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Hybrid Vehicles Hybrid Vehicles - Archived Discussions Toyota Prius vs. Honda Civic Hybrid v. Honda Insight v. ? 
336 messages, Last post on Oct 26, 2007 at 11:07 AM
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Replying to: john1701a (Sep 29, 2005 6:28 pm)  Early you were referring to the transmission as CVT se one of your earlier posts: #54 john1701a, "Hybrids: Toyota Prius vs. Honda Civic Hybrid v. Honda Insight v. ?" #54, 3 Dec 2003 12:31 am 1. some people call it a transmission there was a lot of debate about that. 2. they are called gears, just by their specifc name for their specific function. 3. That is true in one sense the gear cogs engage/disengage but the gear realtionship is fixed. 4. Marketing _ remember the "turbo-hydramatic transmission" John, if you will stop an think about the engine rotates and wheels rotate. There are only a handful of ways to connect two rotating devices: (1) directly connect via a shaft or cable (2) use wheels/pulleys and connect by a belt (3) use wheels pulleys and connect by friction pressure (4) use gears and connect by a gear chain. (5) use gears and directly engage the gear cogs. The HSD sytem uses a CVT planetary gear set which is a version of (5). It is actaully a pretty innovative system by using two Motor Generators sun gear and palnatary ring to drive the wheels and achieve the same effect as a conventional CVT transmission. CVT stand for continuously varialble can almost infitiley vary the final drive ratio between a lower and upper limit. think of a very low first gear ratio ( around 13.5 to 1) up to a very high highway gear ratio (around 2.5 to 1) and basically an infinite number of ration in between. I am sorry you are having trouble understanding the concept. There is a very simplified, animated version of how the gears work at this URL: http://home.earthlink.net/~graham1/MyToyotaPrius/Understanding/PowerSplitDevice.htm Here is another diagram of the Prius gears: http://home.nyc.rr.com/tewedding/HSD/Prius_Transaxle.GIF The HSD is a innovative transmission ,but it uses GEARS and is a planetray -CVT type transmission. Good luck in your further understanding of the Prius HSD system. Cruis'n 6-speed manual, MidCow |
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Found this article on a comparision: http://www.broward.com/mld/cctimes/classifieds/automotive/12721217.htm He points out the two superior points of the Prius: Larger trunk space and the Civic does not offer ESC (Electronic Stability Control). Additionally, the Civic does not even offer traction control! I'd rather have that stuff then 20 speakers! Sounds like they forgot to put in the safety features when they did the redesign! Funny that the Accord has it though!
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Replying to: koolkinkajou (Oct 24, 2005 12:07 am)
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Replying to: coffmlu (Oct 24, 2005 8:38 am) |
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Replying to: koolkinkajou (Oct 24, 2005 12:07 am) I was hoping Honda would wise up with the HAH but they did not. Again I was hoping they would wise up for the 2006 HCH, they did not. I HOPE Toyota STAYS wise when they put out the Hybrid Camry about a year from now. It clearly isn't a hatchback vs sedan issue, the non hybrid Civic has folding rear seats, my '86 Mazda 626 sedan had folding rear seats, so do most other sedans so what gives? I can't believe Toyota has some patent on the 'truck' deck at the level of the top of the battery pack and a storage tray behind the battery and under the deck such that no one else can have a similar design. Even if Honda left it as is, who cares? The back (now top) of the folded rear seats would still be at or above the level of the battery compartment. So what if you have an 8" drop to the rest of the trunk area? It is sad such a little thing makes such a big difference in functionality.
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Replying to: bruceha_2000 (Oct 25, 2005 5:05 am) -juice
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Replying to: ateixeira (Oct 25, 2005 7:16 am) I think it is for design reasons. They put the batteries in that space behind the seats, and don't have to engineer a space for battery packs. Thus Honda can use their conventional design vehicles without major modifications. It's not such an issue with SUVs; they have more space inside. Same with the GMC hybrid pickup.
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Hey folks - in case you haven't visited our new blogs yet, check out Karl on Cars (Karl Brauer our Editor in Chief) and see the entry about Toyota Prius v. Honda Civic Hybrid http://blogs.edmunds.com/.ee8c4a3 You can comment on it there - hey! another place for you to post... note - if you have autologin/remember me you might have to put the URL in as for some reason clicking on it is giving a redirect to our main blog Straightline http://blogs.edmunds.com/straightline
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I have owned 3 Civics and two Accords, so my shopping started with Honda. The Civic is small for my needs (need the trunk space especially) and the Accord is too expensive, even the non-hybrid. Keeping the Civic in mind with the possibility of hybrid or not, I looked at a Prius. The Prius had the room that I need and the functionality that I need. Certainly the non hybrid Civic would be cheaper, but it wouldnt have the space that I need. It really was as simple as that. The test-drive went fine and the car met my expectations. Certainly not a dragster, but I am not looking for a muscle car, just a car to commute with. And as I sit in traffic for too long, the Prius made sense as it turns the ICE off. So, I asked the Honda dealer for a test drive in a non-hybrid Civic. He couldn't produce one in the trim that I was looking at, much less a hybrid. What bothered me is that he then told me that I didn't need a hybrid and that Honda only made hybrids to compete with Toyota. I then asked the Toyota dealer for a test drive in a Prius. It happened within 3 days. The Prius provides the room that I need; the Civic (hybrid or otherwise) doesnt. Mine is currently on order. Sure, it is more expensive, but it is a better car. As far as the HCH, I didn't like the idea of a belt-driven transmission. I have had some 'negative experience' with Hondas and belts.
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Replying to: looking4prius (Nov 17, 2005 10:00 am) |
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