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As the best-selling compact car United States, the Civic didn’t arrive at its industry-leading plateau by happenstance. Yet, instead of playing it safe and leaving good enough alone, Honda redesigned the Civic for 2006.

As such, with primary competitors Ford, Mazda, Toyota and Volkswagen all also improving their respective offerings, the compact category is among the industry’s most competitive.

Honda also knows well that plenty of choices in a leading line can’t help but be a good thing, even if it has gone slightly overboard. The Accord, for example, is available in 30 configurations; the Civic is offered in 20 varieties.

My weekly driver was the Civic Si sports coupe, the replacement for the Si hatchback. While the Civic sedan models were boosted 20 horsepower to 140 this year, the Si jumped 37 horsepower in 2006 to 197.

Combine its new power with a six-speed (manual only) transmission, 17-inch wheels and upgraded sports suspension and braking systems, and Honda is offering a surprisingly quick, 2.0-liter, 4-cylinder coupe. It features terrific acceleration and a tight, sports car feel.

In fact, the sporty emphasis throughout the vehicle provides the Civic Si’s best and worst features.

Steering and handling, for example, are exemplary. Changing lanes, responsiveness while cornering and general maneuverability are all handled with confidence, particularly considering the Si’s small, sensitive tri-spoke leather and mesh steering wheel. The six-speed manual transmission shifts smoothly, and there’s no doubt the Si provides its share of fun for anyone who enjoys driving.

But the Si is also similar to the Honda S2000. Both are rough riders, with small bumps, uneven surfaces and any other road obstacles easily felt. The Si also has an appreciable amount of engine noise, and during my test drive the engine “backfired” often during downshifting. Like other sports cars, the Si’s front seats aren’t particularly comfortable.

The Civic Si’s redesign adds a sleek, sports car appeal. The wheelbase was lengthened by slightly more than one inch, but head and leg room were respectively shortened by one inch and 2.5 inches. The rear spoiler is extraneous and premium-grade fuel is recommended.

Nonetheless, and particularly considering its price point, the Si is a lot of car for the money. It has a long list of varied standard features a GPS system to power sunroof, outside temperature indicator to alloy wheels.

One unique feature is the combined analog and digital instrument panel. The speedometer digits, separately housed in a curved panel and contoured above the top of the steering wheel, feature digits more than one-inch tall. They’re also always in a driver’s line of sight, which also means a driver always can keep his or her eyes on the road.

The Civic Si has another surprising feature. There’s not a lot of back seat room or trunk space. But the easy-to-use latch inside the trunk releases the split back seats and they fold forward nearly flat and leave a cavernous space.

It’s plenty large enough to carry three stacked standard-sized folding tables and a mirror, which was exactly the cargo I transported a few miles between family members’ homes.

The Weekly Driver: 2006 Honda Civic, Si

Safety Features Dual front, front side and side curtain airbags.

Fuel Mileage (estimates) 22 mpg (city), 31 mpg (highway).

Warranty Bumper to bumper, 3 years/36,000 miles; Powertrain 5 years/60,000 miles; Corrosion, 5 years/unlimited miles.

Base Price $20,290.

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Honda is a company that has build a great reputation over time for reliability and trustworthiness, and is without any question of doubt one of the most popular names on the auto market today. Because they are so popular, it’s no surprise why there are many certified used car dealers around for them too.

Honda has also joined the race to produce cars for the environmentally conscious among us or those who are just frugal about fuel. One such car that will save money on gas, even if it does cost a bit extra to purchase, is the newly revealed 2006 Honda Civic Hybrid.

The very new 2006 Honda Civic Hybrid already has a great reputation. In 2005, it was voted as Best Car of the Year by Car and Driver, and that was not the only award it received in 2005 either. The 2006 Honda Civic Hybrid is a new kind of auto developed only in the past couple of years.

How it works is that it has a small internal combustion gas engine in the front of the vehicle which is smaller than other cars. The engine builds up electricity to power electric motors. These motors can accelerate the car more economically than can a regular car powered by just a gas engine. The reason is because normally, acceleration guzzles a heap of gas, but on the 2006 Honda Hybrid, the gas engine doesn’t have to work so hard when gathering speed. What happens is the electric motors power the car by using the energy already stored up by the engine while breaking or at ticking over, and the result of this is that considerably less gas is used and there comes the economy.

