Warren Clarke, Content Editor @ 25,374 miles
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2009 BMW M3: Best Car in the World
November 7, 2009 12:12 PM
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Saturday Poll: What's Your Favorite IL Long-Term Test Car Ever?
November 7, 2009 8:00 AM
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2009 Nissan GT-R: How's it Ride?
November 6, 2009 10:42 PM
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2010 Volvo XC60: Our Favorite Caption
November 6, 2009 4:17 PM
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2010 Honda Insight EX: Hybrid System Walkaround
November 6, 2009 12:45 PM
zach101 says:
04:23 PM, 12/11/06
Are you guys keeping this car until 100,000 miles like the Prius?
kurtamaxxxguy says:
07:09 PM, 12/11/06
Is your test Hybrid a dud, or are other Hybrid owners having the same issues?
Incidently, which hybrids are actually getting what they say they will get MPG-wise? I remember Edmunds commenting the Prius was another underachiever (at least its drive system's designed for smooth city driving).
bkaiser1 says:
10:28 AM, 12/12/06
The observed mileage of Edmund's Hybrid Accord is abysmal, and I'd wager to guess is not much different from a "regular" Accord V6...which has fine driving dynamics. A couple of years ago when we were in the market for a new Accord, my partner and I considered a Hybrid Accord (it was brand new then) but instead chose an 04 Accord EX-L with a 4cyl/5 speed combo and couldn't be happier with our choice -- even after 60,000 miles of driving.
We are both retentive about checking fuel economy with each fillup, and over 60,000 miles our Accord has *averaged* just over 30mpg in mixed driving here in California traffic. For a car of this size, I think that's fantastic. The 4cyl/5sp combo is very responsive and rarely leaves us wanting more power. On highway trips, 33mpg is common and we've even recorded several trips in the 35-38mpg range when we're not filling up on CA's horrible gas.
After reading all these less-than-complimentary long term reports on the Hybrid Accord, we are both glad we saved the $10k difference and went with the 4cyl Accord.
Brian
billt9 says:
11:54 PM, 12/12/06
A wonder that there hasn't been a big false advertisement law suit filed against Honda for this... most current owners must be true Honda lovers.
vma131marine says:
04:50 PM, 12/13/06
I really think that the low fuel economy achieved with this long term test car is due to poor driving technique more than anything else. The fuel economy of my '06 HAH, averaged over the last 8000 miles, is around 33mpg. This is one mpg less than the EPA highway mileage figure. Better yet, over the summer I would routine record 40+ mpg on my 50 mile (one way) commute to work along congested I-95 in SE Connecticut. Now that the temperature has started to drop the car still gets 34-35mpg for the same trip.
dderosa says:
03:59 PM, 12/14/06
To be fair to Honda, their hybrid system is meant to supplement the car's horsepower, not to maximize fuel efficiency. The combined electric motor/gasoline engine offers pretty decent fuel economy figures for a V6 with 253 hp. -- Donna
desmolicious says:
02:59 PM, 12/15/06
But the V6 in the Toyota Camry, without hybrid addition, makes more powah and gets better mileage than the Accord V6 hybrid...
vma131marine says:
01:19 PM, 12/27/06
The Camry engine is a 3.5L V-6 that puts out 268 hp and gets an EPA rated 22 city / 31 highway. The HAH has a 3.0L V-6 and is EPA rated at 28 city / 35 highway. However, because of the Accords electric motor 0-60 time is between 6.5 and 6.9 secs (depending on source) versus 7.1 secs for the Camry. Stopping distances are shorter on the Honda too.
CWCJr says:
02:45 PM, 12/29/08
I have a 2005 Accord Hybrid and a 2008 Prius. I started with a 2003 Civic Hybrid. My wife and I could not abide the 'slipping-clutch' feel of the Civic and the earlier Prius'. I will start by saying I love the Accord Hybrid and think it was improperly marketed. I work at a company that has been involved in commercial and military hybrids since the early 1990s.
I get essentially the rated 29/37 mpg. How that happens is driving style and the area that I live in and my routes to work. Most of my diving is at 40 to 50 mph, even "in town" on through-ways with few stops. So, my in-town driving is really a combination and I generally, in the summer, get 29-32 running around town, mainly going back and forth to work ~20 miles round trip. If I drive 55 to 65 mph on the highway, during the summer, I get 36-38 mpg, depending on terrain. However, I ALWAYS use the cruise control and, generally, drive the speed limit in town. I get 33-36 mpg from 65-75 mph and 32-34 mpg at 75 to 85+mph as long as it will go into eco mode. It generally has enough drag (or the electronics) prevents it from going into eco mode above 85.
Why the stipulation about summer? Because the winter blend is different for the cold weather and gives a lower mpg. BTW, almost all gasoline in the US now has some ethanol for federally mandated oxygenation requirements. MTBE was found to be a particularly nasty chemical and so enthanol has replaced it.
The Accord Hybrid is a performance vehicle. It has the largest V-6 Honda makes and adds 15 (13) HP from the electric assist. That 15 HP has maximum torque at near "0" rpm, as is typical of electric motors. It pioneered commercial mass production of electric pre-charging of a modern 5-speed automatic transmission (vs the cvt's) which means if you floor it at a light, it will break the wheels loose on dry pavement. You can practice such that combined with the torque from the electric motor, from a stop - break them loose, loudly - then stop again in under half a car length without using your left foot. Really puzzles the guy next to you. From engine off, to chirpin the wheels, to stopped and engine off and you barely moved. The 5-speed gives you the performance versus the Civic CVT giving you mpg. Electric AC assist, Electric Power steering and brake pumps, and the 3 cyl economy mode are the other innovations or refinements that went into the Accord Hybrid.
The problem you have with the Accord is what your expectations of it were, and that is Honda's marketing's fault.