Having one car that does everything is a brilliant concept, but it can be difficult to find in real life without breaking the bank. If you’re shopping in the $30,000 to $35,000 bracket, you probably want something economical yet powerful, spacious yet compact, well-made, with decent tech, and oh, can it also be a hatchback? Creating something that meets all these criteria is one hell of an engineering challenge, and yet the Honda Civic Hybrid Hatchback might just be the easy button you’re looking for.
Mind you, it does have some huge expectations to live up to. When I drove the Accord Hybrid last year, I mused that if Honda put that two-motor hybrid setup in a Civic, the automaker could create the greatest daily driver on the market. However, that’s just a theory – what about in practice? Let’s hit the road and find out.
[Full disclosure: Honda Canada let me borrow this Civic Hatchback Hybrid for a week so long as I kept the shiny side up, returned it with a full tank of fuel, and reviewed it.]
The Basics
Engine: Two-liter twin-cam naturally aspirated Atkinson cycle inline-four.
Battery: 1.05 kWh lithium-ion.
Output: 200 combined horsepower.
Drive: Front-wheel-drive, two electric motor/generators, one clutched fixed ratio for the combustion engine.
Fuel Economy: 50 MPG city, 45 MPG highway, 48 MPG combined.
Body Style: Five-door compact hatchback.
Base Price: $31,300 including freight ($38,461.50 Canadian)
Price As-Tested: $35,755 including freight ($42,261.50 Canadian)
Why Does The Honda Civic Hatchback Hybrid Exist?
The Civic is one of the world’s best-selling cars, so building the hybrid hatchback was partly a matter of parts bin engineering. Much of the powertrain is shared with the Accord Hybrid and CR-V Hybrid, the hatchback body itself is built in Indiana, and the result is a car that just makes sense. People love Honda Civics, people love hatchback practicality, people love hybrid fuel economy, and this thing promises all three.
How Does It Look?
On first glance, the Honda Civic Hatchback Hybrid looks rather smart, especially in Boost Blue. As part of the 2025 facelift, the Beluga front end’s been toned down, the front bumper deletes its fog lights and adopts more honest air curtains in place of mostly fake corner vents, and the rear bumper hides its exhaust tips in modesty. It’s a world away from the over-the-top previous-generation car, and a look that should age well.
What About The Interior?
Honda calls its interior design language “simplicity and something,” which sounds farcical until you drop down into the Civic Hatchback Hybrid’s interior and realize that there really is something going on here. The cabin’s conventional, yet thoughtfully made, with soft vinyl on the dashboard and door cards, soft stitched armrests, pleasant satin surfaces on high-touch areas, and a natty full-width air vent treatment. It’s certainly one of the more upscale compact car cabins, not quite as opulent as the cockpit of a Mazda 3, but still beautifully made.
What’s more, you get a heck of a lot more space inside the Civic Hybrid Hatchback than you get in a Mazda 3, or even in a Prius. Not only does the driver’s seat feature loads of adjustment, but the rear seat’s commodious enough for three adults to co-exist back there without much complaining, and the cargo area’s enormous. We’re talking 24.5 cu.-ft. of space with the rear seats up, just as much as you get in the HR-V crossover.
How Does It Drive?
The first thing you need to know about the Civic Hatchback Hybrid is that it doesn’t have a transmission as such. See, one electric motor drives the wheels, a second electric motor acts primarily as a generator, and there’s one fixed ratio for the combustion engine to clutch in and assist at higher speeds. The result is a hybrid with the whipped butter smoothness of an EV. Pulling away from a stop, the response is light-switch instant, and with 200 combined horsepower and electric motor torque, it’s surprisingly easy to light up a tire. Consider that your first clue to how the Civic Hatchback Hybrid isn’t like any other hybrid in its segment.
For one, it’s genuinely quick. Figure zero-to-60 mph in the low six-second range, about on pace with an early Porsche Boxster. What’s more, because the engine rarely provides direct forward motivation, the revs never soar unless you’re trying to push the gas pedal through the floorpan and Flintstone it. The result is a sophisticated sort of quiet refinement that pairs well with outstanding fuel economy. Although winter tires, cold weather, and the arrhythmic cut-and-thrust of Toronto traffic combined to tank my real-world consumption, I still averaged nearly 40 MPG in worst-case conditions, lots of short trips, and an enthusiastic foot. With a more relaxed driving environment and all-season rubber, expect well north of 40 MPG.
