So my local car-sharing cooperative now offers some Civic hybrids, and I got to go for my first test spin.
In case anyone cares:
1. (+) Linear braking -- no more "adjust as I decelerate" business. But to a hybrid novice, braking is still different because there's some regen breaking before you feel the hydraulic spongy thing.
2. (-) No creep -- When you let off the brake, the car sits there rather than rolling slightly forward. People complain that Prius creeps too much, but the complete absence of creep was more unsettling than I would have thought.
3. (+) Stability -- Civic felt more stable than Prius when cornering and changing speeds.
4. (-) Doesn't like to cut the engine at stoplights -- I keep telling myself that maybe it's a break-in issue (the Civic had 228mi on it), but nonetheless, Prius stops reliably at every stoplight. Civic stopped less than 1/4 of the time, even though A/C was off.
5. (-) Lugging -- The engine had a tendency to lug under low-load conditions, which is more of a psychological problem than anything else.
In case anyone cares:
1. (+) Linear braking -- no more "adjust as I decelerate" business. But to a hybrid novice, braking is still different because there's some regen breaking before you feel the hydraulic spongy thing.
2. (-) No creep -- When you let off the brake, the car sits there rather than rolling slightly forward. People complain that Prius creeps too much, but the complete absence of creep was more unsettling than I would have thought.
3. (+) Stability -- Civic felt more stable than Prius when cornering and changing speeds.
4. (-) Doesn't like to cut the engine at stoplights -- I keep telling myself that maybe it's a break-in issue (the Civic had 228mi on it), but nonetheless, Prius stops reliably at every stoplight. Civic stopped less than 1/4 of the time, even though A/C was off.
5. (-) Lugging -- The engine had a tendency to lug under low-load conditions, which is more of a psychological problem than anything else.