I would get the Prius rather than teh Civic hybrid. Many people with the civic hybrid aren't getting anywhere near as good of gas mileage as claimed. Many prius owners are getting better than claimed.
As for power, the Prius basically uses the engine from the Echo for its gas usage. This gives good mileage, and is very environmentally freindly. The electric engine on it is impressive though, putting out 295 lb/ft of torque from 0 - 1200 rpm. Then the gas takes over i believe... That leads to very quick times off the line, but it really isn't all that fast. the new model claims 10 second 0-60 times. Nothing great, but could be worse. The 1.5l engine makes 76hp and 82 lb/ft of torque. CVT transmission is very cool, and helps gas mileage as well. Weighs in at 2900 lbs.
As for maintenanve, toyota is pretty good on their Prius warranties. 36k bumer-to-bumper, 60k extended powertrain, 100k on Hybrid-related stuff (batteries, motor, etc.), 5yr corrosion warranty, 36k miles free roadside assistance, and free maintenance from the dealer for the first 5 visits or 37.5k miles.
Honda Civic Hybrid :
0-60 in 11.6 seconds with CVT, compared the the 9.4 seconds from the base model EX.
has a 1.3L engine, making 93 HP. Makes 116 lb/ft torque at 1500 rpm, so i am assuming this is the electric motor since no honda makes max torque that low on engine alone.
Looks like it weighs in at around 2500lbs, but im not positive.
Manufacturers Warranty looks like total crap. From what i see it has 36k bumper-to-bumper, no extended powertrain, 5yr corrosion warranty, no roadside assistance and no maintanance at all.
That info was from
www.consumerguide.com . I have found them to be a good, and pretty acurate source of car information. From the looks of it the Toyota Prius seems to be by far the best bet. Better performance, gas mileage (from first-hand stories i've heard), price is about the same, and Toyota offers a much nicer warranty. Also, i think the prius has been around longer than the civic hybrid.