Peakoiler buys conventional car

Today marks the first month since I drove off the new Civic from Kah Motor on 14 Apr. I will be writing more on that. But first, an explanation of the posting's title.

"Peakoiler buys conventional car" - now, that would be some headline, won't it? A fellow peakoiler practically yelled "WHAT?!" when I said I would be getting a conventional 2007 Honda Civic FD4 to replace the ageing 1997 Civic EK3. Just a regular, conventional car. Not electric, not CNG, not PHEV, not hybrid. Conventional, as in 1.6L, petrol-driven. Heretical, huh. At least, from the peakoiler point of view.

Big question. WHY? Why not a 2007 Honda Civic Hybrid (aka HCH2)? Not really "justifying" or anything, but here we go :

1. Technology. If I ordered a HCH2, it would be technically obsolete almost as soon as I drove it off. The current generation of hybrids use Ni-MH (nickel metal-hydride) batteries, which will soon be superceded by more advanced Li-Ion (lithium-ion) batteries. "Soon", as in, 2-3 years.

2. Economy. The current hybrids typically get 16-18 km/l (38-42 mpg). Maybe 20 km/l (47 mpg) on a good day. I was looking for a double or triple from my present 12-13 km/l (28-31 mpg). Something like 25-30 km/l (60-70 mpg). I'm looking out for a quantum leap here. As with matters of the portfolio, I look for 100%. 12 to 24 km/l would be 100%. 12 to 18 km/l would have been, hmm, 50% - good, certainly, but there *is* room for improvement.

3. Maintenance. Something you won't worry much about - if you have never had a tyre blow-out. In the middle of the North-South highway. At night. On the first day of the Chinese New Year holiday season. I did, so this is something I do worry about. Since I travel to Malaysia often enough, having a make and model that the folks on the other side can easily fix is important.

4. Prevalence. Closely related to the maintenance issue. A more prevalent model should have more people who know how to fix it. More spare parts available. I don't exactly have the time to wait 2 weeks for a part to arrive from Japan, or Europe, or whatever. Neither, I suspect, do most people.

5. Performance. Something that doesn't have to red-line going up a hill with a full complement of passengers would be nice. With a total of only 90ps or so, the first generation (classic Prius, HCH1) totally CMI ("Couldn't Make It") in this department. At roughly 110ps, the second generation (2004-current Prius, 2006-current HCH2) is "almost" there. But without the electric assist, the 110 drops back down to 90ps or so - back into the CMI department. The additional weight from one model to the next doesn't exactly help. I'm not looking for 0-100 km/h timings of under 9 seconds here. Just looking for something reasonable.

- Props to you if you have followed till this point. 1 month and a 1000km servicing later, here are my impressions so far :

1. I miss my CVT. I maintain that CVT's remain more advanced than any ordinary 4AT or 5AT automatic transmission out there. After all, the CVT, like the helicopter, was first designed by Leonardo da Vinci circa 1492. His ideas, you know, have a habit of taking like 400, 500 years from initial design to implementation and mass production. I knew that going back to a "lower-tech" 5AT would be a bit hard to swallow. It still is. The gear changes with a noticeable jolt, especially from 1st to 2nd. Well, at least noticeable to me, having driven a super-smooth, "no gear change" CVT for the past 6 years.

2. Power is adequate, not that much difference from 130ps to 125ps. 5 less "horses" and a heavier body make it slower in the 0-100 department (at the red-line end of things), but additional mid-range torque makes up for that by being present in the more useful RPM ranges. In simple English : the old model had more power but you had to (insanely) rev the engine to its limits. The new one gives you more useful power at saner ranges.

3. The V-Kool solar film rocks. It makes a big difference on hot, sunny days. But I still look out for shaded areas and multi-storey carparks.

4. Mileage. Lo and behold, as fellow forummers have so warned, the first few tanks were crap. 12.88, 12.34 km/l. Today, one month hence, I got 13.31 km/l. It's no hybrid, but all in all, it isn't too bad given how the new car is some 100 kg heavier, is 1.6L as opposed to 1.5L, and the 5AT transmission does not have the CVT advantage.

5. Miscellaneous. The suspension is much better. Finally, a real computerized climate control system (having to put up with a manual air-con thermostat for years). The DBW (drive-by-wire) throttle is very responsive. EBD (Electronic Brake Distribution) with ABS is nice to have. The flat floor for the rear passengers is good to have, too (an innovation since the prior ES model).