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“We are a family of four including two lads under 10....”

written by Hudd3 on 23/12/2004

Good Points
Environmentally friendly, quiet, feels nice.

Bad Points
Quirky subsidary controls, no rear wiper. Can we have an IMA version of the hatchback please!

General Comments
We are a family of four including two lads under 10. Our Honda Civic IMA was purchased as a second vehicle to run around locally and provide a back-up to our MPV in case of emergency.



At the time of purchase we wanted a cheap car to run that would be reliable yet provide comfort. We were not too concerned about boot space or its ability to cover long distance and wanted an environmentally friendly vehicle.



The Honda Civic IMA was selected and we have been using it for best part of a year - overall we are pleased with it although we can certainly suggest some improvements.



Firstly congratulations to Honda - you produced a 'normal' car that IS usable as a family car, IS comfortable and IS environmentally friendly.



The IMA is a normal Honda Civic Saloon (wish they did a hatch version) with a 1300 petrol engine to which an electric engine has been added. The electric engine is used to assist the petrol engine rather than power the car in its own right. Honda claim that this gives the car the performance of a 1600; I feel 1500 is more accurate but this is splitting hairs.



To drive is just like any other petrol car and is reasonably quiet and very smooth. When you accelerate then the electric engine automatically cuts in and gives assistance (keeps MPG higher as well). This all works well - the main difference in driving is that whilst in stationary traffic, if conditions are right, the petrol engine stops. Select a gear and the engine is automatically switched on and off you go - clever as you save fuel and the car is quiet.



One concern is 'will it restart' - ours always does- very quickly. Even when cold, starting is instant and quiet - I am not technical but I don't think it has a starter motor - just uses its powerful electric motor to kick the petrol one into action.



Fuel consumption is between 47-50mpg - or so the onboard computer tells us. now I must confess that I was hoping for slightly better than this but it's not bad considering most of our journeys are under 10 miles. On longer journeys we have managed 52mpg - would have hoped for more but that being said it still provides for cheap motoring - bearing in mind the tax disc is only £65 and you can get exemption from the Congestion charge in London.



Where Honda have scored is in the cars finish; very good build with leather interior, good safety features (air bags all round, ABS, etc).



The annoying points are with the gadgets, examples being; the heated rear window does not switch itself off and is hidden from the driver. The electric mirrors (also heated) are a bit fiddly to use. Given the high level of finish it would have been nice to see radio controls on the steering wheel and cruise control would have been a benefit. Like most saloons, it does not have a rear wiper - and it could do with one.



The space for a saloon seems very good - passengers are not cramped and the boot is pretty roomy. The only downside is that the seats cannot be collapsed for long items - due to the sealed battery compartment behind the rear seat.



The car is also quite low to the ground which does not help visibility on the road - either for the kids or driver although not a major problem.



Brilliant on short journeys but we stick with our MPV on long journeys (>150 miles) as the additional space makes life more comfortable.



After one year of motoring, we are very pleased with the car - no major problems, cheap to run and nice to drive whilst being economical too.... and ... it's a bit different.