As for the ride and handling, Civics usually have a reputation for being more engaging than most economy cars, and this latest model’s no exception. Although the limit of grip on winter rubber is low, the chassis is so confidently exploitable that it goads you into big speed around on-ramps, while the suspension irons out pockmarked pavement beautifully. Sure, the steering doesn’t offer any real feel, but it’s well-weighted and accurate, meaning my only nit to pick is a slightly mushy brake pedal before you push through the regenerative braking and really into the hydraulics.
Does It Have The Electronic Crap I Want?
Short of ventilated front seats, this top trim has almost every gizmo you’d expect. Heated seats, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, an easy-to-navigate digital gauge cluster, a moonroof, and all the active safety features expected from a loaded mainstream car. As a bonus, this Canadian model gets a heated steering wheel, and it gets properly toasty.
However, more impressive than the toys on offer is the fact that you don’t have to learn much to use anything. The heated seats are operated using actual buttons, all the climate controls are buttons and knobs, there’s a physical home button for the infotainment and a physical volume knob. If you hopped out of a 2012 Civic and into a 2025 model, it would feel substantially more luxurious, but it wouldn’t feel like a spaceship. That’s a huge win for Honda.
Also worth noting, the Bose eight-speaker audio system is definitely one of the cleanest branded audio systems in the subcompact segment. It’s not quite as crisp as the Bose system in the Mazda 3, but with surround sound turned off and a few little equalizer tweaks, I have no real complaints for the price.
Three Things To Know About The Honda Civic Hybrid Hatchback
- It doesn’t have a transmission.
- Because the driver’s heated seat button can be obscured by the steering wheel, Honda thoughtfully displays the heated seat level on the touchscreen.
- The side-mounted roller-style cargo cover can be turned 180 degrees for better left-handed operation.
Does It Fulfil Its Purpose?
The Honda Civic Hybrid Hatchback doesn’t just fulfil its purpose, it’s a new benchmark. In every category, it’s absolutely, perfectly, precisely enough. You’ll never want more, but you also won’t want to settle for less. Sure, it’s expensive for a compact hatchback, but when you consider that it offers Prius-like fuel economy, crossover-like interior and cargo space, sport compact car-like acceleration, the right amount of tech, and the right amount of luxury, its price can be justified in a heartbeat. As an all-rounder, this is the best new car you can buy for around $35,000 fully loaded.
What’s The Punctum Of The Honda Civic Hybrid Hatchback?
Honda might’ve just made the perfect daily driver.
Top graphic image: Thomas Hundal
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Making a note to myself to look at these in a few years when I’m in the market to replace my old Prius. I sat in a new Prius while I was in getting an alignment recently and the cabin feels very cramped (actually all of the Toyotas I sat in felt smaller than I expected). This isn’t as attractive from the outside, but the interior looks much better and if it’s also larger it may be a good fit for me.
“Not only does the driver’s seat feature loads of adjustment” huh?? I thought the Civic does not have lumbar adjustment.
This looks really nice, great specs, price is just ok, but I’m glad it’s a hatchback. That dash almost looks retro. Don’t love how the touchscreen sticks up out of the dash but I could live with it.
Buried in the story: They gave you a press loaner with winter tires! Extra star for Honda! I’ve been in Edmonton renting a car at the airport in the dead of winter and asked about winter tires and they looked at me like I had just had arrived from another planet.
Interesting, apart from the smaller battery pack, the drive train sure sounds like the Voltec system. Maybe in the future, there will be enough room to shove a decent sized battery pack for a PHEV Civic?
One can hope!
I considered this but ended up with a 2025 AWD Hybrid Maverick instead. No ragrets but the Civic’s interior shits all over the Maverick’s. If only they put this hybrid architecture in the HR-V; that would be a perfect daily driver.
I’m sure it’s coming soon. Honda is likely feeling the pressure from Toyota’s entirely hybridized line-up.
