When buying a new car, usually family needs dictate the type of vehicle you can consider. A two auto family works well with one minivan or SUV and one smaller car for commuting. Since most trips in the car carry one or two people, it is preferable to use the smaller car most of the time to save costs. The real world miles per gallon for SUV's is probably around nineteen MPG. The smaller cars get 25 to 30 MPG. Doesn't it make sense to buy one that gets 50 MPG? The Toyota Prius and the new Honda Civic Hybrid can do this without sacrificing drivability. The futuristic styled Prius is popular enough for Toyota to have production problems keeping up with sales. It looks like Honda has a stylistic winner in the Civic Hybrid. The five thousand dollar premium tacked onto the price of a regular Civic is somewhat alleviated by the government rebate of $2300.00 after Jan. 1st. Even though the Civic Hybrid is considered an economy car, many luxury items are available or are included in the price: automatic climate control, keyless entry, satellite navigation, XM radio, in dash six CD/MP3 player and ABS. In order to enjoy the terrific mileage you have to give up the fold down rear seats (for the battery pack) and a slightly smaller trunk. The new 1.3 iVTEC engine is a marvel of engineering. It senses through your gas pedal whether you want to accelerate quickly or gradually, cruise at slow speeds through town (using the electric motor only) or to shut down the four cylinders when the batteries need charging. It's no dog getting on to the highway, either. Fears of the AC closing down at a light or waiting at the bank are groundless for this new model, since the AC works on battery as well as off the gasoline engine. Soon $100.00 will not be enough to fill up the tank on your SUV. Think about it. |