Some of the 2006 Honda Civic Hybrids can get as much as 40 to 50 miles on a gallon of fuel or more. That is more than double the mileage of many conventional cars on the roads today! And with the rising cost of petrol, although you have to pay a pretty penny for a new Honda Hybrid, this motor quickly saves you so much money in the long run

For a person like me, this is a perfect model. As a businessman who travels a lot, I can effortlessly notch up hundreds of miles in a week on my car’s odometer, and often more. In addition, traveling between the great states, I often have to drive through mountainous areas, which, for a regular car does just dreadful things for your mileage and fuel economy. Ahh, but with my 2006 Honda Hybrid, it’s nothing. Those clever electric engines handle the speeding up and deceleration with hardly a noticeable increase in additional consumption. You see, what they have to use up on the climb, they simply make up for on the downhill part of the trip.

It has to be said that I love my 2006 Honda Civic Hybrid car. It’s just so much better than the gas guzzler I used to have, which was a 2000 Jaguar XJR, and although it was just heaven in comfort and style, I reached a point in my life where style wasn’t the only important consideration anymore. Nowadays, I’m trying to save some money, and to think about the environment a little more. And anyway, the all new 2006 Honda Civic Hybrid performs so much better on the road overall.

Andy Maingam is a proficient writer for KeepingCars dot com where he has articles on Radio Controlled Cars and Car Fuel Efficiency. He also has many other auto related pieces on the site.

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If there are any reservations among consumers about the
overall worthiness of hybrid vehicles, the 2005 Honda Accord has done
its part to end the apprehension.

The Accord hybrid which joined the Civic and Insight hybrid models
this year is a high-performance, fuel-efficient, well-designed and
spacious addition to the more than two-dozen available configurations
of the exceedingly popular Accord.

The hybrid shares all of the upside attributes of the gas engine Accord.
But it also features a surprisingly quick 255-horsepower three-liter, V6
engine. And, of course, it offers the benefits of substantially increased
gas mileage via its Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) and Variable Cylinder
Management (VCM) electronic systems.

My test drive for the week was the four-door sedan that included every
available Accord option, including leather seats, a navigation system
and XM satellite radio. With its nicely toned silver pearl metallic exterior,
perfectly complementary gray, leather interior, 16-inch alloy wheels and
classic Accord body style, the hybrid is one sharp-looking sedan.

For years, Accords have received high marks in many design
and functionality categories. The hybrid version only confirms the
reasons for the praise. Its front and rear-seat room is plentiful and
comfortable and its controls and instrumentation are attractive. The
hybrid model does have 2.8 cubic feet less trunk space than other
Accord sedans, but the available area is still adequate.

More impressive is the hybrid’s performance. During my one-week’s
tenure with the car, I made many around-the-town treks in which the
hybrid’s quick acceleration, responsiveness and fuel-economy high
ratings were readily apparent. The hybrid has a 7.5-second, 0-60 mph
designation, for example. And at stop signs and stop lights, the engine’s
gas to electric transition idle stop function provides an appreciably quiet
waiting period.

I also took the vehicle (and a friend) on a 180-mile round-trip trek
from Sacramento to San Francisco, and that’s where the vehicle
performed particularly well.

In bumper-to-bumper traffic, while accelerating to change lanes or when
reacting suddenly to an erratic driver’s moves, the hybrid was in charge.
It’s quick, it steers with precision, and it provides a quiet, confident ride.

With its efficient, well-designed and easy-to-use navigation system and
quality CD and satellite radio features, the Accord hybrid is matched
well against its formidable competition, including the Chevrolet Malibu,
Nissan Altima and Toyota Camry.

The Accord hybrid does not come cheap, though. The fuel-efficient
option adds a $3,000 premium to the Accord’s high-end base price and
pushes the vehicle into the $30,000 price range. Its one option package
is the navigation system and that adds another $2,000.

As a result, paying more than $32,000 for a Honda Accord warrants
some additional hesitancy while comparison shopping.

But if the manufacturer’s estimated yearly fuel cost of $842 and the
estimated mileage averages of 29 (city) and 37 (highway) are
reasonably accurate, the increased purchase price should be
neutralized by a potential buyer with environmental concerns and with
long-term ownership plans.

2005 Honda Accord Hybrid

Safety features Driver and front passenger dual-stage front,
side and side curtain airbags; ABS brakes.

Fuel Mileage (estimates) 29 mpg (city), 37 mpg (highway).

Warranty Bumper to bumper, 3 years/36,000 miles;
Powerpack, 8 years/100,000 miles; Corrosion, 5 years/unlimited miles.

Base price $30,140.00.

James Raia is a Sacramento, Calif., journalist who writes about sports,
travel and lifestyle topics as well as the syndicated automotive column, The Weekly Driver

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