Tweet
Two weeks ago, hybrid cars started to be imported here at a more or less acceptable price. The two contenders are the Toyota Prius and the Honda Civic IMA.
The Prius was the first to be tested:
On a typical 50 km test run, deliberately tough on fuel consumption (uphill short slip roads onto the highway, taking roundabouts fast, mixed traffic from dense stop-start congested city to ordinary highway, to open winding country roads), I averaged 5.8 l/100 km, with the radio, aircon and running headlights on.
The Civic, same road and conditions, I averaged 6.2 l/100 km, but it went down to 5.3 while I reached the end of the highway stretch, while the Prius rose from 5.2 to 5.4 on the highway.
I found the Civic did not accelerate as well on the uphill slip road, but I just got to the speed limit (100 km/h) at the point of merging. The Prius actually reached about 115 km/h on the length of the slip road.
For handling and comfort, the Civic won hands down. On a specific roundabout, I accelerated hard to a speed where I felt the car starting to become unstable (much to the consternation of the salesmen!). The Prius was about 6 km/h slower and the tyres started even to slip with more understeer. For equipment, the Civic had everything as standard, the Prius had many things as options.
Price: the basic price of the Civic is £12,900, on the road, incl. tax, VAT, licensing, the Prius £15,600 + another £450 for options. I was offered £4,900 for my 8 year-old Honda CR-V by Honda and £4,500 by Toyota. (£1 = ~$2.1). I also get a £700 payback as a government subsidy, for either model.
I decided on the Civic and have ordered one, despite the slightly higher petrol consumption. The main reasons were the price, quieter ride, better handling and it doesn't look like I'm trying to make a statement. The downside is a 6 month delivery lead time
(Prius was 4 months).
Out of curiosity, I asked the Honda sales guy how their sales were going. He said that he had 6 in bond when the new tax laws were introduced 2 weeks ago. 5 have since been delivered and the 6th is their demo model. They have signed 67 contracts for them (mine is the 67th!) with a delivery quota of 10-12/month. I didn't think of asking the Toyota guy the same question.
Just to situate my level of prejudice. I ran Toyota cars in Switzerland for ~27 years and was never disappointed in quality, reliability or service. When I came out here, many minor roads were still dirt roads (now 95% tarmac) and I felt a 4-wheel drive was desirable. Not wanting a big, gas-guzzling, SUV, I looked initially at a Toyota RAV-4 and a Honda CR-V, my first contacts with 4-WD cars. After a road test, I broke with my pro-Toyota bias on the grounds of the suspension, handling and ride, and chose the Honda. In 8 years, I've never had any cause for complaint with it or the service. The only part that had to be replaced (other than tyres and a battery) was the lambda, in 8 years. I think I can fairly say that I approached the Toyota v. Honda view as equal in my mind.
The Prius was the first to be tested:
On a typical 50 km test run, deliberately tough on fuel consumption (uphill short slip roads onto the highway, taking roundabouts fast, mixed traffic from dense stop-start congested city to ordinary highway, to open winding country roads), I averaged 5.8 l/100 km, with the radio, aircon and running headlights on.
The Civic, same road and conditions, I averaged 6.2 l/100 km, but it went down to 5.3 while I reached the end of the highway stretch, while the Prius rose from 5.2 to 5.4 on the highway.
I found the Civic did not accelerate as well on the uphill slip road, but I just got to the speed limit (100 km/h) at the point of merging. The Prius actually reached about 115 km/h on the length of the slip road.
For handling and comfort, the Civic won hands down. On a specific roundabout, I accelerated hard to a speed where I felt the car starting to become unstable (much to the consternation of the salesmen!). The Prius was about 6 km/h slower and the tyres started even to slip with more understeer. For equipment, the Civic had everything as standard, the Prius had many things as options.
Price: the basic price of the Civic is £12,900, on the road, incl. tax, VAT, licensing, the Prius £15,600 + another £450 for options. I was offered £4,900 for my 8 year-old Honda CR-V by Honda and £4,500 by Toyota. (£1 = ~$2.1). I also get a £700 payback as a government subsidy, for either model.
I decided on the Civic and have ordered one, despite the slightly higher petrol consumption. The main reasons were the price, quieter ride, better handling and it doesn't look like I'm trying to make a statement. The downside is a 6 month delivery lead time
(Prius was 4 months).Out of curiosity, I asked the Honda sales guy how their sales were going. He said that he had 6 in bond when the new tax laws were introduced 2 weeks ago. 5 have since been delivered and the 6th is their demo model. They have signed 67 contracts for them (mine is the 67th!) with a delivery quota of 10-12/month. I didn't think of asking the Toyota guy the same question.
Just to situate my level of prejudice. I ran Toyota cars in Switzerland for ~27 years and was never disappointed in quality, reliability or service. When I came out here, many minor roads were still dirt roads (now 95% tarmac) and I felt a 4-wheel drive was desirable. Not wanting a big, gas-guzzling, SUV, I looked initially at a Toyota RAV-4 and a Honda CR-V, my first contacts with 4-WD cars. After a road test, I broke with my pro-Toyota bias on the grounds of the suspension, handling and ride, and chose the Honda. In 8 years, I've never had any cause for complaint with it or the service. The only part that had to be replaced (other than tyres and a battery) was the lambda, in 8 years. I think I can fairly say that I approached the Toyota v. Honda view as equal in my mind.
Comment