Is Honda’s new Civic Hybrid rewriting the rules for eco-friendly driving?

The UK, and indeed Europe in general, has been somewhat slow to latch onto the hybrid concept. Of the 130,000 hybrid vehicles Honda itself has sold since it first launched the Insight back in 1999, a mere 2,000 have been sold on the European market, though credit to the UK for being the biggest buyer in the EU at least.

Unusually, considering its traditional image as the world’s environmental bogeyman, the US has taken the lead in the West when it comes to embracing the new technology, with over a million hybrids on American roads.

This is perhaps in part inspired by the evangelising of Cameron Diaz, Leanardo di Caprio and the rest of the touchy-feely Hollywood set, who have elevated the Toyota Prius to similar levels of desirability to Liz Hurley’s little black dress or George Michael’s designer stubble circa 1985.

Indeed, the Prius has set the benchmark for other would-be players in the hybrid market, so much so that the Civic Hybrid has in the past been somewhat disparagingly referred to as ‘number two in a field of two’.

This is unfair on many levels. For a start, there are far more than two contenders in this particular field. The first widely available European hybrid was the Audi Duo, launched in 1997, and the current market also features strong contenders from Toyota’s upmarket sibling Lexus. Even MG had developed a hybrid version of the TF sports car, whose potential went unrealised following the much publicised demise of the UK’s last volume manufacturer.

None the less, in terms of the more affordable end of the market, the Prius and Civic do pretty much battle it out nose to nose, but there are more reasons to choose the Civic than a simple “I want something that isn’t a Prius.”

For a start, the Civic is a very different beast. While the Prius follows the slightly quirky tradition of electric vehicles, revelling in its jaunty body and loudly stating “look – I’m a slightly quirky eco-friendly vehicle,” all cute headlights and rounded edges, the Civic is at pains to look ‘normal’, and aside from the rear badging, it is identical to the four-door saloon standard model found on the Asian and American markets (aside from the hybrid, the Civic is, strangely, only available as a hatchback in the UK).

Performance- wise too the Civic seeks to be as close as possible to its traditional counterpart, just with lower emissions. Honda is keen to market the car as the first ‘no compromise’ alternative energy car, and this is thanks in large part to the electric motor, which ingeniously powers itself from the excess energy produced during deceleration, delivering an additional 20 PS on top of the economical 1.4-litre engine. This makes for a respectable total max power output of 115 PS of max power and a top speed of 115 mph. Allied with re-engineered MacPherson strut suspension in the front, a longer wheelbase than the previous model and multi-link double wishbone rear suspension this makes for a suitably sporty ride which the uninitiated may not expect from a hybrid.

Admittedly, having had the opportunity to drive the Civic’s petrol equivalent, i would have to say that the ride isn’t quite as satisfying, perhaps in part due to the automatic transmission, which as a manual driver I found cumbersome and
confusing at low speeds as my clutch foot twitched incessantly, though this would doubtless be solved with more time behind the wheel. Transmission aside, it’s still relatively early days for hybrid technology, and if this is an indication of things to come then the future looks bright, and less carbon-reliant.

The interior is a welcoming place to be too, and deceptively spacious for the midsized car outside. My own test model came with the optional £800 full leather trim and attendant bells and whistles, while the designers have taken advantage of the space created by the steeply raked windscreen to fit a dual zone instrument panel with many and spacious storage spaces. The upper part of the instrument panel features all the essential information such as speedometer, alongside an instantaneous fuel economy display, while in the lower zone the usual features such as climate control are joined by a battery charge indicator, informing the driver when the electric motor and engine are in use, charging or idle. Not of any great practical use, but fascinating to watch none the less.

All in all then, this is a very satisfying drive whose emissions levels will be music to the ears of fleet managers looking to reduce tax, LEZ and congestion zone costs. The performance, says Honda, is superior to a 1.6-litre model, while the emissions are more akin to a 1.1. The performance is matched with the looks that have made its traditional forebear a popular choice for those seeking a good looking, affordable car with a bit of power to match, and it may not be the way Honda wish to market the car, but at least it comes free of the handwringing wishy washy liberal sentiments that are seemingly automatically transposed onto Hollywood’s Prius-driving classes.

Verdict

This should be the hybrid that brings the concept out of the garage of your local Green Party candidate and into the local Halfords car park!