Honda Civic Hybrid Car

By: Kara Gilmour
Staff Writer
Published: Oct 6, 2009

Vehicle Specifications For Honda Civic Hybrid

The Honda Civic Hybrid has a remarkable EPA-estimated 40 MPG (miles per gallon) city and 45 MPG on the highway This means you will be spending a lot less time at the pump and more time on the road. One of the benefits of the refined gasoline-electric powertrain on the Civic Hybrid is watching just how much you can save on fuel.

The air we breathe will also benefit with the Advanced Technology Partial-Zero-Emission Vehicle (AT-PZEV)[2] rating, which is the most stringent emission standard achieved by a gasoline-powered vehicle in the U.S. To achieve Advanced Technology Partial Zero-Emission Vehicle (AT-PZEV)[1] status, a vehicle must be a Super-Ultra-Low-Emission Vehicle (SULEV) with zero-evaporative emissions and carry a 15-year/150,000-mile warranty on emission equipment.

The Civic Hybrid is equipped with an idle-stop feature that temporarily turns off the engine to save fuel and minimize emissions. A green auto-stop light on the Honda instrument display flashes to indicate when the idle-stop feature is operating. As the hybrid comes to a stop, the idle-stop occurs automatically. Engine restarting occurs automatically, as soon as the brake pedal is released.

The Honda Integrated Motor Assist (IMA), couples a 1.3-liter, 8-valve i-VTEC 4-cylinder gasoline engine with an electric motor. Although the engine alone provides sufficient driving performance, when additional power is required, a permanent-magnet electric motor mounted between the engine and transmission provides power assist. The electric motor can propel the Civic from a stop to speeds up to 35 MPH (miles per hour). Together, the motor and engine produce 110 hp @ 6000 RPM.

Essential safety features such as side curtain airbags and dual-stage, multiple-threshold front airbags (SRS) are standard on the Civic Hybrid. Honda's Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA) was added in 2009 for increased protection. Much like anti-lock brakes work to allow the driver to steer while braking on slippery surfaces, stability control works to help the vehicle stay on its driver-intended path in turns.

Sometimes a driver will enter a curve too quickly and exceed the tire's ability to hold the road through the turn. When this happens, the vehicle begins to spin or skid. Stability control pulsates with the brakes of individual wheels to help "rotate" the vehicle to the driver's intended path. Stability-control systems utilize several sensors and a computer to determine the driver-intended path for a vehicle. The system will attempt to prevent a skid by applying individual wheel brakes.

This car has a model reputation for dependability and affordability. You can't go wrong with the Honda Civic Hybrid. Moreover, the car will hold its trade-in value over time.