Hybrids are not the only way to go

MANILA, Philippines - There’s no denying that going Green is the in-thing nowadays. Gone is the era when driving big luxo-SUV sporting that gas guzzling V8 was what people aspired for. Now, it’s all about having the smallest carbon footprint by using less fuel and emitting fewer pollutants.

Currently, electric and hybrid cars are the hot tickets for manufacturers. Seen as the panacea of Earth saving motoring, it’s hard to refute the idea that these autos will be tomorrow’s mode of transportation. However, EVs (electric vehicles) and hybrids are still in their infancies and quite frankly, are very expensive.

Going green need not break the bank though, as there is more than one way to skin a cat. Using the tried and tested internal combustion engine, motorists can still go green by driving ultra efficient eco-friendly cars. One such vehicle is the Honda City.

The Honda City has long been an urban commuter’s darling with its miser fuel consumption and bang for the buck quality. As testament to its popularity, Honda locally has already sold 10,000 units of this 3rd generation model just last March. Having so many people on the City-bandwagon only proves that Honda is definitely on to something right.

At the top of the ladder is the City 1.5 E equipped with a 1.5 liter i-VTEC petrol motor. Offering a healthy 120 PS of horsepower and 145 Nm of torque, the City can both be economical and spirited at the same time. Mated to a 5-speed auto transmission with manual override feature, the gears can be shifted at will to achieve better economy overall.

Honda lent us this fully specked variant, draped in Taffeta White paint no less, and we decided to test it on real world driving to see if it really was as thrifty as advertised. Readers be warned, we drove the City like normal folks would on their daily commute. No, we didn’t employ hyper-milling techniques like drafting (sticking close to another car’s behind so as to decrease air drag), turning off the A/C (because really, who does this in the heat of Metro Manila?), and driving like we had all the time in the world (in today’s fast paced life, who does?). In short, don’t expect our economy figures to break any records.

First up, city driving. Within the cramp tricycle ridden streets, not to mention jeepneys picking up passengers wherever convenient, stop and go driving was the norm. Fortunately, the City is equipped with a Fuel Consumption Meter on the dash which helps temper that right foot. Intuitive in its function, a bar graph illuminates increasingly as you make use of more throttle. This lets the driver know that more fuel is being burned. Navigating around the metro gave us time to appreciate the pleasant cabin of the City, which for an entry level vehicle, doesn’t feel bare bones at all. The steering wheel is handsome with the see-through mesh material on the three spokes, while the stereo and A/C controls are neatly stacked on the console. The driver’s seat featured good lateral support, but the intrusive lumbar portion made getting the perfect driving position a little tricky. The City also had an auxiliary port for playing portable MP3 devices, a feature that should now be standard on all cars.

Trying to keep revs no higher than 3000 rpm and when possible shifting only at 2000-2300 rpm, the City yielded 10.12 km/L. This figure may not be ground breaking, but it is a real world representation of how the City will perform day-in and day-out given urban traffic flow.

On the highway, the City proved to be a steady long distance driver and was stable at high speed. No longer just a city car (no pun intended), this Honda can also double as a comfortable freeway commuter. Of course, at speeds in excess of 140 km/h interior noise worsens noticeably, and when large vehicles like trucks pass by, occupants will feel it. In our efforts to test out the City’s overtaking capabilities, which was done by timing how quick it could accelerate from 80km/h to 120 km/h, its fuel consumption for highway took a hit. By the way, 80 to 120 took 10 seconds, which kinda leaves you wanting in that department. The final figure for highway consumption was 11.71 km/L, which though not overly impressive, is still respectable. We’re quite sure without the acceleration testing this would be way better.

Putting these results into perspective, let us point you to my personal experience with the Toyota Prius. Largely seen as the poster child for eco-driving, the Prius is today’s obvious choice for people who want to help Mother Nature. In actual city driving, I was able to get a consumption of 10 km/L with the Prius. I know, this is quite low, but let me explain that enjoying the low-end torque care of the electric motor resulted to me gassing the car intensively, hence the not so impressive economy figure.

So in terms of city driving, heavy right foot as a given, the City and the Prius are somewhat identical in terms of fuel consumption. Since these cars are targeted mainly for urban use anyway, these numbers are the more pertinent ones to look at. As for carbon emissions, although the Prius has the better rating among the two (89 g/km), the City’s 148 g/km (for the manual version) is not bad at all. In fact, this emission rating is good enough for Euro IV levels, which makes it a very clean burning car. Of course, when we get down to price, the clear advantage goes to the City (P821,000) since the Prius (P2.2M plus) and all other hybrids and EVs for that matter, currently command a pretty penny.

Comparisons aside, its clear that going green is a movement all motorists must deal with whether you like it or not. Although most signs point to hybrids and electric cars as the pervading choice for the future, these types are not the only way to go. Having a fuel efficient and clean burning car right now is a more practical alternative…and the Honda City is a prime example of this.