Natural-gas Civic goes nationwide, but is that a good thing?

NEW YORK -- Honda has just begun a nationwide rollout of its natural gas Civic, aiming to sell the clean-air sedan well beyond California, where the original 1998 model first rolled out.

Formerly the Civic GX, it's now the Civic natural gas. It's the only factory-made natural gas-fueled car sold in the U.S., and you really want to like the little critter.

•It slices tailpipe emissions 20% to 90% vs. gasoline or diesel vehicles, depending on the emission in question.

•The price of the compressed natural gas (CNG) fuel averages a bit more than half that of its gallon of gasoline equivalent (GGE), natural gas trade groups say. A fuel-industry survey of July prices provided by Honda at its briefing here showed the GGE price of CNG ranging from $1.26 in Salt Lake City (where gasoline was $3.37) to $2.89 in San Diego (where gasoline was $3.80).

A buck or two a gallon, instead of three or four bucks. Hard not to like that. Plus:

•Natural gas is a U.S. fuel. The industry says that 89% of it used in the U.S. is produced here.

•Not weird or hard to learn, the CNG Civic drives about the same as a gasoline one.

Wow, gimme two, you might say. Whoa, sport. No magic bullets.

While it's good news that the Civic CNG is rolling across the land — more choices are better than fewer — there are enough drawbacks to question whether it'll ever be popular.

•High price. The CNG model, at $26,925, is $5,650 more than a gasoline Civic EX, which has the same features and equipment, Honda says. Then add $1,500 for navigation, which includes a list of public CNG stations. And figure a few thousand dollars more if you want a personal refueler that uses your home natural gas line, instead of counting on scarce public stations.

There's no federal subsidy as there is for buying an electric car, but Honda says states typically offer incentives.

The Civic natural gas model is no longer a low-end machine because Honda says its surveys show CNG buyers don't want that. They're older, richer than other Civic buyers and want their alt-fuel buggies with plenty of goodies. Civic CNG buyers' median household income is $225,000; gasoline Civic buyers' is $65,000.

•Scarce public fueling. There are only about 400 public fueling stations across the U.S. California dominates; some states have none.

Fueling is fairly familiar, except the pump hose snaps tightly onto the car's special fuel filler. That's because CNG is dispensed as a pressurized gas, not a liquid, as gasoline is.

•Lower power. Natural gas is less energy intensive than gasoline. The Civic CNG is rated 110 horsepower and 106 pounds-feet of torque, vs. 140 hp and 128 lbs.-ft. for the same engine fueled by gasoline. In demanding situations — a few passengers, hilly terrain — it seems strained.

•Harsh, noisy ride. The CNG model is almost identical to other new Civics, which means roomy and agile but a bit noisy, with suspension thumps on rough pavement. Plus, the CNG model has a stiffer rear suspension to handle weight and placement of the CNG tank. That change made the test car harsh over scarred paving rolling north out of Manhattan on the parkways.

•Limited cargo space. The bulkier CNG tank cuts trunk space to about half that of the gasoline Civic. Honda claims it'll still hold two golf bags — so tight for luggage, perfect for groceries.