Honda Car Forum

In a few months I will be driving from Baton Rouge to Dallas (6 hrs) and back about 3 times a month. I currently own a V6 Accord which isn't too gas efficient for long drives, not to mention the ridiculous $542/month car note that I really want to get out of! So anyway, I want to trade my car in for either a Civic Hybrid or just a regular Civic. Which one would I benefit from the most in the long run? A Civic with a smaller note but lower gas mileage...or a Hybrid with a little higher note but better gas mileage? Also, is it okay to run a Hybrid battery for a 6 hour drive? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!Re: to Stupid Flanders - The 542/month is from negative equity. I'm currently spending close to $300/month on gas alone, so with my car note, gas and insurance - I pay almost a grand to drive! I think I'll pay my Accord down for a few more months or until I can break even, then trade in for a Civic EX or LX instead of a Hybrid.

Without knowing anything about your current situation except your car payment, I would have to say that I would not get another car to save a few bucks a week in gas. If you are paying $542/month for an Accord, you either have an extremely high interest rate, you rolled an upside-down loan into the loan for it, or you financed for under 48 months. If it were either of the first 2, you need to pay the Accord off before buying anything else or you will just continue to mount car loan debt. In addition, hybrids are going for a premium now, which means over sticker and waiting lists for new one's. I own a hybrid, but bought it in early 2007, when you could get them for invoice. Now, it just isn't worth it. I don't suggest you trade your Accord, but if you decide not to take my advice, look at something like the Civic LX, the Fit or the Corolla. For those people don't even own a Hybrid and say they are bad on gas on the highway - I average 49 mpg highway going 65 mpg. A Civic Hybrid isn't quite that good, but it bothers me when people just throw out things they know nothing about.

Is the Hybrid gas/electric combo? If so, chances are the electric will just shut off on the highway and you will be running a gas motor anyway. Recently looked into an Escape Hybrid for my girlfriend. We live ina rural area and she drives the interstate to work every day. The Escape Hybrid just burned gas the whole time. Highway driving is the best mileage you'll get on a gasser. The same girlfriend and I took a trip through the mountains of Tennessee with an Olds Alerro with a V-6. Got 32 mpg on the tank that had all interstate driving.

Hybrid cars are better for in city driving. Not much advantage on the highway. Look for a car that has a low coefficient of drag.

I personally don't like the Civic for this type of thing. In your small car type range for this I'd recommend that you get a Ford Fusion.

A quick analysis I did when I bought my 2008 Civic Hybrid told me I would benefit more with the hybrid assuming that gas remained above $2.50 per gallon. That was based on the assumption that I would keep the car for at least 140,000 miles.Your analysis may be different.You need to understand that the Civic Hybrid uses a gasoline engine as its primary power supply. The electric engine usually only kicks in when accelerating or going up hill.The big increase in mileage comes not from running on the electric engine most of the time, but from using a smaller gas engine. The electric engine supplies the extra power when a bigger demand is put on the engine.You could easily drive the hybrid 24 hours straight with no problem.The Civic Hybrid engine is most gas efficient at a speed closer to 55 MPH than 75 MPH. Travelling around 55 MPH on rural two-lane highways I can get over 55 MPG in good weather. (By good weather I mean not raining and a temperature that does not require heating or air conditioning.)If you plan on going 75 MPH or more on the highway, I doubt if the Civic Hybrid mileage would be good enough to justify the extra cost. At 65 MPH or less, I think it probably would. I base this on my experience, not on any scientific study.--------------I want to comment on some of the statements in some of the other answers.One response said "For those people don't even own a Hybrid and say they are bad on gas on the highway - I average 49 mpg highway going 65 mpg. A Civic Hybrid isn't quite that good, but it bothers me when people just throw out things they know nothing about."That was a Toyota Prius owner. Both the Prius and the Civic Hybrid are rated at 45 MPG on the highway by the EPA, but the Prius has a higher city rating.-Another answer said "Hybrid cars are better for in city driving. Not much advantage on the highway."I just want to make it clear that the Civic Hybrid gets better highway mileage than city mileage.































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