Why pick this over a comparable Prius?
So it is about where the ICE motor plays it’s part in propulsion. Is it acting as a generator like the civic or is it actually moving the vehicle. The generator ICE means that you would get the same mileage highway or city in the civic. Whereas the Prius has the ICE drive the wheels. So you would get great mileage in the city running the electric motor but at highway you will run the ICE and lose economy.
The Civic also has the engine drive the wheels, as stated in the article. At highway speeds, a clutch will kick in and directly drive the wheels, just like in a Volt.
Prius advantages: more mpg per dollar; runs a smidge cheaper agains the hybrid sedan, cheaper still hatch-to-hatch.
Civic advantages: more features per dollar in comparable trims, more passenger space (EPA midsize vs. compact), more hatch cargo space.
The Prius gets better MPG, but the Civic hatch offers leagues more interior and cargo space, and feels like it has more sophisticated chassis and steering calibration.
Interesting. I was thinking they were similar in size. Good to know.
They’re definitely similar in exterior size, but the Civic is in another world of packaging efficiency. The trunk is huge in the same way that you pop the trunk of a BMW 2002 and discover an unexpectedly enormous amount of room, except the Civic does all the modern passive safety stuff brilliantly.
Oh ok, so the magic that made the fit impossibly massive has been applied to the Civic now. Good to know
If I ever buy another car, I’m not going to quibble over an mpg or two, but I want to plant my bottom in a space that will coddle me as I want to be coddled in my dotage years. And be fun to drive. So, Thomas, review noted.
And re: other posters’ comments, a PHEV version would be the frosting on the cake.
Another thing that might be important: Ventilated seats are available on the top trim Prius, but not available on the Civic. And Wireless AA/Carplay are available on the base spec Prius, but is an upgrade on the Honda.
Far better ergonomics for the driver. Toyota’s instrument display is plain stupid. Also, normal rear door handles. None of that stupid trendy c-pillar stuff that are a pain to use. I’ll give the Prius points for otherwise looking really cool, but styling is not design, and the design does not work as well.
I thought the new Prius looked good till I looked at the interior.
Rear headroom is also an issue in the Prius, I believe.
For me it would be the Prius because Honda still refuses to offer AWD on their cars. In New England and living on Hill Road (yes, actually) it’s sort of mandatory.
Did Toyota improve the driving feel of the Prius dramatically?
I have no recent experience but my 2007 Civic drove so much better than our 2008 Prius that it really soured me on the Prius.
I’ve not driven one but everything I’ve read says absolutely yes.
I wish they could set it up like the original insight so it could be offered with a manual.
FWIW, the CRZ had a 6M, IIRC.
A good, solid car that’s for the masses, but not me. I’d totally recommend one of these to people who are not really into cars, they’ll love it.
It’s a really trivial thing to place so high on the priority list, but I like driving things that are a bit more unique. I also think Civics looked a lot better a few generations ago. It’s still too aggressive. The larger Accord can pull this look off but the Civic should be happy looking.
Give me a yellow 1973 Honda CVCC 3 door hatch.
You’re definitely not alone in liking unique cars here.
I would certainly prefer a more squared off hatch, but other than that I really have no notes. If I were in the market for such a thing, this would squeak out the win over the 3 hatch, which unfortunately doesn’t really have windows.
That bright blue is genuinely nice, and the wheels, while a bit busy looking, are OK enough to just get new tires instead of replacing the wheels too when the time comes. The current (and last) gen of interiors has been quite decent: not over the top, but not bargain-basement either. And Civic hatches swallow a LOT of cargo… a friend of mine has one and he’s really loaded it up with amps and guitars and stuff, so that’s good.
