Quote:
Originally Posted by suprapsu
Anyone here with Automatic Civics? I have a 94 Civic DX 4 door and got 25 MPG. a bit disappointed.
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I've always owned cars with manual transmissions (all Hondas except my current Mazda3), but there have been several Civic automatics in my immediate family over the years. The '92-'95 DX/LX models (1.5L 102hp) with automatic were only rated a few mpg below the 5-speed manual's rating of 40mpg highway. My dad had a '93 DX manual and my step-mom had a '95 LX automatic. The manual would easily exceed the 40mpg highway figure if driven sensibly and near the speed limit...and it averaged 37mpg overall. In the automatic, my step-mom struggled to top 30mpg overall. When I drove it, I barely got 28mpg! In reality, the manual transmission got about nine miles per gallon more than the automatic- rather than the 3-4mpg difference in the EPA ratings.
The problem, I strongly believe, is that the automatic transmission was FAR too eager to kick down to a lower gear. While it made the cars feel 'peppier' than a lot of the competition, it also took a toll on fuel economy. The '96-'00 Civic improved quite a bit in this area- partly due to revisions to the A/T and partly because of simple increases in power. The '01'05 models with automatic are worlds apart form the older ones- smooth as silk, for the most part. They'll kick down when you floor it and actually want power, but not just climbing a small hill or lightly accelerating. The '01 redesign not only included a new (and very 'intelligent') automatic transmission but also additional increases in horsepower and torque @ lower rpm.
And there's more than you ever wanted to know about automatic transmissions in the Honda Civic. =)
suprapsu 
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