Question Prius or Civic Hybrid

mlohry

New member
We are considering a move that would have us driving back and forth to visit family frequently and we need a new 2nd vehicle. We have an Ody now, but would need a more fuel efficient car. Looking at the civic and prius used. Something 2006 or newer. Would want side curtain air bags. I think the back seat dimensions are the same. We would do a MA 70 RF or maybe our spare Scenera, but DD likes the MA better, passenger side, a lite rider or Bubblebum middle and a HB TB driver side. My mom has a Vibe that is the same dimensions in the back so I could practice installing to see how the seats fit. I am leaning towards the Prius, but wanted opinions. Thanks!
 
ADS

Guest

New member
Lots of freeway miles? Don't buy a hybrid. The main benefits of hybrid technology come from city driving.

All in all, especially now that gas is high again, it's just far more economical to buy a high mileage small car (of which the civic and prius are also). Something like a regular Civic, Corolla, etc. Demand for all high mileage used vehicles is quite high right now, so it really doesn't make sense to still pay the hybrid premium.

If forced to choose, I'd pick the Prius cuz the body style is a tad more useful.
 

Guest

New member
Just get a regular economy car. Civic, hybrid, whatever. If you wanna be green and don't mind paying a premium (like you would with a hybrid), then get a diesel. You get extra gas mileage in both city AND highway situations.

Hybrids, or pure electrics, get most of their gas mileage bump in city driving cuz that's when the electric engine kicks in the most. Buying a hybrid if you drive a lot of highway is like buying a stroller without having your own child. Might use it every now and then when a niece/nephew visits or maybe a neighbor's kid, but for the most part it's just wasted.
 

sirrahn

Active member
I don't know about the assertion that you can't save gas with a hybrid on the highway... DH has a long mostly highway mile commute every day and he still gets well over 50 mpg overall with his Prius. He drives against rush hour traffic so there is very little stop and go. He also considered the Civic, but the gas mileage is lower, and it's a smaller car. We've been very happy with the Prius!
 

SavsMom

New member
I average about 48 mpg on the highway with my Prius - so yes, it does better than any other midsize sedan on the highway.

To the op - both are great vehicles. I love my Prius, but the Civic hybrid is nice as well. I urge you to get in and drive both if you can - that will allow you to make the best decision.
 

LISmama810

Admin - CPS Technician
I got great highway milage with my Prius, too.

We test-drove the Prius and Civic Hybrid before we bought, and the Prius won hands down. The Civic felt more cramped, but the bigger problem was that it would hesitate a bit when I started to accelerate from a stop. The Prius, on the other hand, was seamless. I loved that car.
 

Guest

New member
It's not that you can't save gas with a hybrid, it's just that you pay a large premium for a hybrid. To make it worth that price premium, you gotta see if a comparable car gets so much less gas mileage that you can make up that premium in a reasonable amount of time.

If you drive a lot of city, that's possible. If you drive a lot of freeway, that makes it harder. That's because there is a much larger jump from the city gas mileage of a "regular" car to that of a hybrid and less of a gap when comparing the highway mileage.

And a Prius is more comparable in size to a Corolla, not a Camry. If you can call a Corolla "mid-size" then sure. I mean, a Corolla now is bigger than older Camrys.

So, look at the gas mileage of a Corolla, Focus, Elantra, etc and compare it to a Prius. They now get like 40 mpg highway so if a Prius gets 50 mpg, how much do you save a year and use that to figure if the Prius is worth the several thousand dollar premium.
 

Lemonade

New member
BIL had a prius for several years but did a fair amt of city driving. Loved it. That will likely be what DH gets next, but he also has at least 1/2 his commute in the city.
 

mlohry

New member
Great info, thanks to all who responded. I really like the looks of the Prius over the Civic. We would occasionally have to do a 3 across with our kids in the back, so space is a factor, but when I looked at dimensions, the Civic and Prius were almost identical. We would buy used, so hopefully saving some money there. I will make sure I drive both before buying!
 

vamom

New member
I did the small car search and ended with a prius. I used a calculator on edwards.com and put in several small cars I was looking at. Even though I was paying more for the prius, the cost of owning was the same or lower for the prius. I bought mine in 2007 just as the tax break decreased. I got a really great deal on mine, which made the cost of ownership figure even better.

I do a mixture of driving, live in a mountainous area and average 48.3 mpg. When I travel to flat areas, I have gotten an average of 53 mpg on the highway and 51 in the city.

I have had a number of successful three across and have been amazed at what I can stuff in my little car!
 

sirrahn

Active member
It's not that you can't save gas with a hybrid, it's just that you pay a large premium for a hybrid. To make it worth that price premium, you gotta see if a comparable car gets so much less gas mileage that you can make up that premium in a reasonable amount of time.

Personally, & would suppose this is true for a lot of hybrid purchasers, we didn't buy the Prius just to save money, we bought it to lessen our use of gasoline. That is a somewhat different matter.

On the other hand, we shopped a number of fuel efficient cars and certainly didn't feel like we were paying that much more for the Prius. Yes, some of the other cars have cheaper base models, but once you start equipping them at all, they quickly get in the same ballpark. Other factors in cost of ownership like the 10K oil changes come into play as well.
 

SafeDad

CPSDarren - Admin
Staff member
I did the small car search and ended with a prius. I used a calculator on edwards.com and put in several small cars I was looking at. Even though I was paying more for the prius, the cost of owning was the same or lower for the prius. I bought mine in 2007 just as the tax break decreased. I got a really great deal on mine, which made the cost of ownership figure even better.

I do a mixture of driving, live in a mountainous area and average 48.3 mpg. When I travel to flat areas, I have gotten an average of 53 mpg on the highway and 51 in the city.

I have had a number of successful three across and have been amazed at what I can stuff in my little car!

I don't know about the previous generation, but our 2010 always surprizes people that assumed it was a sub compact or micro car. It's certainly roomier than the competitive Insight and gets better fuel economy, too. While it is generally similar in size to models like Civic and Corolla, those models are somewhat bigger than most people think, too. They seem to grow a bit every generation. They still won't be as roomy as a typical midsize, but they are all much roomier than sub compacts.
 

mlohry

New member
vamom said:
I have had a number of successful three across and have been amazed at what I can stuff in my little car!

What were your successful convertibles in the Prius. I am thinking a convertible or maybe a dedicated FF seat if we don't get the car until DD is closer to 3, probably a Maestro or something that allows kids to sleep well. I am not opposed to a convertible, any suggestions? Someone said a Radian, but I have never owned one. I am thinking a Bubble Bum for my oldest in the middle and my middle DS in his HB TB, which is the best booster for him. Right now our RF er is in a MA 70 in our Ody, but I really don't like to take that seat in and out. So would invest in a new seat for DD for a new car.
 

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