One-Year Test Update: 2003 Honda Civic Hybrid
"Honda's successfully taken hybrid power from experiment to real-life use. I can't wait to see where it goes from here."
--Matt Stone
Photography by Matt Stone
When Honda introduced the Insight in '99, it was clear that gas/electric hybrid power had come of age, albeit in the form of a two-seater. For '03, Honda takes its proven Integrated Motor Assist and mates it with an 85-hp I-4 for a total of 93 hp, then drops the package into America's best-selling compact car--the Civic--a perfect candidate for a One-Year Test.
The LX-based ULEV sedan boasts EPA mileage ratings of 46/51 city/highway, and our Opal Silver Blue Metallic tester came sans the only option: a Continuously Variable Transmission. Why not opt for the CVT? We plan a few cross-country mileage runs during the car's tenure in our One-Year fleet, and the manual betters the slushbox mileage.
Our well-equipped green machine based at $19,550, with destination and handling tacking on $460 to total $20,010. After 800 miles, we're impressed with the package--especially Auto Stop, which shuts the engine off at stoplights to save fuel.
| Base price | $19,550 |
| Price as tested | $20,010 |
| Vehicle layout | Front engine, FWD, 4-door, 5-pass |
| Engine | 1.3L SOHC I-4, 2 valves/cyl, IMA assist |
| Hp @ rpm | 93 @ 5700 |
| Torque @ rpm | 116 @ 1500 |
| Transmission | 5-speed manual |
| 0-60 mph, sec | 11.3 |
| EPA mpg | 46 city/51 hwy |
| Total mileage | 824 |
| Average test mpg | 30.6 |
| Problem areas | None |
| Non-warr cost | $0 |