Hey all,
So yesterday I testdrove a Civic Hybrid and I really enjoyed it. I wasn't really surprised but I'm happy it met or exceeded my expectations. Safe to say this will probably be the replacement for my 2014 Mazda3 2.0L 6-speed manual. Steering is a bit more numb, but it handles really well and damn does that powertrain haul. Comparable to a mk5 GTI DSG I used to own, but possibly pulls stronger at higher speeds. Very impressed with performance. The all-electric mode, less so, but I didn't really try it out under low loads.
That said, I'm maybe less thrilled at the fuel consumption + presence of a battery pack.
Currently, my no tech, not automatic, no turbo, no hybrid...just manual gasser, averages 6.5L/100km, which is really good. It's also been paid for since 2017, and maintenance is really cheap on this thing. The Civic hybrid will likely average 4.5-5.0L/100km in my hands, so an improvement of 1.5-2.0L/100km. Over 15,000km per year, that's a savings of 225L of fuel per year, and at $1.75/L that's $393.75 per year savings. After 10 years, $3,937.50.
This brings me to the 144V 1.0 kWh battery pack. I asked the saleswoman if she knew the replacement cost, and she didn't, but she estimated it at about $8,000; the pack being about $3-4k. It carries an 8-year 160,000 km warranty.
So you can see where I'm going with this. If I, a very average DIYer, can replace the battery pack myself over a weekend with normal tools, I'd say this Civic hybrid is worth it. If I absolutely need a Honda dealer to do this, the sell becomes harder.
Does someone have some input here? I'm actually going to be looking into this in the coming weeks.
Much like the powertrain for any ICE vehicle, the warranty usually expires within 5-8 years, and people enjoy driving the heck out of the engine and transmission well into the 250-300k km range without issue, if you maintain it properly. I'm sure the same goes for the 1.0kWh litium-ion battery pack. That said, there's a certain degredation that is still unknown and difficult to anticipate, and it leaves us in the open with regards to a cost we do need to anticipate. I'm causiously hopeful.
These are Honda Civics and they're supposed to be cars for the people. If the pack dies, it will likely exceed the value of the remaining car. I think it's really important to ensure average people have the ability to extend the life of their Civics well into the 15-20 year range (minimally) and not give up on it, since the rest of the vehicle will likely still be in excellent shape.
Cheers,
James
So yesterday I testdrove a Civic Hybrid and I really enjoyed it. I wasn't really surprised but I'm happy it met or exceeded my expectations. Safe to say this will probably be the replacement for my 2014 Mazda3 2.0L 6-speed manual. Steering is a bit more numb, but it handles really well and damn does that powertrain haul. Comparable to a mk5 GTI DSG I used to own, but possibly pulls stronger at higher speeds. Very impressed with performance. The all-electric mode, less so, but I didn't really try it out under low loads.
That said, I'm maybe less thrilled at the fuel consumption + presence of a battery pack.
Currently, my no tech, not automatic, no turbo, no hybrid...just manual gasser, averages 6.5L/100km, which is really good. It's also been paid for since 2017, and maintenance is really cheap on this thing. The Civic hybrid will likely average 4.5-5.0L/100km in my hands, so an improvement of 1.5-2.0L/100km. Over 15,000km per year, that's a savings of 225L of fuel per year, and at $1.75/L that's $393.75 per year savings. After 10 years, $3,937.50.
This brings me to the 144V 1.0 kWh battery pack. I asked the saleswoman if she knew the replacement cost, and she didn't, but she estimated it at about $8,000; the pack being about $3-4k. It carries an 8-year 160,000 km warranty.
So you can see where I'm going with this. If I, a very average DIYer, can replace the battery pack myself over a weekend with normal tools, I'd say this Civic hybrid is worth it. If I absolutely need a Honda dealer to do this, the sell becomes harder.
Does someone have some input here? I'm actually going to be looking into this in the coming weeks.
- I'm going to look into who actually manufacturers the battery pack and their history with automotive battery packs (I believe it's LG Chem but I may be mistaken);
- How did Honda's previous hybrid batteries fare in harsh driving conditions over time? The last generation Civic also had a lithium-ion pack but I don't know much about it;
- How does Honda generally handle powertrain warranty replacements? Are they sticklers or do they look out for their clients for the long run?;
- I'm going to dive into how the battery pack is integrated in the Civic and how easy/difficult it is to replace in a garage with no lift and normal tools;
- I'm going to look into how the battery pack is assembled and if a normal person can open up a pack and change defective cells as opposed to the entire hardware.
Much like the powertrain for any ICE vehicle, the warranty usually expires within 5-8 years, and people enjoy driving the heck out of the engine and transmission well into the 250-300k km range without issue, if you maintain it properly. I'm sure the same goes for the 1.0kWh litium-ion battery pack. That said, there's a certain degredation that is still unknown and difficult to anticipate, and it leaves us in the open with regards to a cost we do need to anticipate. I'm causiously hopeful.
These are Honda Civics and they're supposed to be cars for the people. If the pack dies, it will likely exceed the value of the remaining car. I think it's really important to ensure average people have the ability to extend the life of their Civics well into the 15-20 year range (minimally) and not give up on it, since the rest of the vehicle will likely still be in excellent shape.
Cheers,
James
