01.Introduction
In brief
- The two hybrid cars available in Australia are easy to drive and use much less fuel than comparable non-hybrids.
- They’re expensive, so you’ll have to drive them for many years before you recover the difference.
- Hybrid cars conserve petrol resources and emit much less air pollution and greenhouse gases.
We test-drove the two hybrid models currently available in Australia - the Toyota Prius and Honda Civic Hybrid - and found there's a lot to like and very little not to like about these high-tech cars.
What's a hybrid?
In simple terms, it's a combination of an efficient petrol motor with an electric motor. In the Honda, the electric motor helps the petrol motor keep fuel consumption down, while the Toyota can run on the electric motor alone if the car is moving slowly. Both systems use the electric and petrol motors together when more power is needed.
In both cars, the electric motor is powered by a battery. Whenever you brake, the electric motor converts to a generator and tops up the battery.
The Toyota system turns off the petrol engine when decelerating and in some light throttle conditions. The power-assisted brakes, power steering, air conditioning and other electrical systems continue to operate as normal. Honda keeps the engine running on long downhill stretches, but only on one cylinder.
Both cars turn off the petrol engine when you stop at the lights (if it’s not off already with the Toyota, and only if the air conditioning is off in the Honda), but as soon as you put your foot on the accelerator the car springs to life and off you go.
|
Honda Civic Hybrid |
Toyota Prius |
| Body style |
4-door sedan |
5-door hatch |
| Petrol engine capacity (L) |
1.3 |
1.5 |
| Petrol engine power (kW) |
69 |
57 |
| Environment |
| Fuel consumption (L / 100km) |
5.2 |
4.4 |
| Greenhouse rating |
8 |
8.5 |
| Safety and security |
| Airbags |
Driver, passenger, side |
Driver, passenger |
| ABS |
• |
• |
| Immobiliser |
• |
• |
| Crash test rating |
5-star (A) |
5-star (B) |
| Price |
$29,990 |
$36,500(C) |
|
(A) US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration rating. Not comparable to ANCAP or Euro NCAP ratings.
(B) EuroNCAP/ANCAP rating.
(C) Base model. Also available with the i-Tech options pack ($8100), which includes smart entry and start, GPS system, side and curtain airbags, vehicle stability control, six-disc CD changer and Bluetooth telephone controls on the steering wheel.
Modified from an article that first appeared in the November 2004 issue of Consumer, published by our New Zealand sister organisation, the Consumers' Institute.