ALT-1 Comparing the Civic Hybrid and the Toyota Prius
The technology that made possible both the Honda Civic Hybrid and the Toyota Prius was without a doubt unimaginable until early this decade. Used to be cars where all about horsepower and 0-60 speeds, and not much about fuel economy and environmental conscience. It is surely obvious how far we have come since those times.
The eighties and nineties brought us the much-loved SUV; late nineties gave us the crossovers and the sub-compacts. Finally, in the twentieth century car manufacturers decided to target those who were unhappy with the lack of fuel economy and the detrimental effects of un-needed monsters in the road.
Toyota and Honda have always been pioneering technology advances in the automobile industry, it is why it was no big surprise they started the hybrid boom. Comparing the Honda Civic to the Toyota Prius is as matching apples to apples. Granted on might be a Granny-Smith while the other a Delicious Red, but you can tell they are the same species, after all they even come from the same country.
Comparably, they both have around 110 horsepower, enough to haul a couple of people with no problem within city speed limits. This power comes from combining a gasoline-powered engine with an electric motor. Both cars boast MPGs in the mid-forties, but in the real world get around 41 miles per gallon, both cars also have prices starting in the low $20,000. Safety is top of the line on both of the car designs, and includes side-airbags, collapsible steering wheels and good old ABS breaks. The coolness factor has also been considered and bettered from their predecessors, but the Civic definitely looks better than the Prius in my opinion.
The main difference between the cars is the way they utilize their electric motor and how is generated. The Honda Civic uses the electrically powered engine for hard conditions, stop and go traffic and high speed. It generates electricity by means with generator that works with the engine and has almost no regenerative abilities. In contrast, the Toyota Prius uses mainly the electric engine for the city and low speeds, and uses the gasoline powered motor for get-up and strenuous circumstances, as well as high speed driving. Even more, the Prius has a re-generative breaking system that enables kinetic energy to be converted into electricity, thus lowering the toll on the electric generator.
Overall, both cars are similar, performance and value wise. Appeal however; I would give that to the Civic.
