2003 Honda Civic Hybrid Sedan

It's enlightening that the item calling for our attention isn't the hybrid powerplant, but the optional continuously variable transmission, for no other reason than the absence of shifting seems peculiar. It's the same sensation we had when testing Honda's natural-gas Civic GX, and it passes as the smooth-operating CVT experience transitions from unusual to perfectly normal.


Motivation is provided in this 5-passenger Civic by an advanced iteration of Honda's gasoline-electric Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) powerplant. Bowing to the need to move a more substantial package some 800 pounds heavier than the Insight, the Civic gets an 87-horsepower, 1.3-liter 4-cylinder gasoline engine compared to the Insight's 1.0-liter 3-cylinder engine, netting 18 hp more than the Insight.

Motivation is provided by an advanced iteration of Honda's gasoline-electric Integrated Motor Assist powerplant with 87 horses and a 10 kW electric boost for seamless acceleration.

The elegance of the IMA powerplant is that the Civic Hybrid, like the Insight, gets an additional 13 hp (10 kW) boost from its integrated electric motor as greater performance is needed, such as when quickly accelerating or driving a grade. We found this electric boost providing linear, seamless acceleration, just what you want in a hybrid.


The Civic's i-DSI (Dual and Sequential Ignition) gasoline engine uses two spark plugs per cylinder for more complete combustion, an innovation that aids fuel economy and helps the Civic Hybrid achieve Ultra Low Emission Vehicle (ULEV) emissions certification.