WHAT makes the
Toyota Prius and the Honda Civic Hybrid a favourite examination in contrast?
For one, both
come with the promise of a cleaner drive, though one would carry a weightier
AT-PZEV (Advanced Technology Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle) status while the
other is comfortable enough with a ULEV (Ultra Low Emission Vehicle) rating.
Then, there is
the fuel consumption rate, a head locking factor which sees a very close fight
between the two hybrids with the Prius at 38km per litre and the Civic Hybrid,
which is not too far behind at 31km per litre. Fuel consumption for both cars
here are rated using the 10-15 test cycle in Japan.
To be fair, it
was the Prius which made its debut first in 1997, five years before Honda would
introduce the Civic Hybrid, which would incidentally become the second
commercially produced petrol-electric car in the market.
In terms of
performance, the Prius 16-valve 1.8-litre 2ZR-FXE engine has a superior power
output of 98hp.
In comparison,
the Civic Hybrid's 8-valve 1.3 SOHC logs in at 94hp but with the help of the
electric motor output, it is given an additional boost of 20hp, giving it a
total horsepower of 114hp.
Interior wise,
the Prius certainly has "futuristic" written all over it with a
dashboard design resembling the console of a spaceship that displays moment by
moment reports with the support of some pretty cool graphics.
In the Energy
Monitor section, for example, an outline of a car with circulating arrows show
in detail how the hybrid system is operating and if the driver should so choose
to keep eye movement to a minimum, there is the steering touch control which
will project the driving information on the lower windshield glass directly in
front of the steering wheel.
However, the one
item that visually reminds the driver of the Prius' unique status is the
electronic shift, a little blue topped knob with a light touch operation which
only goes into Reverse, Neutral and Drive. To go into Park, you press the
"P" switch by the side.
What if you need
to go uphill or looking for a power boost? This is where the Prius gets
interesting with its drive mode switches which allow the driver to choose
between Power - a combinative synergy of the electric motor and the engine, Eco
- a fuel efficient state where there is constant assist from the motor over the
engine, and EV - short for electric vehicle which sees propulsion from the
motor alone minus petrol consumption. The last one is of course subjective to
the charge of the battery. In a test drive, the EV mode from start up managed
to travel about 500 metres.
For uphill
sprints, the Power mode is recommended as the Eco mode is more suitable for
leisurely drives.
The Civic Hybrid
is more subtle in theme and the only indication of its hybrid status is the
two-tier Multiplex meter which displays its integrated motor assist (IMA) and
battery status. This is the main indicator monitoring the electric portion of
the car's power train. Styled after the eighth-generation Civic, the driver
will find no difficulties in making the switch to hybrid technology due to the
harmonious blending in its interior styling.
But to truly
appreciate these two variants of hybrids which use nickelmetal hydride
batteries, a look under the hood is necessary.
Powered by a 158
V battery with a maximum output of 19.6 kW, the technology powering the Honda
Civic Hybrid is known as IMA which was introduced in 1999. It falls under the
parallel system which uses an electric motor mounted between the internal
combustion engine and transmission to act as a starter, alternator and to
assist traction.
The theory
behind IMA lies in regenerative braking which acts to convert kinetic energy
into stored electricity and among the uses of this stored energy is for
acceleration purposes. This is the factor that enables the 1.3 Civic Hybrid to
have the behavioral comparison of a 1.8-litre car and the explanation behind
its impressive mileage.
The technology
behind the Prius is known as the Hybrid Synergy Drive (HSD), a refinement of
the original Toyota Hybrid System (THS) first introduced in 1997. The HDS falls
under the series-parallel system which sees the addition of a power split
device, allowing the utilisation of different levels of power from its 650V
permanent synchronous magnet motor to work with its 201.6 V battery with a
maximum output of 27kW to suit driving conditions as seen in the Eco, Power and
EV modes.
In terms of
drivability, the Civic Hybrid offers a more harmonious atmosphere in terms of
adjustment from a conventional car to hybrid technology. You still get to hear
the starting of the engine upon turning the key and one sure sign of the IMA
taking over is the "stalling" of the engine while the radio, lights
and air cond continued to run whenever we pressed the brakes or came to a
complete halt.
Then there was
the slight pull back as the regenerative braking worked to recharge the battery
with juice at low speeds.
There were also
a few whirrs and clicks as the IMA took over during stationary mode.
Otherwise, the
transition of power from combustion engine to electricity was a smooth one at
cruising speeds. Acceleration was fairly responsive and the Civic Hybrid could
reach 0-100km/h in under 12 seconds.
The Prius, on
the other hand, has a keyless start system. The procedure is easy enough, just
press the "ON button", release the handbrake and you're off.
However, because
it started off on the electric mode, everything was eerily silent, which left
us wondering at first if the car was actually ready to go but it was something
that one got used to very quickly.
Just to test out
its stealth qualities, we coasted behind a group of ladies in a car park mall
and were they startled when one chanced to look behind and discovered that they
were being stalked by this hybrid. Performance wise, the Prius could get from 0
to 100km/h in 10.4 seconds.
So, will it be
the Prius or the Civic Hybrid? There is a RM45,000 gap between the two and if
you can afford the Prius, that will be a more complete hybrid vehicle but the
Civic hybrid still offers a better preposition than the usual petrol gulping
vehicles.
SPECIFICATIONS
Toyota Prius 1.8
CVT
Engine: 1,798cc
4-cylinder, DOHC VVT-I 2ZR-FXE + HSD
Max power: 98hp
@ 5,200rpm (80hp from motor)
Max torque:
142Nm @ 4,000rpm (207Nm from motor)
Max motor power:
80hp
Max motor
torque: 207Nm
Transmission:
Electrically controlled CVT
Fuel
consumption: 38 km/l
Features: Front,
side, knee and curtain airbags, ABS with EBD and brake assist, Vehicle
Stability Control, Traction Control
Meter display:
Multi-information display on dashboard and lower windscreen. Choice of Power,
Eco and Electric Vehicle Drive Modes
Steering: Tilt
and telescopic steering wheel with audio, air conditioning and Bluetooth,
Cruise Control
Price (OTR with
Insurance): RM175,000
SPECIFICATIONS
Honda Civic
Hybrid 1.3 Auto
Engine: 1,339cc
4-cylinder SOHC i-VTEC + IMA
Max engine
power: 94hp @ 6,000rpm
Max engine
torque: 123Nm @ 4,600rpm
Max motor power:
20hp @ 2,000rpm
Max motor
torque: 103Nm @ 0 - 1,160rpm
Transmission:
CVT with Grade Logic Control
Fuel
consumption: 31 km/l
Features: Dual
front and side airbags, ABS with EBD and brake assist
Meter display:
2-tier Multiplex Meter with IMA and battery status
Steering: Tilt
and telescopic steering wheel with steering audio remote control
Price (OTR with
Insurance): RM129,980
Lower prices
expected
THE government
recently announced the exemption of import and excise duties for hybrid cars
starting from next year.
This will lead
to the prices of the Prius and Civic Hybrid to plummet even lower.
Both Honda
Malaysia and UMW Toyota Motors are currently reviewing their prices and
hopefully, we can see an average of 25 per cent reduction in price for the two
models.
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