They told me when I joined the Edmunds team that I would probably be the designated driver for the long-term 2007 Honda Civic GX because I was the "green" guy and because, frankly, nobody wanted to put up with the hassles of finding the natural gas pumps the car requires and worrying about running out of fuel and being left high and dry.
A look at our fuel log over the almost six months the GX has been in the fleet bears that out. Only eight members of the staff have driven it, and most of them only once.
The average distance traveled between fill-ups of compressed natural gas has been well under 150 miles and only once has anyone had to put more than the equivalent of 6.5 gallons of fuel into the 8-gallon tank that's supposed to be good for an average of 224 miles.
Well, we pushed the limits the other day, watching the little light bars on the fuel gauge -- about 0.4 gallons-equivalent per bar --blink out until they all were gone and the bright amber "low fuel" light was all that was aglow on that side of the instrument panel...
The occasion was a round-trip drive to La Jolla from the city of Orange in Orange County -- near D-land for those not familiar with the geography.
Most of it was done at speeds of 65-85 mph on the San Diego Freeway. The top end of that range certainly isn't best for fuel effiicency, but if you travel at less than 80 on the stretch between the San Onofre nuclear power station and the city of Oceanside you are liable to be run over by everyone else -- makes you think everyone's trying to get as far from the power plant as quickly as possible.
Anyhow, at the end of the trip, with that fuel warning light burning away, we pulled in to a CNG station near home and pumped in 6.345 gallons. Paid $16.81 for it, or $2.649 a gallon on a day regular gasoline was going for about $3.30.
The trip odometer read 210.4 miles -- the first time it's topped 200 -- and our fuel economy for the trip came out to 33.16 miles per gallon. The GX is EPA rated at 24 mpg in the city, 35 on the highway and 28 for the combined cycle.
A friend from Northern Califonria who's been driving a GX for several years says CNG stations abound up there, so for our next distance run we're thinking a spring trek to the Russian River wine country just below Mendocino. That'll let us test the fuel supply infrastructure, push the mileage a bit and see how much old vine Zinfandel we can squeeze into the GX's truncated trunk.
And if we run out of fuel before we run into a CNG station, we'll also be able to report on the eficiency of the Northern California AAA tow service.
John O'Dell, Senior Editor, Edmunds Green Car Advisor @ 6756 miles.
estreka says:
08:15 PM, 12/10/07
Any word on the PHILL?
mcrunfast says:
08:43 AM, 12/11/07
Is there any sort of online guide on where to find alternative fuel stations? I live in the Midwest and have never once seen a CNG station, but finding E85 is pretty easy. If I was looking into this as an option I'd definitely want to make sure there's a station or two around, even with PHILL as an at home option. I'm also just curious to see what is offered where, and in what concentrations.
stingray454 says:
12:10 PM, 12/11/07
Sound like a pretty efficient car to operate, especially given the cheaper fuel cost. This car would make for an excellent commuter vehicle, and you could fill it up at home with your home's natural gas service. 25% cheaper fuel, low maintenance, fill it up at home - sounds like a winner commuter car to me. I wouldn't own it as my only car, but as a dedicated commuter and running around town vehicle, it seems great. Does the CNG status get you access to the HOV lanes like hybrids do? That would be another great plus to owning one.
jr1m90 says:
03:28 PM, 12/11/07
It'd be efficient, but it'd be a financial pit to buy one. Consider this:
MSRP for the GX is $24590 (the most of the Civic line), whereas MSRP for the better equipped, faster, and more fuel efficient (29mpg vs 28) Civic LX is $17760. That's a difference of over $6800 dollars upfront. Let's say you drive 15,000 miles a year. If gas costs $3.30/ gallon and natural gas equivalent is $2.648, the LX will cost you $1707 per year and the GX will cost $1419 per year, a difference of $288 dollars per year in the GX's favor. If you drive the compromised GX for over 23 years, you will break even (assuming you didn't take a loan and pay interest to finance the GX's purchase, in which case add some more time).
It's a neat idea, but economically this car is a joke compared to just about anything else. I for one will not be paying over 24 grand for a car with a two speaker stereo that can hit 60 in about the time it will take me to graduate college. So for those of you who drive this for the environment, quit listening to Al Gore and wake up.
estreka says:
04:04 PM, 12/11/07
But will you pay $6,800 for HOV usage for life?
briancam says:
04:08 PM, 12/11/07
Emissions might be another factor to consdier
stephen987 says:
09:07 PM, 12/11/07
Diesel. Now. Please.
stingray454 says:
08:56 AM, 12/12/07
Well, the other question is resale value. I don't mind paying more up front if I can recoup most of it on resale. Diesels are this way - you pay more for the option up front, but you get almost the entire premium back when you sell it used. People making break-even calculations based on recovering the entire up front premium always leave out that important factor.
One of the reasons diesels recover most of their initial premium on resale is because they last much longer than gas engines. I'm not sure if CNG engines are the same way - maybe because they burn much cleaner, so less wear and tear from that factor?
jr1m90 says:
01:51 PM, 12/12/07
I live in Pennsylvania, with no HOV lanes, and I drive on the highway approximately never. I get the emissions argument, but in all honesty, this is such a compromised car compared to the normal Civic LX, you have to factor the reduced driving experience into the equation.
If you really want to use the HOV lanes, just drive in them regardless of a sticker. Think of any tickets you get as a fee to use the lane (like a parking ticket is the price of getting a good parking spot).
Not knowing what the resale value on these cars is, I'm really not sure what to make of that, but you're still paying more upfront. That money could have been invested to earn interest over the life of an LX. Still, I have a hard time thinking that you'll see a GX going for $5300 (6800-300 per year) more than an LX 5 years from now.
For emissions, this makes some sense, but it's a drop in the bucket. Get a shorter commute or plant some trees, and drive a good car.
Agreed, diesel please.