Some concerns though: so, this doesn’t have that Honda CVT? I’ve driven a few different recent Hondas with the 1.5 turbo and CVT and to be honest, I didn’t like it that much. I’d SO MUCH RATHER have the older 2.0 liter Civic engine (before this Atkinson-cycle one) and a manual, or since they’re never going to do what I want, a regular automatic like Mazda still manages to produce. I understand Thomas feels it drives well for what it is, and TBH that actually counts for a lot given how much of his other stuff I’ve read… but still… the whole 1.5/CVT thing gives me pause. BTW, hybrids CAN have manuals: the first mass-market hybrid in the states was Honda’s own/original Insight, and that car could be had with a manual. Imagine how
niceamazing it would be if THIS blue hatchback could be optioned with a manual too?Then there’s the bugaboo (bugbear? I dunno… some kind of bug): the price. Edmunds says the Civic Hybrid in sport trim MSRPs for a hair under US$30K, and the more popular sport touring trim runs just under $33K. I KNOW everything is expensive now everywhere (and bound to get even more expensive with dealers already adjusting prices due to tarrifs) and I KNOW that the average new car retails for about $48K, etc… blah blah blah… but the reality is that $30-33K means fairly close to $40K once tax, title, and registration are figured in, and that’s assuming your local dealer doesn’t want to bend you over for a ‘dealer premium’ or ‘undercoating’ or a set of $200+ floor mats, etc…
I KNOW Honda would never, but there ought to be a truly base version of the Civic Hybrid (heck, steelies with hubcaps would be FINE and if you made them decent looking, you could even skip the hubcaps) and some of the doodads removed (I like, but can surely live without, heated seats, and I’d gladly decline painted mirrors, door handles, etc…) that squeezed in under the $25K mark. Of course, they’d have no interest in doing so, when folks probably line up to buy ones costing $5-8K more.
The prior (10th) generation Civic Hatchback was available in Sport trim with the 1.5T/6MT combo and had an MSRP of around $25K. I would love to buy a Hybrid Civic Hatch with steelies that was under $30K but it isn’t going to happen anytime soon. I owned a sedan with the 2.0/6MT and replaced it with a 1.5T/6MT hatch.
I know from numerous test drives at dealers and friend’s homes that Honda manual transmissions are often quite lovely to use. I recall only one (a 90s Accord) that felt sloppy with crazy-long throws, but it was probably needed service.
I can only ever think of the 80s new-wave/pop group Madness doing that JDM TV commercial for the Honda City car with the Motocompo in the back when I read/say/hear “Honda” anymore: https://youtu.be/Jq6JL1lhLIw
Not that that’s a bad thing. 🙂
Damn, you must have massive sales taxes! My GR86 was (a hair) under $30k including tax, title, and registration with MA 6.25% sales tax and a few small dealer add-ons I did not request.
As someone who dislikes a bunch of junk, I wish removing that minor equipment would knock the price down that much, but it wouldn’t. They tend to include the options for these kinds of cars because the drivetrain cost means they have to charge a good deal more anyway, so they throw in those options to make it more enticing at the price they need to sell them at. Family lore has it that my notoriously cheap great-grandfather (in fairness, he did have 21 kids) bought a car in the ’30s with only one arm rest (and I think sun visor) because it saved him something like two dollars, but they don’t make cars that way anymore. Manufacturing, a bit like war, is largely under appreciated as a game of logistics and simplification of assembly and reduction of parts numbers often means greater savings than offering a base and higher end option (especially when few customers order the former, which is a triumph of marketing and finance games, but still a bit on us in general for falling for it). It’s also why cars will often come with the wiring in place for options that aren’t installed—one harness to test, order, stock, instal, etc.—or even why the equipment sometimes will be installed, but disabled either via software or dummy switch. Never mind stripper versions of models, hardly anyone is even making bottom end models anymore.
“21 kids!?” WTH?
$2. was probably a decent chunk of change back in the 1930s. 😉
But of course you’re right re: simplification = reduced costs (for the manufacturer, not necessarily for the consumer).
It makes me a bit sad though. What if you just want a base car, but gotta have a sunroof, etc…?
I forget if it was actually 22, but one died at birth or if it was 21 including the one who died. The older kids would help with the younger ones. My great grandmother was indigenous American and probably not even 5′, but obviously quite rugged. She died when I was pretty young, but I remember she had a good sense of humor. She needed it.
As ridiculous as it sounds, it’s annoying to have to get all kinds of crap you don’t want, even if it isn’t really that much more—I don’t even want it in the car. From a waste and weight standpoint, I don’t like it. At least I’m not alone in that feeling (recalls backlash to U2’s free album downloaded to iPhones without permission).
