2005 Honda Civic Hybrid
MPG & MSRP:
Automatic 48/47, $20,800
5-speed manual 46/51, $19,800

The first mainstream vehicle to be offered as a hybrid, the Civic Hybrid did not seem to fare well at first - why spend more when the standard mpg is already so good - but has since picked up some speed. Indeed, the only drawback to the Civic Hybrid is speed, as in it just doesn't go that fast. But then, Civics out of the box really were intended to be great commuting vessels. The 2003 Civic Hybrid is equipped with a standard 1.3-liter, I4, 85-horsepower, hybrid engine that achieves 45-mpg in the city and 51-mpg on the highway. A 5-speed manual transmission with overdrive is standard. The CVT is equipped with a standard 1.3-liter, I4, 85-horsepower, hybrid engine that achieves 47-mpg in the city and 48-mpg on the highway. Like the Insight and Accord, Civic Hybrid incorporates Honda's Integrated Motor Assist technology. Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) uses a gasoline engine coupled to an electric motor (creating a hybrid system) that boosts performance and fuel mileage. While braking or decelerating, energy is re-captured by the electric motor and stored in the battery for later use. As the vehicle accelerates, stored energy is directed to the high-torque electric motor to supplement the engine's performance. All of this takes place automatically without any additional driver input. Since the Civic Hybrid's electrical system is completely self-sustaining, it never needs to be plugged in for recharging like an electric vehicle.