after the batteries get down to 2 or 3 bars (of 8).

I think it really comes down to trip length and whether the car will get fully warmed up or not. Tell us a bit more about the trip length and weather in your area? Mostly flat terrain should work to your advantage.

Eric

 

Dougie,

Williaea's comments are spot on. I live near Buffalo, NY. We're getting the winter now that we didn't see earlier. Lately my mpg has been in the high 30's. I do have a block heater - but it doesn't overcome the real cold (20 F. and lower). My work commute and my wife's are under 10 miles. Even with one winter and part of another, I've gotten better than EPA lifetime. I would guess with 80% city you may get a little less than that, but high 40's are really possible in cold climates. If you check the HCH II database you will see a wide divergence in MPG. If you click on individual cars you can see their tank logs with temperature, driving time, % city/highway driving, and sometimes their zip code. If you click on the zip code you can see their home location. The cars in FL, CA,TX etc do better on MPG on average. Also the owners who have a 30 min commute or longer do better. Good luck with your decision. I love my '06 HCH Hybrid - it gets double the MPG of my '03 Forester.

 

BAsed on what you say I'd guess you'll get about EPA of 50.

BUT, one thing that happens to many of us with these cars is we start paying attention to the MPG meter on the dash board.
The instant feedback starts a transformation in you.

You start to zero the meter in the morning and try to get better MPG than yesterday.

I've been doing this for 3 years now and look at my mileage.

So, expect your MPG to get better and better with time.

 

I say if you commute is 2 miles... ride a bike.

 

I would expect 38-41mpg on average.

 

Welcome from another PA member (in Pittsburgh). You didn't tell us what your current ride is. If you are driving a Jeep at 18 mpg then anything over say 25 mpg should make you happy, over 35 mpg should be exciting and over 45 mpg should make you flip. My previous car was lucky to get 20 mpg and on my worst days I get in the low-40s but even my worst days now are more than double my old fuel economy. If you want a car that routinely runs off batteries at low speeds and short stop-and-go distances then look at the Prius (or go test-drive one). If you want a car that looks like a normal car then get the Civic. As much as I love my car the only thing that everyone asks me is, "Can it run off batteries only like the Prius?"

I drive about 1,000 miles a week (slightly under that in the last few weeks) so my savings in gas money is phenomenal (20 mpg before to 48 mpg now). You have shorter trips so it will take longer to pay out for you but that is also something to factor. Tire rotations every 5,000 miles; oil changes every 10,000 miles, routine maintenance never (hey - it's a Honda). A non-Hybrid gets oil changes every 3,000 miles so that is another $40-$60 you save every 10,000 miles. Wheeeee.

 

Thanks for all of the thoughtful replies. My average drive is about 5-10 miles is all. Honolulu weather so cold means 72...<:
I drive about 10K miles per year so I wont pay for the car compared to a regular civic I doubt...

 

Well don't forget about a 2004 or 2005 (used) Civic Hybrid at half the price of the new one and still around 40-50 mpg but wouldn't a surfboard work better for you out that way? <kidding>

 

1/2 the price? Not even 2 K off for a used Hybrid here...
http://lycos.honolulu.oodle.com/brow..._civic_hybrid/

Great resale; lousy for me to buy a used car imo