Looking for a hybrid...

Either would serve you well, IMHO.

I looked at both and chose the Prius for three reasons: 1) the hatchback and its cargo capacity (not a concern for you, I understand), 2) the legroom, in the front for my 6'4" frame and in the back for my tall teenagers, and 3) what I believe is a superior design for the Toyota hybrid system.

Fuel economy for your driving situation probably would be comparable, though if you have the patience and route options for lower speed alternatives to your highway runs, the Prius would emerge as the FE champ.

Many of your fellow Canadians are members here, and none have reported any cold weather problems except, possibly, a rather aggressive traction control system that can cause problems in snow. The consensus seems to be that a good winter tire will take care of it, but you might consider searching those threads to get the full picture.

 

You're talking new car?

Too bad. I think an Insight would have been good for you.

 

In that temp, on the highway, with the grille blocked off and running aggressive studded winter tires, I get around 5.5 l/100km at 110 km/h. At 90 km/h, I can get that down to 5 l/100 km

I'm running the studded Goodyear Nordic from Canadian Tire. This is an excellent winter tire in deep snow and on glare ice, especially when it is studded. Very noisy on dry pavement, which is a good compromise

Since I have the winter tires on steel rims, I can quickly compare the fuel economy. With the factory alloys and Michelin Harmony tires, at 110 km/h I can usually average 4.6 l/100 km.

Road texture makes a big difference too. The rough macadam-like roads here in Manitoba can really kill your fuel economy. Driving down to Fargo or the Twin Cities, at the same speeds in summer I can usually achieve 4.2 l/100km

 

Not that I'm trying to discourage you from buying a Prius (It one of the best buy I have ever made; I love it!) but I'm pretty sure that post October 1, 2007, you no longer get federal tax breaks. That being said, I think you may be eligible for state tax incentives.

 

Uhhhh, I believe our boy is from North of the Border, so this tax stuff does not apply.

Of course they may have their own tax benefit up there, and it would not surprise me if it were better than ours.

 

I think he's in Canada and they still get tax breaks.

 

HI Kevin;

I agree with Jim, whichever of the two you pick you'll be well served.

I do think the Prius will fetch you an overall better fuel economy. If you check any of the available mileage databases you'll see they are pretty close in this area. If you take the www.greenhybrid.com as an example the Prius betters the HCH-II by almost 0.21 L/100KM (almost 2 mpg).

I currently own three 2007 Prius (in use at my company) and two Honda Civic Hybrids (for private use). For myself and my wife, the HCH2 has a slightly better fuel economy in the winter months. In the summer months the Prius would be unbeatable in your hands though.

Give them both a test drive and see which fits you better.

By the way, doesn't Saskatchewan also offer another $2000 in addition to the $2000 from federal rebate. If so you'd get a total of $4000 on either car.

Cheers;

MSantos

 

I looked at both cars, and chose the HCH--bought it on 22 December. I like the room in the Prius and the hatch design, but the seats in the Civic are much softer and comfortable, the nav system can be used while driving, and I like the instrument panel and interior much better. We also found the ride in the Civic is much better. The HSD is marginally more effective than the Honda system, but by the time you get 46 MPG, another 2 MPG makes little difference. I got 49 MPG on the first tank. The clincher was a Prius would have been about $6,000 more with a nav system, and no tax incentive, so the HCH will have cost me about $8,000 less than the Prius I would have bought.
But each driver has different priorities on what they want in a car, so the best thing is to test drive and see which one you like best. We've test driven both cars at least a dozen times, and we rented a Prius in Vegas for three days before making our decision.

 

My first winter with the Prius, before I made my winter front to block the grille, I got around 10 l in city driving. You really have to block the grille in winter, the Prius can be a cold blooded car. That also helps the heater performance too. First winter I nearly froze my pointy bits off

 

Hi Kevin,

I am also in a cold weather climate (Minnesota). Below is a link to the initial analysis I did below (maybe more analysis there than you want). I think the biggest factor is how far you are driving Those first 5 minutes kill you, so if you only drive 5 minutes, it won't be pretty. I drove some at about -10 (F) and for the most part after the car is warmed up I will average ~45 MPG combined. However since most of my trips are less than 15 minutes my overall average is just north of 40 MPG (sorry for the lack of metric...) I am expecting to see MPG jump up to the 50s in the summer.

http://priuschat.com/forums/showthread.php?t=40123&highlight=civic+hybrid

 

1) No, but I've adapted well
2) Sadly no again
3) Yes, there are instructions on this site (I've disabled mine)
4) Unsure as I just take mine to the dealer
5) From the US dealers you can get the reverse camera without the leather/nav packages, so it does not bump the cost up that much. I personally do not have any visibility issues but I do have the camera.

I've got an 07' with 15k miles I've put on it, and I'm very satisfied with the car. I live in a warm climate, so I can offer any advice on cold weather.

 

Hi. I bought a 2008 Canadian Special Edition with Premium Package (no Nav) in November. The premium package includes the rear camera, smart key sytem, vehicle stability control (you want this) and a slightly upgraded audio system among other things. The package costs about $3000 MSRP in Ontario. There is a $2000 Federal tax rebate and in Ontario, $2000 Provincial too. I also looked at the Honda, but I like the Hybrid system on the Prius better for a number of reasons (check out Consumer's Reports and J.D. Power re: reliability). By the way, I'm currently averaging 4.8 l/100km on my 78 km commute. By being careful, I've managed 3.6 l/100km on the same route. My grill is blocked and I use an EBH. You will find that Toyota Canada has done a VERY poor job of educating their salesmen about the Prius. Read all you can on this forum.

Good luck with your decision.

Geoff

 

1. Nope, and this feature is badly needed. My FJ Cruiser *does* have that feature, it's actually far more comfortable to drive as a result. Though at less than 1/2 the fuel economy

2. Nope. It's needed though

3. There are some older threads on this forum about how to disable the reverse beep

4. Toyota dealerships and especially the salespeople are remarkably ignorant of oils. They will claim a 5W-30 is essential, but a 0W-30 will cause "smoking." Not sure what they are smoking, I'm running Mobil 1 0W-20.

For temps -25 C and colder, you absolutely want a synthetic 0W-30 in your motor. If you can't easily find Mobil 1 0W-30, swing by a bulk lube dealer for Esso. The Esso XD-3 0W-30 is a great oil intended for HD trucks, but is rated for SL/SM use as well. One half the cost of Mobil 1

http://www.esso.ca/Canada-English/Files/Products_Lubes/IOCAENCVLESEsso_Xd-3_extra.pdf

Anyhoo, I've covered oil quality Ad Naseum in other topics

5. Around here, only the Premium Navigation package is that much more, actually around $5K more, not $7K. The Premium has the backup camera, no Nav, and around here is around $3K more

 

As for points 1 & 2, I'm 6'6" tall and I find the interior of the car to be quite comfortable.

 

Pr!us has no oil life sensor. See the owner's manual and scheduled maintenance guide that come with the car for type and change interval. In this and other matters these docs can save you a lot of bother and expense.

IMHO people who second guess the manufacturer are engaging in a hobby, one which is probably harmless if they are informed but not necessary for the great majority of drivers.

Do not rely on dealer advice that contradicts Toyota's documents; it is highly likely that Toyota best knows what the car needs and that the dealer best knows when his next boat payment is due. In this case "the usual oil is fine" probably means that he buys el-cheapo 10W-30 in bulk and uses that for his oil changes regardless. (I buy Mobil-1 and hand the bottles to the tech.)