

Saturn Aura Green Line
The Saturn Aura Green Line starts at $22,695 including destination charge






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RE: Give it a chance
By milomnderbnder21 on 3/19/2007 10:42:30 PM , Rating: 2
I do not believe your statement on gas mileage for 90's Civics of VW's.

They could very possibly beat this 'mild' hybrid, but I will not believe without seeing some numbers that these cars you mention get better mileage than a Prius or a Civic Hybrid.

RE: Give it a chance
By Johnniewalker on 3/20/2007 3:34:06 AM , Rating: 2
My 2000 civic has 170,000 miles and still gets 32+ mpg. I drive 30 miles to work every day. Best purchase I have ever made. Plenty of power (5 speed) to go 70+ mph up the mountains on the freeway. Always starts - never broken down. Just put on my 4th set of tires rated for 70k miles. I'll be doing the timing chain again in 30k miles. Original clutch, shocks. 2 brake jobs. 2nd set of headlights. This is the perfect car. When/If this motor goes kaput, I will probably put a new engine in it and keep it for the rest of my life. This car was 12k new!

RE: Give it a chance
By Hoser McMoose on 3/20/2007 1:54:29 PM , Rating: 2
The numbers are out there, just look 'em up on

1990 Honda Civic CRX HF: 49/52mpg
2007 Honda Civic Hybrid: 49/51mpg

(both sets of numbers using the "old" EPA rating).

It's amazing how good your fuel economy can be when you use a 50hp engine!

RE: Give it a chance
By 8steve8 on 3/20/2007 2:01:42 PM , Rating: 2
I think the real story there is the weight.

remember kenetic e=(1/2)mv^2 ... so the reason for the declines in fuel economy.. or at least the fact they aren't getting better in the last 20 years is weight.

RE: Give it a chance
By Hoser McMoose on 3/20/2007 3:02:30 PM , Rating: 2
That's definitely part of it. For the two vehicles mentioned above, the 1990 Civic CRX HF had a curb weight of just shy of 2000lbs, while the 2007 Civic Hybrid has a curb weight of 2875lbs. However it's also no coincidence that both cars have similar fuel economy given that they both use 1.3L I4 engines.

Definitely bigger and heavier cars are pretty much always going to use more fuel then a smaller and lighter car, if all else is equal. And since 1980 cars ARE getting bigger. The 2007 Honda Civic is roughly the same size and weight as the 1990 Honda Accord and it's bigger then the 1980 Accord. Mind you, the OCCUPANTS of these cars are bigger too, which probably explains a lot. People are buying bigger cars now then they were 20-30 years ago because they need bigger cars (on average) to accommodate their extra bulk!

