ALT-2 Comparing the Civic Hybrid and the Toyota Prius
Both the Honda Civic and Toyota Prius are green machines that combine gasoline engines with assisted power from electric motors. They are environmentally friendly, produce fewer emissions and have improved fuel economy.
Prius has a slightly larger engine at 1.5 liters to the Civics 1.3 liter engine, but the combined engine and electric motor horsepower of both cars are 110 hp.
A side-by-side comparison showed that the cars are comparable in performance, mpg and warranty and both cars run on regular unleaded gas. The transmission technology is the most distinct difference in the cars.
One complaint from Prius owners is the hatchback's rear window with its limited visibility and blind spot, but that hasn't hindered Prius sales with 186,000 cars sold last year.
The Honda Civic hybrid: base price $21,110.
The Civic uses continuously variable transmission (CVT) technology. The first patent for the toroidal CVT was filed in 1886. After much refinement and improvement, several car manufacturers are using this technology today.
The transmissions function is to change the speed ratio between the engine and the wheels of an automobile. To modify motion and torque, transmissions use a range of gears from low to high.
CVT technology operates on a pulley system to permit variability between the lowest and highest gears without discrete steps or shifts. You get better fuel economy and acceleration than with conventional transmissions.
Toyota Prius: base price $22,175
The power split device is a gearbox that hooks the gasoline engine, generator and electric motor together. The Prius can use the gasoline engine, the electric motor or both simultaneously for combined power. The gasoline engine can also operate independently of the vehicle speed. This provides an advantage in providing power to the wheels or in charging batteries.
The Prius also acts like a CVT eliminating the need for a manual or automatic transmission. Additionally, the power split device allows the generator to start the engine eliminating the need for a starter.
The components of the split device are a planetary gear set arranged such that the electric motor is connected to the ring gear and also directly connected to the differential. "So whatever speed the electric motor and ring gear spin determines the speed of the car."
It's your choice. Before buying either of these automobiles you might want to do your own side-by-side check of specifications and options. In looks and appearance, my vote goes to the Toyota Prius for style.
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