Yesterday I drove our Honda Accord Hybrid from Monterey, California down to Los Angeles, a 362 mile run down the 101 Freeway, which hugs the coast a good portion of the time. Once again, the Accord Hybrid proved itself to be a fine long hauler. We made it easily on one tank of gas and the Accord averaged 31 mpg according to the car's trip computer. Driver and passenger both noted the Honda's quiet interior, fine air conditioning and surprising stability at 100 mph...
I'd also like to throw praise at the Accord's navigation system, which we used incessantly during our long weekend on California's central coast. With just a few pokes of the vehicle's touch screen, the system found everything for us, from gas stations, to our hotel, to a Denny's for a late night Moon's Over My Hammy. It performed perfectly and made the trip much more enjoyable.
Inside Line Executive Editor Scott Oldham, 21,005 miles
rennf says:
02:29 PM, 08/21/06
I have an '05 Acura TL with navigation, and from what I can tell of the pic, the navigation S/W on the Accord is likely identical. All in all, I give this system two big thumbs-up. A friend of mine has an '05 Sienna with navigation - I personally found the Honda/Acura system both easier to use and a bit more polished overall. My biggest gripe on the Toyota system is the lack of an ability to program routes while driving. Yes, yes, it's to protect the driver I know, but even Edmunds writers have asked the question: "umm, what about the passenger/navigator?" I had that exact experience riding as the passenger in my friend's Sienna, feverishly attempting to program a route on the fly in 5-10sec. increments at red lights. (Murphy's Law: in this case you won't get a nice, long red light anywhere.) With the Honda navi --> not an issue!
desmolicious says:
05:40 PM, 08/21/06
31mpg? With a hybrid on the highway? Does this impress anyone?
eric_l says:
10:58 PM, 08/21/06
desmolicious - and what mpg does your 255hp car get on the highway?
desmolicious says:
10:20 AM, 08/22/06
I don't know yet, my car comes in this Saturday, woo hoo! But from other owners they claim 30 mpg on the highway.
My point is that it seems that this hybrid technology is being wasted. On the larger vehicles it seems they are putting the emphasis on more hp over slightly better mpg . No matter how you cut it, the Accord is a family sedan (and a great one at that). Wouldn't it be great if it got at 40 mpg? It still would be faster than the 4 cylinder I'm sure, and after the initial ownership buzz wears off, peeps would really appreciate that with today's gas prices.
Taken from this website:
"Combined peak output for the hybrid powertrain is 253 hp, and the EPA gives the Accord Hybrid a fuel economy rating of 25 city/34 highway. This is a good rating for a V6, but it's about the same mileage as a four-cylinder Accord gets"
Face it, when people see "hybrid" on a car, they expect big mpg. So to spend, what, $8K more than a base Accord for the same mpg just doesn't make much sense to me.
jerrywimer says:
10:29 AM, 08/22/06
I think it should be capable of 255hp and BETTER than 34 highway. My 205 hp Malibu 6 cylinder had a high of almost 36, non-hybrid. Surely only 50 more horses WITH hybrid drivetrain can do better?
Then again, I love the comment about "surprising stability at 100 mph".. That might say a lot when you go back and look at the 31 mpg rating. ;-)
jerrywimer says:
10:30 AM, 08/22/06
Oops. Meant 31mpg average for the trip, not "31 mpg rating".
vma131marine says:
01:33 PM, 09/12/06
The Accord Hybrid is actually capable of quite spectacular fuel economy if driven appropriately. I can frequently exceed 40 mpg average over my 50 mile commute along one of the most congested sections of I-95 in Connecticut. The car has returned 32.7 mpg averaged over the last 3000 miles of combined city and highway driving. The fuel economy is only that low because my wife usually drives it to work and her commute is only about 5 miles; barely enough time for the car to warm up.
The nice thing about the Accord Hybrid is that it is really two cars in one: if you want to drive it like a performance car it has great acceleration and capable handling; on the other hand if driven like an economy car it will get great fuel economy. It doesn't have to be driven the same way every time.