Well, that one died at birth or shortly thereafter, is sad.
After buying a lightly used Peugeot 504 back in the 70s, with a sunroof, I have not been able to buy something without one. I’m not into convertibles, but not being able to let the sun and air in from over my head has been a non-starter for me ever since. So, Porsche Caymans have been, sadly, off the menu.
I usually find myself not using the sunroof much in cars that I’ve owned, even for decades. But then again, I’ve got a factory hardtop on my NA Miata and haven’t taken it off once since I bought it maybe 5 years ago (it looks good, and I never installed this kayak-pulley-garage-ceiling thing that would make installing/removing the top easier by myself).
I would LOVE to own an early Cayman (base 2.7 liter engine would be FINE). I’d also like to try/own some sort of EV at some point. I’m almost 60 now, so chances are maybe 50/50 that I ever will.
Unpopular opinion: I like the exterior of the old model better.
Though I like the interior of the new model.
But the lack of driver engagement with losing the 1.5T w 6MT is deeply disappointing
I don’t disagree. When the fake vents were kept to a minimum, the old one didn’t look so bad. It looked a little leaner, and in turn wore smaller wheels better – 16-17″ wheels tend to look under-tired on the current one to me. Or maybe that’s just that they’re often duller wheel designs too.
Weirdly, I thought I’d miss the 1.5T 6MT combo far more than I actually did, probably because the rev hang with the 6MT was a buzzkill. I need to try one with a Hondata flash or something to see if that tunes out the rev hang.
Agreed. The previous (10th) gen was definitely extreme, but it had strong character, and showed full commitment. The bumper ‘vents’ were a bit much, but the lighting, proportions and surfacing were very creative, very Honda. They look like nothing else on the road.
This new model just seems confused. It’s been out for 3 years, and it hasn’t really grown on me. The side profile and surfacing feel very plain, very VW Jetta. The strong hood brow has grown into this bulbous growth, making the front end appear no less aggressive, yet now strangely aquatic. The current CRV looks better, but also feels like they were copying Mazda’s homework.
Generally I think Honda had a great thing going with the styling that debuted on the 10th gen Civic- The ‘face’ is still alive on the 2025 Odysey, and it looks great. It was always going to be a challenge to follow up such bold designs, but IMO they chickened out.
I like that they fully committed to it in the 10th gen.
The 11th gen feels styled by committee.
I’m currently considering one of these to replace both my CR-Z and GTI, as I love the hybridness (but mostly the cheapness of the Honda to maintain), but 1-2 times a year, it’s nice to have more than 130 HP and two seats; I like the GTI’s power, but dislike the turbo lag.
My only gripe with the current Civic hatch is that there’s only one interesting color – that electric blue – and it seems like 40% of the ones I’ve seen have been that color. I would really love it in a green or something other than grayscale – even their beige color is a little enticing, and that’s sad.
Reading this gives me pause – I’ve been in the CX-50 and CX-90 recently, and while they certainly weren’t cheap, “opulent” is far from what Mazda interiors feel like these days. Sure, they’re nice, but my last-gen GTI is nicer than anything I’ve seen from Mazda recently; that the Honda is less nice as the current Mazda is not good IMO.
I love Japanese cars for all the reasons you mention, but very few of them have interiors that aren’t outmatched by the German (or even older American) cars in the price range I’m shopping in.
I appreciate a good appliance as much as anyone, but this is a bit sad to read, especially here.
I certainly want, appreciate, and expect more from my cars than a Civic hybrid is able to offer.
I feel like the Venn Diagram of Viper buyers and Hybrid Civic buyers looks like a set of goggles wide enough to fit on Benedict Cumberbatch’s face.
I mean, that’s not all I own!
I have a minivan and truck that are decidedly not enthusiast oriented. When I had a long commute, I used to own a 1.0 Ecoboost Fiesta. I’m not opposed to driving something small or boring if the circumstances call for it.
But I do think it’s wrong to imply a Civic can provide everything for everyone.
