As the H turns

Honda

It was the winter of 1987. I was living in upstate New York when I bought a red Honda Civic hatchback. It had a manual transmission (that used to be common, kids), it fit all my possessions, and it was the first car that was mine, not a hand-me-down from a family member. Ever since, I've been a loyal Honda owner. That Civic was followed by another one, and in September of 2000, an Accord Coupe. I've loved my Accord. Dependable as clockwork, comfortable, a kickass sound system (I put that in...Honda's standard audio was never very good), and pretty much a constant rolling advertisement for why Honda is Honda.  From the day I drove it off the lot, I only had one complaint: it got terrible gas mileage.

With the Civic, I could count on 35-37mpg, rain or shine, winter or summer.The Accord never did much better than 25mpg. If I was really lucky and had a long highway trip, I might manage 28, but that was as good as it ever got. I didn't like it, but I couldn't change it, either. I tried not to think about it too much as the miles added up, until a couple years ago when I started seeing advertisements for trucks and SUV's that did better on a tank of gas than my four cylinder, two door sedan. That pissed me off.

I was seriously intrigued by the popularity of the Prius Hybrids, and a few years back I got to rent one when I was on the west coast. No two ways about it. That's not just a good car. The Prius is a great car.Lots of acceleration (I was in the Bay Area, where you had better be able to accelerate when the time comes), all kinds of interior room, and very well-designed and well made. I haven't been that impressed with a car since the first time I drove a Lexus. Only one problem...I couldn't own a Prius because of one fatal flaw. It suffers from fatal, incurable homeliness. I don't understand why wanting fuel efficiency requires I drive something that looks like a cheese wedge. The Prius was out, but 23mpg still wasn't cutting it, so I waited for the right car. Last year, it appeared in the automotive press. The 2011 Hyundai Sonata has been getting rave reviews. It got great mileage, too, but the newer Sonata Hybrid's were even better. I was in love.

Hyundai

Earlier today, I sold my Accord to my local car mechanic. They haven't seen the last of me, though. I'll still be a loyal customer, just with a much newer car. This weekend I'm taking delivery of my new Sonata Hybrid. Dark grey, with a grey leather interior. My friend Marc is in the market for a new car as well, and he's also seriously considering making the same choice. I love his criteria: "Over 40, under 30," meaning over 40mpg, and under $30,000.  That's actually a very small club. If you don't want to drive a cheese wedge, and you're not interested in a diesel (which VW does very well, I have to admit), I strongly suggest you consider thinking about the virtues of South Korea. The Sonata Hybrid's rated at 40mpg highway, and the MSRP is $25,000. The smaller Elantra gets 40mpg, too. Both good choices.

As for me, my Honda era, spanning three cars, a few hundred thousand miles, and twenty four years, is over, as of today. As a friend aptly put it, Hyundai is now what Honda used to be. I'm excited to get my new wheels, and to drive past a whole lot more gas stations.