Talk me out of a Hybrid Sport Touring Hatch

[InNorthAtlanta]

I finally got around to doing a test drive and was very impressed. Couple years ago I owned an Audi A5 Sportback and the Civic is really nice and roomier than the Audi. At this point I'm holding myself back because I liked it so much.

My questions for owners if you don't mind....

How much discount from msrp did you manage?

Any nit-picks, regrets on the car or ownership experience.

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[zumbooruk]

Not an owner butI did a lot of research and reading when our daughter thought her (our) Sienna with nearly 300k miles was dying.

we test drove it and we both loved it

It is still her number one choice with the HR-V (same hybrid power train) a close second (or was it the other way around)

I like the unique design of the hybrid power train. No gearbox, electric drive at low speeds with the gas engine as a generator, and direct drive at higher speeds.

If I didn’t have to drive a manual, I’d be driving the Civic Hybrid

but I would not be caught dead in a car without stick and a clutch pedal.

unless it’s my hearse

 

[ModJPB]

The Audi is less roomy!?! If I was single and no family then maybe, but otherwise the A5 would be a hard pass.

The civic isn't perfect, it's noisy, feels cheap in a few spots and ride comfort isn't great. I look past those since it puts a smile on my face when I see some nice turns come up. Also, I can drive it like a maniac and still get over 30mpg. ALSO, I don't have to live with anxiety thinking every noise and incident is going ruin my car and/or wallet. Not as refined as the Audi, but a civic is a practical, reliable, and fun car.

I've never had good luck negotiating $ on a Honda/Acura as much as other manufacturers. They have this attitude "no worries, if you don't buy it, someone else will." Which usually turns out to be true.

If you don't mind losing the reliability of a Honda, want the refinement and comfort of an Audi, and need the roominess of the civic, maybe look into a BMW.

 

[InNorthAtlanta]

The Audi is less roomy!?! If I was single and no family then maybe, but otherwise the A5 would be a hard pass.

The civic isn't perfect, it's noisy, feels cheap in a few spots and ride comfort isn't great. I look past those since it puts a smile on my face when I see some nice turns come up. Also, I can drive it like a maniac and still get over 30mpg. ALSO, I don't have to live with anxiety thinking every noise and incident is going ruin my car and/or wallet. Not as refined as the Audi, but a civic is a practical, reliable, and fun car.

I've never had good luck negotiating $ on a Honda/Acura as much as other manufacturers. They have this attitude "no worries, if you don't buy it, someone else will." Which usually turns out to be true.

If you don't mind losing the reliability of a Honda, want the refinement and comfort of an Audi, and need the roominess of the civic, maybe look into a BMW.

hi thank you.
yes the audi a5 sportback has significantly less epa passenger volume than the civic hatch and you can tell, especially with the rear seat headroom. Better performer obviously.
I really cant go for a new BMW and the used ones around here tend to not have adaptive cruise which I value for my next car.
My current car is a modded golf wagon, 10 years old. I've autocrossed it for 10 years but that activity and my wrenching on it is getting old as now I've gotten really old . Hoping to get a fun to drive worry free car as my next ride. Love the fact that you can buy a non luxury brand compact car that's not all black interior.

 

[Cueyo]

My biggest gripe with the hybrid is the powertrain, if you're used to the more powerful German cars, then this wont cut it at all. I found that 0-40 felt zippy, then anything after was a slog.

As for space, the civic is one of the few cars I've sat in that can comfortably accommodate my 6'1 frame (I have long femurs), so the rear seats are actually really comfortable for me in it (funnily enough I've never ridden in the back of a 11th gen).

Other gripes I've had with the hybrid from my own experiences is the infotainment not being amazing. If it's a type R, then I don't care much (I actually turned off navigation and it fixed my problems) - but if it's commodity passenger car, a slower infotainment kinda bugs me. Again this might be fixed with the newer infotainment, but a minor gripe of mine.

I also kind of expected more from the hybrids in terms of look, like at least a different front bumper, but at least they did the facelift when the hybrids came out

 

[ModJPB]

1) Acura Integra, 2023 to 2026 with 1.5t. is same interior dimensions as the civic.
2) Civic 2022-2024 with 1.5t engine

I love my civic 1.5t, but I would get the integra if I had a redo. Compared to a Civic 1.5t CVT, the integra gets adjustable lumbar support, memory seats, quieter, larger sway bars, bigger brakes, stiffer suspension bushings, and OEM tuned ~15hp more.

Since you mentioned you did autocross, I'm assuming you also know how to do upgrades. The 1.5t with an intake and downpipe gets you faster than the hybrid and an underdrive pully (NST) allows the CVT to "shift" faster and improves launching. Flash a tune on either car and they'll be WAY faster the hybrid or a Civic Si.

 

[AZCWTypeR]

I highly recommend using Costco's buying service if you have that option. We bought a CRV Sport Hybrid through Costco and our final bill (including tax, prep, dealer add-ons, etc) was at or just under msrp.
I like the hybrid driving experience and fuel economy is exceptional.
Of course I prefer driving my FL5, but the CRV is a better grocery getter.

 

[InNorthAtlanta]

I test drove another one thinking about the comments here.

On power, I agree it's mostly 45 mph and below and slowly loses mojo above that. It's not bad at passing at highway speeds, just not great. The ability to modulate power seems better than an ice cvt (maybe because this has more torque than a typical ice cvt car?). Not as good as a slushbox with paddle shifters but it's good enough for daily stuff for sure. An unlikely autocross car.

Tire noise seems high for a 35k car. Maybe a different tire choice when replacing or door soundproofing?

Agree there is cheapness here and there given 35k. Glove box is small and feels cheap. Sunglass holder. No lumbar. No rear hvac or usb.

"wish it had" adaptive headlights. All this safety tech but not that. Other hatches I think mazda3 and Impreza RS have it but both cars have things that disqualified them for me. GTI with power seat is 40k. Can't bring myself to buy the Koreans silly me.

 

[AZCWTypeR]

I live in rural desert and the Civic headlights are the best I've ever had, including HID and projector led's. The auto highbeams work well for me too. I don't need foglights here.

As for passing power, despite modest HP you get all of it in the 50-85 mph range. Our previous Honda K24/5AT cars had such wide gear ratios, you fell out of the engine powerband (out of VTEC) passing on 2 lane roads. Some claim the hybrid max acceleration is better in sport mode, but I'm not sure numbers back that up.

Regarding the other car brands, there all fine if you don't keep cars long term. Honda's are trouble free in comparison.

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