Civic Hybrid Lawsuit - Poor MPGs
 

Woman Sue Honda Over Mileage

So, is this a mechanical defect?

Or is she just doing it wrong?

I'm not sure what typical drivers get with the vehicle, but my initial reaction is this woman needs to learn how to drive in an efficient manner...

Who knows, the article doesn't say anything about the car other than she didn't get her promised 50 mpg. Fueleconomy.gov shows people getting anywhere from 30 to 72 mpg with an 06 civic hybrid, so I'd say she has no grounds for a lawsuit. We all know, and as the sticker says, your mileage may vary. My guess would be her commute is horrible and/or short.

Typical pathetic reporting- didn't provide any facts about the claim. Her projection about what it could cost Honda is whack- her and maybe 23 others will file, whether she wins or not.

...the owner is a LAWYER herself, so she obviously has some idea of what she's doing.

...when Honda "reprogrammed" her car to "extend" its battery life, they basically made it an ICE vehicle getting around 30 mpg, instead of anywhere near the advertised 50 mpg, regardless of whether city or highway.

...Honda wanted to ensure the batteries would "live" long enough to exceed the new-car warranty, but in the process the reprogramming traded EV operation for ICE operation, turning it into a gas-guzzler instead of a gas-sipper.

If she knew how to drive efficiently, then she'd be able to get 50mpg without all the hybrid gizmos.

Maybe, as the newer Honda's don't seem to be as frugal as they once used to be. 50mpg in a gasser is not easily done.

And this one still has to lug around the now mostly useless battery too, making things worse.

I have found that with EPA city/highway MPG ratings a lot of times one of the two numbers is just plain wrong and the remaining number is with in 20% if you are lucky.

From what I've read this is entirely untrue. The reprogram reduces deeper battery cycling which increases battery life. The car still gives assist (just gotta press the pedal down farther) and we all know higher engine loads are more efficient anyways. It also still regenerates during braking.

Seriously though, how can a 1.3L be a guzzler? Its darn near the smallest engine you can buy in the US. Its a heck of a lot smaller than the now standard 1.8L.

This is what I was thinking too. Not much grounds for a lawsuit. I'd be curious what would happen if some other driver drove her car...

A quick check of the garage here (Which is hardly representative of the typical driving population, but it's data nonetheless) shows about 10 Civic Hybrids, most of which average about 45-50 mpgs. "Mr Pancake's" hybrid being a notable exception at about 60mpg. And none lower than 40mpg.