seeking insight on pre-2004 Prius vs. Honda Civic Hybrid

[Linda]

A weakness of Civic-Hybrid (CVT) is stop & slow traffic, like many people experience on their daily commute. MPG suffers under those conditions.

The Classic Prius can suffer under the stop-n-slow conditions as well. An MT HCH will reengage auto-stop without the 10MPH rule; a Classic Prius will wear down the battery charge and cause the engine to run all the time until the battery is recharged. An HCH *will* Auto-Stop even if the hybrid battery is low.

Auto-Stop will not re-engage unless speed reaches 10 MPH. (Classic & HSD Prius doesn't have a speed requirement for the engine to shut back off. In fact, the engine will usually remain off when you creep forward.)

See above.

Auto-Stop is limited when the temperature drops below 40 F degrees. (Classic Prius has a limit of 20 F degrees. HSD Prius has a limit of -15 F degrees.)

So it says in the manual, but that's not always reliable. I know I went over this with you last winter, John! It hasn't changed. You can enter Auto-Stop in much lower temperatures than 40 degrees, depending on your climate control settings.

Auto-Stop halts the A/C blower. (Classic Prius keeps it running when on low, even with the engine off. HSD Prius has electric A/C, so the relevance is minimal.)

Not exactly true. The fan in the HCH will stop if fan speed is set to Auto, but if it's set to a speed, the fan continues to blow during Auto-Stop. The compressor for the AC does shut down, respecting the driver's wish for Auto-Stop (if you want the car to continue running, turn off the Econ button). The original poster is comparing the Classic Prius, so your comments about the 2nd Gen Prius AC aren't applicable. The Classic Prius also loses the AC compressor when the car shuts off; however, if the cabin temp rises, the engine will turn on to fuel the compressor. The HCH engine remains off until you ask it/let it turn on again.

Assist relies primarily on regenerative-braking for electricity. That means once that is depleted, forced-charging is required, which causes a noticeable MPG hit. It also means assist availability becomes limited. (Classic & HSD Prius generates electricity 100 percent of the time the engine is providing thrust to the wheels, so the relevance is minimal.)

Only half right. The "three-bar charge" does not cause a noticeable MPG hit.

I own both an '01 Prius and an '03 Honda Civic Hybrid. Both are excellent cars; both have their strengths and weaknesses. Your responses here will be skewed toward the Prius, since this is a Prius forum -- what are your specific questions?

peace,
Linda 8)