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TheCarConnection.com has driven the 2010 Honda Civic Hybrid to bring you this hands-on review that covers styling, performance, safety, utility, and features from on-the-road observations. TheCarConnection.com's editors also researched reviews from other sources to give you a comprehensive range of opinions from around the Web-and to help you decide which ones to trust.High Gear Media drove a manufacturer-provided Honda Civic Hybrid to produce this hands-on road test.
Likes:
- Excellent fuel efficiency
- "Regular car" handling
- Spacious front seats
Dislikes:
- Limited rear access
- Tight backseat space
- Lack of trunk pass-through
- Hard, jiggly ride
The 2010 Honda Civic Hybrid does just what it's designed to do: carry you and yours all over town with superb fuel efficiency. The four-door 2010 Civic Hybrid uses a blend of gasoline and electric power to achieve a real-world 45 mpg, but hardly anyone will know you're driving a hybrid. It's the hybrid for people who don't need to show off their green credentials. At a base price of $23,800, the Civic Hybrid competes with the Volkswagen Jetta TDI clean diesel sedan, the Honda Civic GX natural-gas vehicle, and the all-new 2010 Toyota Prius hybrid hatchback.
It takes a trained eye to tell the 2010 Honda Civic Hybrid apart from other Civics. Along with the other Civic four-door sedans, it got a new grille and lights last year; otherwise, it's unchanged for 2010. The Hybrid's minor exterior tweaks include different wheels, clear turn-signal lenses, turn indicators built into the side-view mirror housings, and a small trunk-lid spoiler. Inside, it sports blue lighting and a wonderfully rich blue cloth interior and blue vinyl dash cap.
The system at work in the 2010 Honda Civic Hybrid actually has five modes that let the electrics and gas engine work together in various ways. In theory, the Civic Hybrid can run on electric power alone, but we never experienced it for any noticeable duration. The powertrain consists of a 93-horsepower 1.3-liter four mated to Honda's Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) hybrid system. The engine is assisted by a 20-horsepower electric motor sandwiched between the engine and transmission. The Civic Hybrid is rated by the EPA at 40 mpg city, 45 highway. This is marginally lower than the 2010 Toyota Prius, at 51 mpg city, 48 mpg highway. After 10,000 miles, the difference in consumption between the two would be a mere 38 gallons.
