The first time I came to a stoplight, the car was so quiet I thought the engine had stalled. I tried to restart the car, but the engine was already on, and I advanced when the light changed in my favor. But the same thing happened at the next spotlight and again at the third red light I reached.

It wasn't like I was driving a "high-tech" vehicle and didn't know how properly operate it. Rather, it was "only" a 2004 Honda Civic Hybrid — the first hybrid I've had as a weekly test drive. But finally I got it. The "little" Honda Civic hybrid is more technically advanced than I imagined.