I'm starting to think that Toyota is at market saturation, my local dealer has had 2 on the lot for a month and there is 3 G2's for sale in the auto ads in the local news paper. There was also another dealer advertising a 2005 at a slight discount. Also read in the local CAA brochure that the total number of hybrids in B.C. was 660 in May of this year. This would include all hybrids. I'm starting to think were at the peak. I really believe that it's just a niche market car. At the end of 2003 there were 365 Prius Classics in the DMV records. I really don't care one way or the other but even the used ones here are priced low. If I was an American I'd buy one up here and if anybody asks say you were transfered back to the US.

It's a price drop and a content increase, which is really cool. I'd say that a base Civic is probably now better equipped than a base Prius, and it's only when they're loaded that they've got parity.

I thought that the price increased in the US...

Blame Canada!

I still think the Prius one-ups the Civic with the hatchback, and VSC.

I dunno, you can give or take here. The hatchback/folding rear seats are nice, but if you have a family, or are over 6' tall, the adjustable seats/steering wheel are nice, as are the standard side air bags (shame on Toyota for that). The stereo on the Civic also seems to be somewhat uplevel compared to the Prius.

Fine.

Eye of the beholder. I guess it doesn't concern me because I'd look at Pkg 6 (actually I own that one) rather than the base one anyway.

I'd rather not have another discussion about Honda Civic vs Prius... it's been beaten to death, and people can refer to the other thread if they please.

http://priuschat.com/index.php?showtopic=1...&hl=honda+civic

The base Civic did go up by US$1800... but seems to have a big break in Canada. Good for canada.

it was beaten to death on the old HCH the new redesigned HCH is totally different looking than the old one. No I wouldn't buy one but lots will after looking at it and the price point. Also I don't like hatchbacks, I want a trunk, but that's just me.

I mean it was beaten to death a few weeks back when I posted about the US pricing of the 2006 HCH. It sounded like we were going to have the same argument as from before, so I posted the old one (still about the 2006) to hedge that off.

Once again...

BLAME CANADA! :lol:

Definitely should be interesting to see Toyota and Honda fight this out.

I agree. Whoever wins, we all win... good old engineering competition! I think that we're going to look forward to some very nice cars from both Honda and Toyota in the years to come.

Hey, what's that tiny speck in the rearview mirror? Oh, that's just the "Big 3" slipping further and further behind. Kudos to the Toyota and Honda. Hopefully they'll have the money to buy up all of GM and Ford's assets in this country to soften the blow when those clowns go under. It's great to see this unfolding. Capitalism at its best.

Under certain low to medium speed crusing conditions, the Civic Hybrid will go into a special "cylinder idle" mode, and will shut the cylinders so that fuel is not consumed by the engine, but uses the motor and battery power.

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2005/07/information_abo.php

There's a good picture on that page that explains where this mode fits in.

The HCH 2006 isn't in anyone's hands yet, so we have yet to get first hand account of what speeds this occurs, how much the electric motor can drive the car, etc.

It's important to distinguish this from the Prius stealth mode at less than 41 MPH though. The Prius has the power split device instead of a conventional transmission, and the MG2 can spin independently of the engine. When the Prius is in stealth mode under 41 MPH, the engine is shut down, and is not spinning because of Toyota's HSD design. Honda's IMA, however, means that the motor and the engine are mated together, and even in this cylinder idle mode, the engine must still spin though no fuel is consumed.

Moreover, the Civic Hybrid will not be able to accelerate from stop using electric only power like the Prius.

It remains to be seen whether or not the Civic Hybrid will be capable of silent parking lot operationg though .

Sort of.

They can run in electric only mode, but the ICE is always turning over because it shares a shaft with the electric motor - it's just 'de-activated'.

Only at very low speeds and very short distances too. Not sure how effective it will actually be.

Being used to an SUV.. I prefer a hatchback because my space is connected and accessible to me at any time.. Stereo speakers , groceries,.. I like knowing if things are banging around etc too, To me trunks are a black hole. Buts thats just me.

I think the Honda is now priced about right given the realities of the Canadian dollar echange value. (around 85 cents). Toyota on the other hand still prices the Prius as if the Cdn dollar was at the old 62 cent mark. Not to mention the dealer here in Victoria charges $1300 over Toyota Canada's list price !! :angry: