There is a long list of excuses used by journalists to explain the non-appearance of copy on their editor’s desk, but I bet mine was the first to include the phrase “elephant dung”. For when Honda launched its latest Civic IMA hybrid, it decided to print its press pack on recycled excrement, and that nicely sums up how inspiring it is to read. In fact the only reason I got through it was a sense of solidarity with the poor chap Honda had sent to Regent’s Park zoo with a shovel.

But however gimmicky its marketing, Honda is serious about hybrid technology, even wheeling out at its launch representatives from the CarbonNeutral Company and Asthma UK to bolster its environmental credentials. While I admire Honda’s dedication to the hybrid cause — it’s been making them for over a decade — I fear the result needs to be better than this if its technology is to catch on here as it has in America. There, Honda has sold 130,000 hybrid Civics and Accords. By contrast Honda’s own research in the UK shows that 80% of us have not the slightest idea what a hybrid is.

So, for those who still don’t know, a hybrid is a car powered by two types of engine. To date all hybrids have used a petrol engine and an electric motor. The clever bit is that when you’re decelerating, the electric motor turns into a generator, using energy that would otherwise be lost to recharge its battery. The Civic also cuts the power supply completely at traffic lights: it restarts when you take your foot off the brake.

On paper the gains are impressive. The Civic uses a 93bhp 1.4 litre engine boosted by 20bhp from the electric motor, so its power is akin to the output of a 1.6 litre engine. But while 1.6 litre cars such as a Ford Focus typically return 40mpg, the Civic gives over 60mpg. Moreover, the Civic emits about two thirds of the CO2 of a 1.6 litre Focus, which means £40 per year for vehicle excise duty instead of £125, or a considerably cheaper company car tax bill. It’s even exempt from the London congestion charge. What could be better? Well, the car for a start. As anyone will know who has seen Cameron Diaz or Leonardo DiCaprio swanning around in a Toyota Prius, this Civic is not the only act in town. The Prius is more expensive — £17,795 compared with £16,300 for the Civic 1.4 IMA — but it uses a little less fuel than the Honda in town, out of town or mixing the two; it produces a smidgen less CO2; and it is a family-friendly hatchback. By contrast the Honda is a saloon built in Japan mainly for the US, where there is little demand for hatchbacks.

Hybrids do well in America because no one buys diesel cars there. Here the hybrid has to compete with the Civic 2.2i-CTDi SE hatch that has one of the best diesels on the market. The diesel has 138bhp, not 113bhp, hits 62mph in 8.6sec rather than 12.1sec and will reach 127mph whereas the hybrid won’t exceed 115mph. On the combined cycle the hybrid stretches each gallon 61.4 miles compared with 55.4 for the diesel. Not a big difference when you factor in that the diesel is £400 cheaper.

Most telling of all, so far as could be told from driving it within the confines of the London congestion zone, the hybrid is a rather flawed car to drive. The continuously variable transmission is efficient but makes the engine sound like it’s suffering from clutch slip, the ride around town is poor and the brakes grab too easily. Honda seems aware of this car’s limitations, too, quoting 1,000 units as a likely annual sales figure, or around a quarter of the number of Priuses that Toyota aims to shift in the next 12 months.

Don’t misunderstand me: hybrids do represent part of the future, and Honda’s true purpose with this car is to establish a foothold in the market before a tidal wave of rival hybrids arrives. But I suspect that for the vast majority of people who know little and care less about such matters, it’s going to take more than a modestly talented car such at this to change their minds — however much elephant dung you throw at them.

THE OPPOSITION

Model Honda Civic 2.2i CTDi SE 5dr £15,900
For Powerful, frugal and refined diesel engine, performance
Against Ride quality not as good as it should be

Model Toyota Prius T3 1.5 VVT-i 5dr £17,795
For Class-leading economy and emissions, hatchback body
Against Expensive, looks a little odd, not great to drive