They're not fast, they don't corner hard and they're certainly not the most pulse-quickening cars we've ever tested at Inside Line. But if fuel-efficiency and utility are priority items in your next car purchase, then the 2009 Honda Civic Hybrid and 2009 Honda Fit Sport are unbelievable machines.
Combining economic operation and utility like few other cars sold today, either of these Hondas is a responsible choice for the buyer looking to save fuel, minimize emissions and haul the family. Each has its own unique qualities — important distinctions that can't be overlooked.
The question, then, is which is the better car? To figure it out, for two weeks we used the 2009 Honda Civic Hybrid and the 2009 Honda Fit as they're designed to be used. We drove them to work, loaded our families in them, packed our groceries in them and took them to the track to measure their performance. We argued the merits of the Civic's superb fuel economy vs. the Fit's exceptional utility.
In doing so, we designed this test to suit the priorities of a buyer looking for reasonably priced utilitarian transportation. Accordingly, fuel economy and price make up the majority of each car's total score at 25 percent each. Performance, feature content and our 29-point evaluation score make up 15 percent each, while editors' personal and recommended picks combine for the remaining 5 percent.
The Distinctions
Both our test cars represent the very top of their respective model lines. In other words, you can't buy a more expensive Fit or Civic.
Our 2009 Honda Fit Sport test car included the new-for-2009 five-speed automatic transmission, which complements the Fit's 1.5-liter inline-4 engine rated at 117 horsepower and 106 pound-feet of torque. Including Honda's voice-recognition navigation system brings the Fit Sport's cost to $19,430 including destination.
The hybrid powertrain isn't the only feature jacking up the Civic's price. This car also has been equipped with a navigation system and leather seats, which pushed its sticker (including destination) to $27,420 — nearly an $8,000 premium beyond the Fit Sport. The combined power rating of its 1.3-liter, inline-4 gasoline engine and 20-kilowatt electric motor is 110 hp and 123 lb-ft of torque. A continuously variable transmission puts power to the ground.
If it's air emissions you're concerned with, the Civic is EPA-certified as a Tier 2, Bin 2 polluter, while the Fit earns a Tier 2, Bin 5 rating. The California Air Resources Board (CARB) classifies the Civic as an AT-PZEV and the Fit as a ULEV2. In case you're not familiar with the alphabet soup of emissions ratings, this means that the Civic emits roughly as many pollutants while running for a week as a 1976 Chevy Beauville Van does leaking oil in your driveway for a day. And the Fit emits only a little more.
Both cars are fitted with front, side and curtain airbags; stability control; and antilock brakes.
Living With Them
Unlike the Toyota Prius, the 2009 Honda Civic Hybrid manages to look and act like a normal car. There's a conventional key to start the engine, and a conventional shifter. Short of its goofy wheels, there's very little giveaway visually that this is a hybrid. Start driving, however, and it's clear this is no normal car. Its electric-assisted power steering lacks the feel and response of a conventional Civic and it quickly becomes obvious that handling hasn't been a priority in the tuning of its chassis. If, like most hybrid owners, you're not one to be engaged by the way a car feels when you drive it, then there's little here to dislike.
Here's something funny. Jump out of a Civic Hybrid and into a Fit and you'll swear you're driving a sports car — even with the automatic tranny. The Fit's shift paddles on the steering wheel allow you to downshift for a corner and exercise precise control over engine braking — the Civic can't manage either of these tasks. There's better steering feel, a more responsive powertrain and relatively engaging handling in the Fit as well. Bottom line: It's a hell of a lot more fun.
But your extra money does get you more than a hybrid powertrain in the Civic. Its leather-upholstered seats and automatic climate control are worthwhile amenities that aren't available in the Fit. Plus, it's a just a nicer car, without the noticeable evidence of cost-cutting that's easy to find in the Fit.
Reality
The truth is, if you're willing to overlook the Civic's awkward control feel and miserably slow acceleration, both of these cars will serve you well for daily commuting and family hauling, which is really what they're for.
But you don't have to look far to realize how much more practical the 2009 Honda Fit is when it comes to moving cargo. Even with its rear seats in the upright position, it offers almost twice as much cargo space as the Civic (20.6 cubic feet vs. 10.4 cubic feet). Fold those seats flat and cargo volume expands to a massive 57.3 cubic feet. Plus, the Civic simply can't compete with the Fit's flexibility when it comes to configuring the cargo area.
With the ability to raise its split-folding seat bottoms against their seatbacks, the Fit is unmatched in this aspect of utility. The Civic, meanwhile, lacks even a simple pass-through into the trunk because its battery pack is in the way.
