CIVIC PRIDE

0 Comments | Sunday Mirror, Mar 18, 2007 | by QUENTIN WILLSON BRITAIN'S NO.1 MOTORING WRITER

FOR the second year in a row, Britain's best green car is the Civic Hybrid. And its credentials are impeccable.

Honda's petrol-electric suburban shuttle returns 60 miles to every gallon, emits 109g/km of CO2, and will do 115mph.

Buyers are exempt from London's Congestion Charge, pay pounds 40 annual road tax and enjoy the heady feeling of doing their bit for the environment. But that's the only rush they'll be getting. Nought to 60 takes a glacial 12 seconds and driving it is like sitting on a bed of warm marshmallows.

Sensory stimulation is definitely not on the options list. If you want automotive arousal, you don't buy a hybrid.

But I have to say the Civic is a nice little car to drive, easy, light and roomy, and it's clever. The twin spark-plug i-VTEC engine's valves close under braking, or at low speed, and when the car stops, the engine shuts down.

Take your foot off the brake, the engine fires up and the car nudges forward, but shutdown to start-up can be a bit jerky. While toddling round town is quiet enough, ring down to the engine room and things get a bit more vocal (the Prius is more refined).

On the plus side, there's a 90,000-mile three-year warranty, CVT auto and intelligent electronic dash with digital speedo.

Fixtures and fittings are finely crafted, as you'd expect from a Honda, but boot space is limited by all those batteries. Cheaper than the Prius at pounds 16,300, Honda's eco-hatch is still pounds 5k more than the equivalent Focus.

And that's the problem. Going green should not mean you have to hand over more green.

If cars like the Civic are to sell in any number, we need a financial incentive to buy them. And that has to come from the Government. Whether you believe in global warming or not, hybrids are the future, if only to reduce our dependence on oil.

TECH FILE

Engine: 1339cc

0-60: In 12.1 secs

Max: 115mph

Power: 113bhp

Economy: 61.4 mpg

Price: pounds 16,300

Who'll Drive It: Greens with green to spare