2000 Honda Civic GX...continued

Why would a car shopper want to buy a natural gas-powered vehicle? And what's natural gas, anyway?

Natural gas is the fuel used to warm our homes, cook our food, heat our water. It is delivered to homes, businesses and industries through underground service pipelines by the local gas utility. It's abundant, clean, safe and low-cost. Its use in your vehicle is one way to help ensure cleaner air today and tomorrow.

Moreover, natural gas is produced in America, allowing us to depend less on imported foreign fuels, and it can help your car last longer. Natural gas-powered vehicles emit less carbon which means less fouling of plugs and points. The vehicles also show significantly less engine wear because the fuel burns so cleanly.

The biggest surprise of the personal test drive was the realization that the GX is simply a four-door Honda Civic sedan, capable of handling nearly everything expected of a "regular" Civic LX. It looks -- inside and out -- exactly like the popular sedan. There is, however, some reduction in cargo and passenger space. Since the natural-gas engine takes more space than a conventional engine, the seating of the sedan accommodates four passengers rather than five, and the trunk space has been reduced from 11.9 to 4.7 cubic feet to allow for the fuel tank. Other than that, the GX is very comfortable to drive and offers a pleasant ride. One front seat passenger even commented how much more head room there was in this vehicle compared to his brother's 1995 Civic.

The 1.6-liter VTEC-E 4-cylinder 110-horsepower engine, provided plenty of power for freeway entry and uncompromising city street maneuvering. The 4-speed automatic transmission with its electronic Grade Logic Control System operated effortlessly. The multi-adjustable seat and tilt steering wheel made finding just the right driving position a simple chore.

Standard safety features include driver and passenger-side airbags, 3-point seat belts with front adjustable shoulder-height anchors, power door locks and windows, available ABS, and child-proof rear door locks. Everything just like a similarly equipped Civic LX -- except the GX has a cleaner exhaust system. The cost is a little more than the LX sedan, but you can still stay under $20,000.

Although we didn't do a "true test" of the vehicle's range on a tank of fuel, Honda says the GX gets an average of 200 miles per fill-up and the fuel efficiency rating is 28 mpg city/34 mpg highway. We did experience the fill-up, finding a pump at the State of Arizona fleet filling station. Unfortunately, this location is not available to non-state employees. However, there are several public filling stations in Phoenix.

Due to the limited natural gas fuel accessibility, the GX remains best suited for fleets. Yet, a personal test drive in the super-"green" sedan, scooting nimbly between fuel-eating road hogs, gave this writer a sense of superiority, knowing that, for one week anyway, she was a truly environmentally-conscious driver.