Civic Hybrid driver averaging 32 mpg city/highway files class-action suit; Honda claims 49/51. . Frustration w/ actual mileage of hybrid vs advertised mileage; echoes that of other owners.  Lawsuit claims American Honda Motor misled consumers in advertisements and on Web site. One Honda magazine ad claimed owners could get up to 650 miles on single tank of gas. Web site features fuel-savings calculator; assumes Civic Hybrid drivers will average 51 mpg. Civic Hybrid delivers higher numbers than comparable non-hybrid vehicles in real world driving.

"I can tell you that the 49/51 figures are EPA numbers, not Honda numbers. Some customers achieve the EPA mpg figures and some don't, as fuel economy performance is a function of conditions, traffic, driving style, load, etc." -- Sage Marie, spokesman, American Honda Motor Co