Fuel Consumption
We measured fuel economy using two sets of criteria. First, we performed a test in which both cars were driven twice in controlled conditions — one highway route totaling 83 miles and two city loops totaling 180 miles. Driving the cars together and using the same driving style and similar speeds ensured equal conditions for both cars. Air-conditioning was used during city testing and one driver refueled both cars at the same pump using the same fill technique.
We use the EPA's combined fuel economy number for fuel economy scoring in this test, but offer our own test results to demonstrate how each car performed in various conditions with our editors behind the wheel.
Not surprisingly, the 2009 Honda Civic Hybrid easily won every fuel consumption test. It earned an average of 45.7 mpg in our controlled tests — 48.7 mpg in the city and 40.4 mpg on the highway. The Fit, however, was still respectable. It produced a 32.8 mpg average — 32.9 mpg city and 32.7 mpg highway.
Second, we calculated observed fuel economy over our entire time with each car, just as we do in all our comparison tests. Though this data isn't gathered in controlled conditions, it provides a useful idea of the fuel economy each car is likely to produce in the hands of the average driver during everyday driving. The Civic Hybrid again proved superior by squeezing an impressive 36.1 miles from every gallon of fuel. The Fit averaged 29.2 mpg in everyday use.
At the Track
There's no question that both these cars are more impressive when it comes to saving fuel than they are when it comes to conquering a drag strip. Still, even fuel misers like these are expected to operate in environments that require quick acceleration and reasonable agility, so our track tests are telling.
The 2009 Honda Fit ruled our performance tests like Garry Kasparov would dominate Jenny McCarthy in a chess match. Its 11.0-second 0-60 time (10.7 seconds with 1 foot of rollout like on a drag strip) might seem slow until you notice that 13.5 seconds (13.1 seconds with 1 foot of rollout like on a drag strip) are required for the Civic Hybrid to achieve the same velocity. The story is the same in the quarter-mile, where the Fit's 17.9-second pass at 75.7 mph embarrasses the Civic's effort of 19.3 seconds at 72.5 mph.
The story that those numbers don't tell is the influence a 19-second quarter-mile time has on your driving style. Truth is, this is slow enough that it requires some compensation when you're merging onto freeways. Mostly, this just means being patient — something most drivers in Los Angeles have long since forgotten. We found the Civic's acceleration too slow in many instances. Even when we were patient, others weren't.
Despite its beam-type rear suspension, the Fit showed the independently suspended Civic its taillights in our handling tests. Clearly, this is a tuning issue, since the Civic's platform is fundamentally superior. The Fit pushed through the slalom at 67.8 mph vs. the Civic's 64.1-mph pass. Lateral grip, too, proves to be in the Fit's favor at 0.77g vs. the Civic's 0.72g performance.
The Fit's 134-foot stopping performance from 60 mph won't break any records, but it is 6 feet shorter than the Civic's 140 feet. As with most hybrids, the Civic's brake feel proves awkward and lacks consistency because of the problematic transition from regenerative braking to mechanical braking.
Cost vs. Benefit
Here's the real rub with most hybrids. In most cases, the added cost of the hybrid powertrain makes them prohibitively expensive relative to their conventional rivals. This is exactly the case here.
Sure, the Civic is more fuel-efficient. Using our combined fuel economy figures (36.1 mpg Civic/29.2 mpg Fit) and a rate of 15,000 miles of annual driving, it's clear that the Civic Hybrid will consume 98 gallons of fuel fewer than the Fit in one year. But once you calculate the current average U.S. fuel cost, it's clear that it will take almost 26 years to make up the price difference between the two cars with the savings in fuel costs alone. That's a hard sell for any hybrid.
Another consideration with any hybrid is the cost of replacing its batteries. We don't see this as a big risk with the Civic, since Honda stands behind the hybrid components with a standard eight-year/80,000-mile warranty, which, in states following California emissions standards, will extend to 10 years or 150,000 miles. Even so, replacing the batteries will cost about $2,000.
The 2009 Honda Fit wins this comparison test primarily because it offers 80 percent of the 2009 Honda Civic Hybrid's fuel economy at 70 percent of its cost. The Fit also happens to provide equal passenger space, far more cargo capacity and much better flexibility in the kind of cargo it will carry. In a game of fuel consumption and utility, the 2009 Honda Fit is the obvious choice. And while it might not quicken your pulse like some cars we test, it has a rare combination of efficiency and function that easily beats the Civic.
The manufacturers provided Edmunds these vehicles for the purposes of evaluation.
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