Small car hankerin'
A couple of weeks ago, my dad decided it was time to get rid of their 15 year old V6 Camry. I discovered this when, out of the blue, he asked me, "what about those small cars you have forums about?"
"The Mirage or Micra? You wouldn't like those." (He thinks a Honda Fit is too dinky.)
I did ask why the sudden interest in small cars.
"To save gas."
I see. "Just get a Corolla or Civic. Actually, buy just about
anything, but quit driving at 120 km/h / 70 mph on the highway! You'll save lots more gas that way."
A few days later he mentioned he was looking at an '09 Civic Hybrid.
Honda battery pack woes?
Uh oh. "Did you do any research on reliability?"
"No, why?"
I reminded him about
my Honda hybrid, and the minor issue of its worn out battery pack. My dad is not the type to pull out his battery pack and rebalance cells.
The next day I emailed him a link to
this Consumer Reports article:
Quote:
|
...our latest reliability survey found what might be called a shocking failure rate for the 2009 and 2010 Honda Civic Hybrid: Almost one in three owners told us that their car’s hybrid battery had needed replacement within the last 12 months.
|
I suggested if he had his heart set on a used hybrid, he should probably look at a Toyota.
Quote:
|
The equivalent [battery failure rate] for the rival Toyota Prius was less than one percent.
|
"But I don't like the Prius' looks," he said. "Also I already made a deal on that Civic."
Doh!
It turns out the pack in the car he bought has already been replaced a few years ago.
Still, it's nice to drive. Not as nerdy fun as a Toyota hybrid, but still engaging.
I've taken it for a short drive, and I liked it a lot more than I thought I would. This is the first Civic hybrid I've tried -- automatic (CVT), 1.3L. No lean burn in these newer Civics. But it will do a limited amount of "EV mode", where the ICE shuts down and closes all its valves, but continues to spin while being driven by the e-motor.
It showed
5L/100 km (~47 mpg US) just driving it conservatively for a couple of kilometers on quiet city streets, using no fancy techniques. It's EPA rated at 40 city / 45 hwy / 42 combined. Time to do some reading about how to squeeze the most out of the car's systems.
That's at least twice the mileage their old Camry would have gotten.
However, having owned an Insight with a tired pack, I immediately recognized when the Civic began to recalibrate ('recal') its pack during my brief drive. Uh-oh!
At least this second battery pack is still under warranty...