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At a quick glance, the Honda Civic Hybrid does not look that different from a regular Civic sedan. Look closer and several subtle differences set it apart and give it a more upscale appearance.

From the front, the major difference is a much bigger and deeper spoiler under the front bumper, while at the rear, there is a small spoiler along the lip of the trunk. The Hybrid rides on special lightweight alloy wheels. Aside from these three small visual differences the car retains the stylish if conservative lines of the four-door Civic sedan.

If you were to crawl under the car, you'd find several differences from the regular car. Namely a cover under the engine as well as under the rear floor. This improves aerodynamics. Honda claims 7 percent of the improvement in fuel economy comes from these aerodynamic changes.

Even when you open the hood the engine does not look that different from other modern cars where the engine is hidden under a molded plastic cover. Technically inclined people might notice the large bright orange electric cable running from the transmission housing behind the transversely mounted engine and down under the car. This cable connects the thin electric motor, which is sandwiched between the transmission and the engine, to the batteries and control module at the back of the car.

Honda's engineers have managed to make the batteries and electronics much more compact than those in the Insight. They are hidden between the back of the rear seat at the front of the trunk. If access is needed it is through a panel in the trunk.

Nearly 3 cubic feet of space is lost in the trunk compared to a regular Civic. This drops it from an above average size trunk for its class to one of the smallest, although it is still reasonably useful. Another disadvantage is that the rear seat backs cannot be folded down for increased storage.

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In many ways it is the Hybrid's interior that sets it apart from a regular Civic, thanks to a classy two-tone finish. The dashboard and the upper panels along the doors are in a dark brown while the lower panels and seats are finished in light tan.

As in all Hondas, the Hybrid has a low cowl to give the interior an airy feel and provide better forward visibility. Chrome is used for the door handles and the plate surrounding the gear shift lever. The center of the dashboard is finished in a pleasant semi-gloss light gray metallic-colored plastic. The stereo and automatic air conditioning controls are mounted in this panel.

Overall the accommodations are quite a bit more posh than the top-of-the-line EX model. Even the cloth seats (no leather option) have a more luxurious feel to them.

The instrument pod contains three round gauges that provide lots of information. On the left is a tachometer with several warning lights and settings for the automatic transmission. In the center there's a speedometer with a digital readout at the base that includes the miles traveled plus a display of the average fuel consumption for the journey along with a bar graph showing the instantaneous fuel consumption.

None of the above is that different from other cars, but the instruments to the right are very different. There are four quadrants with bar graphs. Two are straightforward fuel and water temperature gauges. Another displays the state of charge of the batteries while the one at the top shows whether the electric motor is being used to assist the gas engine or being used as a generator to charge the batteries.