I think it’s fair in that if the majority were to actually use this for their daily needs, it would probably be the best fit for the fuel economy it returns.
There are fringe cases. Any of us who haul, or who are just stubborn (I still have yet to own a FWD) will not fit in the box, but not everyone does.
That’s car stereotyping! I drive an EV, AND a 7.4 liter pickup truck. And a Grand Marquis.
None of those are a Viper, and thus do not make it into the Venn diagram.
True, and adding the HP made by both still don’t match what a Viper puts out 🙁
Yeah, rather than saying you’ll never want more, it would have been better to say you’ll never need more. Which is probably more true, excepting people that need minivans, or completely other classes of vehicle.
But just having a perfectly acceptable Civic, isn’t going to stop me from wanting a 911 or a ’68 Hemi Dart…
My only nit to pick is that the battery is awfully tiny. I don’t really want more power (if I were to die a little and go hybrid), I just want it to last longer. My wife’s Lexus ct200h (1.3kWh) won’t use battery-only unless in a parking lot going less than 20mph, and even then it will go about a mile. Goal is to go 45mph for 5 miles (coincidentally my wife’s commute) on battery only. Worse, the battery isn’t even used until the engine gets warm. She gets about 35mpg to work and back. I get about 40mpg on long highway trips.
It can get filled after about 5 miles on the highway, but any downhill on cruise control will overfill it quite quickly.
New Prius Prime has a 13.6kWh battery, weighs only 3500lbs (about 500lbs more than my Matrix). If I have to give up fun, it has to be worth something. (I’d probably keep the Matrix for the fun.) 600 miles on one tank (assuming full batteries as well)
Bigger batteries in most hybrids don’t actually improve fuel economy all that much. After a certain point the battery is simply big enough to meet the typical charge/discharge cycle needed to maximize efficiency and almost every hybrid on the market today probably has a big enough battery to hit that point. Look at what the Prius Prime nets when running strictly off gas and not plugged in, 48mpg combined (or 52mpg depending on trim) compared to a normal Prius at 57mpg combined. Hybrids get their efficiency because they are continually harvesting “wasted” energy and then deploying it. Creating a bigger storage bank isn’t all that helpful as hybrids rarely need to store that much anyways. After you cross a certain point, your just lugging around more weight.
The reason your ct200h doesn’t stick to battery only at higher speeds is that the electric motor isn’t powerful enough and it needs the gas engine for additional propulsion; it’s not that the battery is too small. When you don’t have the ability to plug in a hybrid but put a substantially larger battery in it; you’d more or less just have the engine running to charge the battery more frequently and probably see a marginal gain in efficiency at best. You can even see this when people replace batteries in old Prius’s with new, higher density ones, the gains are fairly minimal for most people.
This is true, but the economy penalty can be offset if the driver actually plugs in the car (assuming the larger sized battery=PHEV). Volt’s are “notorious” for poor hybrid fuel economy, the most I’ll ever see is about 40-42 mpg on the highway running on the engine. But, since I do 90% of my driving on electric alone, the trade off is worth it.
Honda has been eliminating lower trims, I assume because their cars are selling well and they’re better off optioning them higher. The hatch was available as LX but no more. Base engine is lackluster and the price of admission for the hybrid is high. The Civic is the size of older Accords, they need something cheaper. The HR-V is underpowered and not any cheaper, and it completes directly with the Civic hatch. Fit if gone.
I think they should follow Toyota and make the hybrid standard in the Accord and possibly in the Civic and option it to the HR-V.
If only there were a Honda hatchback, one size smaller than a civic, with a versatile and useful interior space.
Something like a fit?
I don’t think anyone has played as much hokey-pokey with base trims as Honda has. Mazda might be close, but they’ve added a new base trim here and there in some of the older lines like 3 and CX-5.
The LX hatch seemed to be first to go when they did those cuts, even in the prior gen. Not sure if that’s buyers being equally likely to just step up to an HR-V LX around the same price.
Honda seems to be positioning the Civic as their core car line, at the expense of the Accord. Civic has been pulling ahead and outsold the Accord nearly 2:1 in Q1 this year, and outsold the Corolla despite being considerably more expensive (but also seems to have way better inventory).
