Originally Posted by Mr Nice
Great mileage.
Who needs a hybrid Civic ?
A tantalizing question, and one which necessarily calls into question distinctions between the meaning of need vs want, preference vs requirement and on, and on.
Undeniably great mileage reported here. While the Civic hybrid is no more (though the brand new Honda Insight looks a lot like a "Civic Hybrid" with another name...), Toyota has just released its first ever
Corolla Hybrid.
Click here to see Corolla Hybrid on Toyota's site. . Of course, individual outcomes will vary, but the differences in EPA estimates are significant. It's 53/52/52 for the hybrid version and 29/37/32 for the gasser with CVT/auto (the stick does slightly worse, gearing, I'm sure).
It's an open, and very individual, question whether the added mileage is worth the extra cost (about $3k, Hybrid LE vs regular LE). It's also noteworthy that the Corolla Hyb has essentially the same drivetrain as the Prius (not Prius-c or Plug-in Prime). My 18 Prius is the first car I've had that is actually topping 50 mpg, as confirmed by arithmetic at the pump. I assume similar results will be achievable in the new Corolla. Conclusions? Yours to draw.