MPG-o-Matic 2013 Honda Civic Hybrid Review Summary: The Honda Civic Hybrid received a cosmetic refresh for the 2013 model year. While the updated interior and exterior design touches set the latest Civic Hybrid apart from the austere models of previous years, the competition’s never been tougher. Although Honda’s Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) System is efficient, it is not capable of pure electric engine-off gliding, as are the systems from Ford, Hyundai, Kia, and Toyota. Nevertheless, the Civic Hybrid remains a reliable choice that’s fully capable of combined fuel economy in the mid-to-high 40 mile per gallon (MPG) range when driven properly.
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Honda CR-V Gas Mileage: 1998 – 2013
First introduced in 1998, the Honda CR-V has become one of America’s most popular compact crossover SUVs. The CR-V was redesigned in 2007 and again in 2012, with fuel-efficiency a key consideration. Solid gas mileage figures have been one of the CR-V’s key selling points over the years, with the 2WD CR-V’s gas mileage ratings flirting with the 30 miles per gallon (MPG) mark on the highway. Today’s sleek CRV bears little resemblance to the earliest models (where aerodynamics and exterior design were not a priority).
The 2013 CR-V’s 2.4 liter 4-cylinder engine produces 185 horsepower (up from 156) and continues to be equipped with a five-speed automatic transmission. (2006 was the last year for the manual transmission in America.) The CR-V diesel’s 2.2 liter i-CTDi turbo diesel engine would a game-changer for the US market, with remarkable fuel mileage ratings.
Honda Accord Gas Mileage: 1978 – 2013
The Accord first rolled off a boat onto American shores in 1976 and earned a reputation for overall value and good gas mileage. The Accord grew quickly in popularity to become one of America’s best-selling cars. Honda’s legendary reputation for providing exceptional quality at a reasonable price took it to the top of the charts. The Accord’s fuel economy ratings have consistently been in line with expectations for a mid-sized family sedan. But like its older (yet smaller) brother the Civic, it’s grown quite a bit in size and weight over the years. Just how big? The Marysville, Ohio-built Accord is now classified as a large sedan. Is today’s Civic really larger than those early Accords? Time to get out the tape measure …
Can You Find a Fuel Efficient Used Car on eBay?
Folks often ask me, “what’s the ‘greenest’ car?” This is one of my favorite questions, because it can spur deeper conversation. Some people are shocked when I reply that the ‘greenest’ car is a recycled car. “Wait a minute,” comes the typical response, “a used car … for real?”
They often expect that I would answer with “oh, a (insert the most common name here) hybrid or an electric car (like the one that’s caught the tech world’s fancy that real world folks can’t afford).” Truth be told, 40 mile per gallon (MPG) cars are nothing new. You can find a ten or fifteen year old Honda Civic HX or Volkswagen TDI on eBay that will get 40 MPG on the highway. The older VW Jetta, Golf, Passat, and Beetle TDIs can even run on 100 domestic renewable biodiesel. Vintage Mercedes-Benz diesels can run on biodiesel as well, and they can all be converted to run on recycled fryer grease. There are great bargains to be found on fuel-efficient Saturns, too …
Oh Lord, won’t you buy me an old fryer-grease-powered Mercedes-Benz. All my friends slobber over Teslas, I must make amends …
Putting the Civic on Temporary Hold
A funny thing happened on the way to production. It’s not that priorities changed, it’s that economic reality reared its ugly head. I’ve wanted to kick our new fuel-economy focused video series Ain’t Fuelin’ off with a Honda Civic HX Coupe for the longest time. But the fact is that we didn’t raise enough funds to make that happen right off the bat. I set the funding bar just high enough to cover expenses, but not high enough to cover the acquisition of a suitable vehicle. To do this right, we need to start the Civic project with an unmodified vehicle. The original engine, suspension, and lightweight (Enkei) wheels need to be intact.
Our goal is to measure the improvement from stone stock to MPG-modified. Simply put, too many of the HX manual Coupes have been either butchered with questionable parts and hideous mods or the mileage has run around the clock twice. We can’t waste funds returning cars to stock form.
