Compromising positions

The Accord Hybrid is not an easy car to live with. Sure it embodies all the goodness inherent in Accord bloodline such as its attractive and spacious interior, conservative (stealthy) exterior styling, and the reliability of an anvil. The problem is that the hybridization of such a highly refined car has been less than successful in terms of how the car actually drives. Everything about how the car behaves, from the function of the HVAC (blogged elsewhere) to the actuation of the brakes, has been compromised in no small measure.

Author Arthur Bloch, most famous for penning the popular "Murphy's Law" books has said, "The compromise will always be more expensive than either of the suggestions it is compromising." That truism holds true for the operation of the Accord Hybrid. Here's why.

I won't address observed fuel economy which has been worse than expected and has been previously blogged. Instead, my complaints are regarding the drivability of the Accord. Trying to gently ease the car away from a stop is nearly impossible as the throttle tip in is really steep and the Accord lurches forward. If I'm to believe the power-distribution display on the I.P., that's not because of additional electric assist -- it's just the V6's throttle. Trying to gently slow the car because it's now going faster than the car directly in front of me, I brush the brake pedal and the brakes jump in too severely and I nearly get rear-ended. People must think I'm an absolute moron who just got his learner's permit. But it doesn't stop there.

Even part throttle response is compromised as the car is variously going in and out of "Eco" mode, supplementing engine power with the electric motor, gathering electrons with the regeneration mode, and shifting gears as any confused automatic transmission would do. To say the hybrid system is seamless is totally false. Anybody who has driven a car, any car, would be able to detect something "wrong" with how the Accord drives. But that's not all.

Trying to park the Accord Hybrid within a foot of something potentially damaging is a harrowing experience. As the car gently glides into a parking spot, the "Auto Stop" feature shuts the engine off as it comes to a stop. Fine, but upon discovering that I've still stopped a little short, I lift off the brake pedal and the car starts up and lurches forward toward the post / wall I was so careful approaching in the first place. Fearful of running into the immoveable object, I stab the brake pedal and the car bucks to a stop and shuts off again. But I'm still to far away, so I repeat the Parking Polka until I give up in exasperation and discover I'm still about a foot away from being fully in the parking stall. Ugh!

Even the ride of this Accord Hybrid feels compromised. We had nothing but praise for the Accord's ride and handling in a recent V6 Family Sedan comparison test, but our long-term Hybrid feels over-sprung and under-damped. It dives and floats and reverberates over bumps as if the car weighs twice what the non-hybrid Accord does with the same suspension settings.

What did Honda do here? If there's no benefit to owning this particular hybrid (e.g. you can't get that cherished car-pool free-pass sticker, it doesn't appear to be earning very good fuel economy, and the driving dynamics are compromised), then what's the point? We are frankly surprised the Accord Hybrid was executed so poorly. From the company that justifiably earns accolades for nearly every other vehicle it produces somehow completely flummoxed this one. Too bad, because the Toyota Camry Hybrid is a fine example of how to do it right and that means Honda will lose a sale to its archrival in this case. The Accord Hybrid ver2.0 had better be thoroughly redone because this one sure ain't impressing us one bit.

Chris Walton, Chief Road Test Editor, Inside Line

23,640 miles