[Guest]

Would you explain and/or justify why you bought a Prius rather than a Honda Civic hybrid? :?:

 

[Roger V]

Prius instead of Civic

I liked the idea of running in electric mode only, plus the additional interior room the Prius offers over the smaller Civic. Are you having second thoughts?

 

[Guest]

Re: Prius instead of Civic

I liked the idea of running in electric mode only, plus the additional interior room the Prius offers over the smaller Civic. Are you having second thoughts?

I have never regretted buying a Prius even though I examined the Civic hybrid before purchasing the Prius. The Prius is in a league by itself in comparison to the sophisticated technology, interior comfort, and state-of-the-art systems. In 44 years of buying new vehicles, I have never enjoyed any vehicle as much as my new Prius

 

[mrv]

When I was looking for a car, I needed an automatic. The Honda Insight at the time was only available as a manual transmission. (By the time I received my Prius, however, the CVT Insight was available.) The Honda Civic Hybrid wasn't released for another year and some months after I bought my Prius, so I obviously couldn't look at it... When I did get a chance to check one out at a hybrid gathering later, it is fairly comparable to my Classic Prius (in both price, size, ammenities, and MPG/emissions). But, I like the seating in my Prius better, and stealth is kinda fun.

The Pioneer ordering for the 2004 Prius is what got my husband thinking of getting a new car. (There was nothing wrong with his Saturn, just that he felt guilty driving it, so he stole my Prius whenever possible...) It would've been a few more years for him to even think of getting a new car otherwise, so the Civic/Insight wasn't on his mind... (He really would've preferred an EV, but there were none commercially available, and then we'd need our landlord's permission to install a charging outlet...)

If something were to happen to my 2001 such that I needed a new car today, I'd first look for a used Classic Prius. Barring that, I'd go for the Civic Hybrid. I like the sedan style, as you don't have the cargo area open to the passenger compartment (which cuts down on projectile injuries in a sudden stop/accident). I'd be willing to look at other hybrid sedans on the market, if/when others come out. For me, it's whatever car "fits" me best (that has low emissions and good fuel economy). But I'm not trading in my 2001 until the car dies under me (or is far too unreliable to keep driving), which I hope will not be for many years to come.

 

[Tideland Prius]

Well I compared the new one to the old since I was in the market for a car when this one came around. Don't know if it's a fair comparison but...

a) I like the concept of a full hybrid. EV mode makes sense to me
b) I like it's futuristic styling inside and out
c) It's a hatchback. I like hatchbacks and the only one I was considering (back then) was the Mazda P5 since it was the only affordable hatchback around. Now there's a Matrix and Mazda3 Sport which I did consider but decided against them
d) super low emissions and outstanding fuel economy. I travel a lot so these two things matter most
e) Space - While the Civic does have a flat rear floor, there's nothing wrong with having even more interior room is there?
f) Folding seats - spoiled by the large boot of the current Camry, I wanted to be able to haul things when needed
g) Gadgets - SKS, electronic shifter, push button start, touchscreen.
h) Safety - active and passive safety

 

[coloradospringsprius]

I prefer the Toyota system - which seems like a step in the direction of an all-electric car - to Honda's mere electrical assist. My wife and I liked the lower emissions of the Prius compared to any locally available Civic hybrid. And as a pleasant bonus, we really like the Prius' looks (though we would have bought it based on the specs and the test drive).

But the single greatest factor in our choosing Toyota over Honda had nothing to do with hybridness. It was the hatchback. My wife is a plein air painter, and we really wanted that feature, which makes loading and unloading an easel about ten times easier. Without it, I don't know if we would have put up with the eight-month wait. (In fact, we had not considered buying ANY new car until the 2004 Prius was announced. We were just going to get by with something used, like we always had. No hatchback, and I would never have met all the wonderful people at PriusOnline! )

 

[Sanny]

Prius has more room in front seat for those of us "women of hip." More comfortable, in my opinion. No, I don't have specs, nor did I look at them to prove that there's more room. It just felt like more.

Besides, if I'm driving a hybrid, I want THEM to KNOW I'm driving a hybrid. I don't want it to be a little secret between me and my gas card. That little badge on the back that says "hybrid" on the Civic (or highlander, or escape) just doesn't do it for me. I want it to be immediately distinguishable!!

 

[mycroft]

Another major reason for me is that sometimes I need the storage space you get from folding the rear seat down. When I looked at the Honda (about a year and a half ago) you couldn't fold down the rear seat of a Civic Hybrid.

 

[melgish]

I might have gone for an Insight, but my wife insisted on something that could also serve as a family car.

 

[coloradospringsprius]

I might have gone for an Insight, but my wife insisted on something that could also serve as a family car.

Ditto. In fact, I'd love to see Toyota build a a mini-Prius - a $15,000 two-seater that would get 50-plus mpg in actual city conditions. The Insight is too expensive, and its technology is now "obsolete." :wink:

 

[ElectricTroy]

Would you explain and/or justify why you bought a Prius rather than a Honda Civic hybrid? :?:

I didn't. I was leaning towards buying a Civic. I was only able to get 50mpg out of the prius.... but got 60 out of the civic.... so I was leaning towards the civic.



I bought a used insight instead ('cause it cost half as much).

troy