With the CR-V and Accord they were aiming for >50% mix of hybrids and it’s steadily been higher than number; the hybrid positioned as something of an upgrade in most models, especially in the Civic. I get the sense eventual full-hybrid lineups might have been the plan, but could also see those plans being pulled back some with the current state of…things. Hybrid HR-V seems like a no-brainer but I think that is dependent on production lines as ours are built in Mexico, which is also where Honda was going to build hybrid Civics in the future.
Plump up the back hatch more like a Mazda Protege5 and make it AWD and it’d be perfect.
I can see this tech slowly trickling into the HRV and CRV.
I’m going full Goldilocks on this . . . Civic is too small. CRV is too big . . .
HRV?
I’m asking for a wagon without asking for a wagon.
I, too, dream of electric wagons.
If i wanted a wwd hybrid I’d roll a prius prime.
I always kinda wanted a Civic, but the previous generation was butt-ugly and this one is just slightly better. It would be interesting, though, to drive a Honda, of all things, wherein the “revs never soar”. I have a feeling that, were it a Toyota, it would be called boring.
Is this a better buy over a Camry hybrid though? Or a Prius?
I paid $28400 for my ’25 Camry LE and regularly see 55-60 mpg in mixed driving. I considered the Civic hybrid but it was less space for more money. If Honda didn’t want hybrid to = sport I might have considered it more – no interest in paying to replace 18″ tires.
The Civic is negligibly smaller on the interior.
Is this a better buy over a Camry hybrid though? Or a Prius?
I think it’s pretty much the same as a Prius. I guess the Civic looks more “normal” whereas nobody will mistake a Prius for anything but a Prius. If I was in this market, I’d buy at whichever dealer offered me a better deal, and would be perfectly happy either way.
Over the Toyotas, the Honda is much more space efficient. The Prius is about the same size outside, but smaller inside. The Camry roughly splits the difference between the Civic and Accord in exterior dimensions, but is actually close to the Civic in interior and trunk space, even comparing sedans (hatch gives even more flexibility of course).
Pricewise I know some mention the Camry doesn’t cost that much more, but in my area Camry MSRPs seem to start where a loaded hybrid Civic sedan tops out, so a big contrast in features. That feature packaging either works for you or doesn’t in typical Honda fashion – heated seats are standard on the hybrid which would be a few grand more for the Toyotas, but the Honda requires the moonroof too and only has wireless Carplay/Android Auto on top trim only vs. standard on the Toyotas. No spare on the hybrid – Camry has one, Prius doesn’t. Civic lacks some creature comforts that aren’t necessarily significant or needed but one might just expect for the price they’re asking, and/or were maybe cut so you still step up to an Accord – rear seat vents, adjustable driver’s lumbar.
IMO the Civic probably covers a majority of use cases whereas Toyota’s strategy seems to be a variety of products. If you just want a simple commuter it’s probably whatever ends up the better deal like Eggsalad said especially for any features you want.
Toyota also doesn’t offer a hybrid Corolla hatchback, and builds it on a shorter wheelbase than the sedan with a shockingly tiny cargo space behind the back seat.
I’m not sure what is up with Toyota’s interior packaging. Every model has been shrinking inside over the last generation or two. When they introduced the prior generation Corolla, they boasted how it had more rear legroom than the also-new Avalon.
Mazdas run tight for their segments but that can be attributed to styling choices. I’m not sure what Toyota’s reason would be. An obvious answer would be that they are nudging you to move up to the bigger, more expensive model, but the differences are a little drastic and all seems to coincide with the switch to TNGA. Maybe it’s a function of packaging around the hybrid variants, since they manage to pull off fewer compromises there with little difference between a hybrid and regular version. That wasn’t always the case before, past ones usually sacrificed some cargo space; they also usually offer spare tires which comparable hybrids from Honda and some others don’t.
It’s significantly quicker 0-60 than the Toyotas.
I’m just glad it has actual colors. And that you ragged on how tryhard the previous gen civic is. It’s like they started with the type r and worked backwards
I know that I should want one of these, but I don’t. Now, squeeze all of these goodies into a two-door mini pickup and we can talk. I won’t even insist on a manual. Come on, please.
