Have you ever watched that old cartoon "The Jetsons"? It's fabulous. As a child I was positive that by the time I was old enough to get behind the wheel of a car I'd be behind the wheel of one of those self propelled flying cars that the Jetsons drove all over the place. And I have to admit while I'm at it that I always wanted to access the inter city transit that Judy Jetson got to take to the mall. You know...the suction tubes that sucked you right up where you were and spit you right out where you wanted to go? But it wasn't meant to be. I've never found an inter city transit system like the one on the Jetsons and when I took my driver's test it wasn't in a flying car. It was a Honda Civic.



Not that I wasn't ecstatic the day I got my driver's license. Of course I was! The Honda Civic performed beautifully! More beautifully than I did, actually. (The man conducting my test must have felt bad when he told me I'd been speeding for a large majority of the test so he told me he'd mark it down as "failure to observe surroundings adequately" and I'd only lose a few points and still pass. Whew!) That little Honda Civic was great: no nonsense, sturdy, and there when I needed it. Not a space car, but a good car nonetheless!

When the Honda Civic was converted into a Hybrid vehicle it was taken one step closer to the flying car of the future (at least that's what I secretly dream)! The Hybrid gives me hope that we're evolving toward the futuristic cars we've been dreaming of in our cartoons and science fiction for years. It gives me hope because the Hybrid function is pretty impressive. It's the future that we have available today.

We've all heard about Hybrid cars for a while now, but they've been labeled the "new" item for long enough now to have earned a spot in the industry that a larger and larger portion of the buying public trusts. They've shown that they fulfill their purpose and that they are an advantageous purchase for many. They are an especially advantageous purchase now that traditional fuel pricing is rising to painful amounts.

The Hybrid has a 1.3 liter, 95 bhp engine. It's connected to the electric motor which is actually a part of the flywheel. The crankshaft revolves endlessly even when the power is coming directly from the electric motor. Newer models can run on pure electricity taking us one step closer to the elusive Jetson car (at least I hope so! Keep your fingers crossed.)

The Honda Civic Hybrid is designed with inlet and exhaust valves that lower mechanical resistance because they are always shut. It doesn't allow for compressions or pumping losses which makes a big difference. The regenerative braking is another favorite "function" feature of mine. It allows the Hybrid to recover energy when drivers use the brake by accessing the electric motor and using it as a generator. These aren't the only features that work together to make the Hybrid a car worth looking into. It's got unique aspects that appeal to a wide crowd in today's industry. For instance, it offers an average fuel consumption of 58 miles per gallon!