Wow, a Honda screw up...
Hybrid owner sues Honda over mileage claims
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll...707060350/1148
If I got 32mpg, I'd be pissed as hell, but then again, I read the reviews & Consumer Reports mpg results too...
To do list: carpet X1, seatcovers X1
97' Green M Edition
▄︻┻┳═一
If you got 32 MPG out of a Honda Civic Hybrid, you have a lead foot.
I averaged 44.5mpg out of mine until I swapped tires with some Goodyear Assurance tires. My economy dropped to 42.7mpg.
My best milage was 54mpg going to San Antonio.
My worst ever was going from Oshkosh to Des Moin, IA at 37.9mpg.
I liked the car, but the transmission was not working right. I traded it for a 2005 Mazdaspeed MX-5
05 MX-5 Mazdaspeed #1024 Titanium Gray Mica
The guy sounds crazy to me. First of all, he would have had to get EVERY option available to get the price up to $28.5k. Second, I can't see how he could have gotten only 32 mpg. I just don't think it is possible. See below.
I just got back this morning from spending a week in California with a Honda Civic Hybrid rental car. I flogged the hell out of that car for over 500 miles of varied driving including stop and go city traffic (picked up and dropped off the car at San Francisco airport), high speed freeway driving (traffic seemed to flow at around 80 in the middle lane when we were not stopped), and LOTS of mountain driving including heading over a 4500 foot mountain 4 times. The tires suck. I haven't heard so much tire squeal in my life. The car seems pretty low on power, especially after flogging it hard up the maintain. I had about 10 minutes of nice electric assist, but then the car stops using the juice and goes into cripple mode to recharge the batteries. It was never a problem anywhere besides going up the mountain as normal braking recharges the batteries pretty fast. I suspect I could have gotten over the mountain quicker if I had braked more into the uphill turns rather than scrubbing off speed via tire squeal, but I could never get it through my head that I should be driving it more like the Murano and less like the Miata. In addition, It was well over 100 degrees for a good portion of the driving I did, peaking at 110 Thursday. The AC was on 90% of the time, and was working overtime 80% of the time. All in all, with at least 2 people in the car at all times, I managed a hair over 38 mpg. It wasn't the 49/51 Honda advertises, but I am confident that I could have gotten 45 pretty easily if I had driven more conservatively.
If I was in the market for a 4 door commuter car, would I buy one? Not yet. The MSRP on the car I had was $22,600. An equally equipped LX is $17,760 (EX has more options like sunroof that are not available with the hybrid. An almost $5000 gap still seems a little steep. If they could get the price under $20k and include some decent rubber, it would get the sale.
I'm surprised some legal department somewhere hasn't yet come up with some term like "your mileage may vary" or somesuch...
You must have missed this partOriginally Posted by redmenace
The suit notes that while the Environmental Protection Agency and automobile window stickers say "mileage will vary," some Honda advertisements read "mileage may vary." That implies that it's possible to get the mileage
'02 Berlina S2k
J's 60RS, K&N FIPK, AUT CF cooling panel,
JDM sidemarkers, S badges, BYS emblems,
Mugen TP, 11.7:1 CR, Comptech Header,
Hello Kitty Mugen badge
Not gonna happen. One of the ways that they increase the mpg claims on econo-hybrids like the Civic and Prius is by fitting extremely low rolling resistance tires to them. Less friction between the tire and the road surface means an extra couple of mpg... but it makes your panic stopping distances and accident avoidance ability go down the toilet.
Iain
"We don't stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw
Well that sucks... I was a little surprised to see how light and tossable the Civic felt... As far as commuter cars go, it felt like the Civic still is a fun car to drive.
Those tires are pretty crappy in bad weather too, add rain/snow & you have some interesting fun.
The people that get really good mpg numbers from their cars over inflate them too, reducing the contact patch/rolling resistance and increasing stopping times, reducing traction...
To do list: carpet X1, seatcovers X1
97' Green M Edition
▄︻┻┳═一
That guy's a whiny, lead-footed nut job. I mean COME ON! First off, I don't know anybody who's actually achieved anything close to the EPA numbers in a hybrid - they test well, I guess. Second, that douchebag got SCREWED if he actually paid $28K for that thing! It is what it is - more of a feel-good/early adopter status symbol which makes for kind of a neat driving experience in its own right. It isn't exactly my cup o' tea, but I can see the appeal. Two cousins and one great-uncle all have first-gen Civic Hybrids, and everybody's pretty happy with 'em. I took a road trip in one, and under a pretty good flogging out to New Mexico, we got 42 mpg - and that's with 3 people + our crap + one dachshund + her crap. Not bad, in my opinion.
Go figure.
BTW... I checked out pricing on a brand new Civic Hybrid WITH navigation... MSRP is $24,945 and of course ya can't get factory options on a Honda!
So, maybe the sleazy dealer talked him into Scotchgard on the floor mats along with genuine snow leopard seat covers.
Last edited by trickyrix; 07-23-2007 at 10:18 PM.
'94 Black & Black & Tan
'99 head swap, JR header, TDR intake & header blanket, MegaSquirt, RB hollow bar, Tein Flex, 15x8 6ULs, HD M2 Sport, FM cat, Borla cat-back, black '95M interior, MOMO Zebrano, IL Motorsport console...
Dyno Days
8/16/08 (bone stock): 103.1 hp/99.0 lb-ft - Dynojet
8/23/08 (Borla cat-back): 108.2 hp/104.1 lb-ft - Dynojet
8/13/11 (more stuff...): 126 hp/116 lb-ft - Mustang dyno
Roger Moore: the Danny White of James Bonds
Well put trickyrix
'06 RSX Type-S NBP
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