Ford already did, it’s called the Maverick hybrid.
I think that it’d be hard to cut the Maverick down to a two-door mini pickup and retain the hybrid system, but I would love to see some mad scientist try it.
Nope, too big. I mean a true mini truck. Otherwise the Maverick is just fine.
Drove a similar powertrain in my Dad’s CRV Hybrid and really liked it. Mix it with a lighter, attractive hatchback, and it’s a winner. It does put the Civic SI in an awkward spot tho.
I dunno… diversifying on the same platform, with a parts-bin drivetrain, makes economic sense, right? Especially when hybrids are so hot right now, BUT there will always be some enthusiasts wanting a 6-speed ICE.
Or, for the more conspiracy minded, this could be a toe in the water to see how a hybrid Si with no manual might sell in the next generation
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Yeah unfortunately there is no perfect civic. An Si with a hatch would be awfully close though.
Had 2 civic SIs w/ hatches. Loved them, even w/ the hummingbird heartbeat gearing. Got 32mpg on my 60 mile commute w/the 89, less w/ the 2002. Had cargo room enough.
The transmission sounds very much like the Toyota Prius transmission, which I very much much like.
The French worker jacket blue is very nice,
Yeah, I’ve got a Corolla Cross (Prius drivetrain, unfortunately missing one balance shaft in the ICE), so I’ve tried to wrap my head around hybrid system Wikipedia pages as much as possible. When I read this I was like, “that sounds a lot like an eCVT…”
Actually now that I think about it, the Honda has two electric motors, one of which is usually a generator and when the ICE is connected to the wheels it is at a fixed ratio.
It is not at all as sophisticated as the Toyota system.
While I’m a big fan of the Ford Hybrid system like Toyota currently uses, the Honda system is definitely simpler mechanically and in the control software.
The dog clutch is definitely cheaper than a planetary gear set, however the Honda style system requires larger starter/generator and traction motor along with the higher capacity wiring and electronics to support them.
The big plus side to the Honda system is in PHEV use it was originally designed for which they have unfortunately not brought to our shores in any significant numbers. It is really bad since a PHEV CR-V is available in other markets and the RAV-4 PHEV has often had a waiting list and carried an ADP sticker here in the US.
Yes, the Toyota/Ford system is a really neat transmission that eliminates torque converters, clutches, and belts but has constantly engaged gears. It also, depending on the size of the battery and motors, makes a good hybrid system.
The Honda system is strictly a series hybrid with the equivalent of a lockup torque converter that also runs on batteries using the ICE as a range extender when it’s not in lockup mode. The Honda system doesn’t handle edge cases so well. Also, I am dubious that a dog clutch is more reliable that a planetary gear set.
But let a thousand flowers bloom!
Note, I only said the dog clutch was simpler, but In general a dog clutch can be very reliable and durable, if designed and programed well. Honda’s basic design has been around for a few years and so far it seems reliable and durable.
Argh
I was thinking sprag clutches not dogs. I have a mental block thinking of dogs as clutches. Yes dogs are as simple and rugged as as you can get. I suppose an ECU could do speed matching and bypass the whole crash box thing. Especially if it’s only engaged at speed.
It’s not a dog clutch or a sprag clutch – just a wet multi-plate friction clutch.
The Honda iMMD system has been out for over ten years, and many of the cars (including my Accord) have racked up a lot of miles with very few problems related to the hybrid system.
The iMMD is a series hybrid when the clutch is disengaged. That’s smooth, but it’s not ideal for efficiency. When the clutch is engaged, it becomes a parallel hybrid with a fixed gear ratio.
In my opinion, it works pretty well for most scenarios – it’s really good in traffic jams – but it’s not great for a hilly or curvy back road, where accelerating out of corners or climbing hills requires more power than the engine can deliver in the (overdrive) fixed gear ratio, so it’s running as a series hybrid and the motor will often be revving high to deliver the power needed.
Was curious about battery cycles and wearing out the small battery early with electric drive almost all the time. I guess they thought of that too.
It seems obvious that they would think of that, but…