Hybrid Accord Due in December

I heard V6 Hybrid Accord wont get better gas milage like Prius or Civic hybrid... So like a whats a point??? I reather get 4 cylinder accord with sitck shift...

 

From an LA Times article this morning:

Honda promises that the Accord Hybrid, with 255 horsepower, will perform better than its top-of-the-line, 240-horsepower, six-cylinder, gas-powered Accord.

As the first hybrid with a six-cylinder engine, the company says, it will accelerate from a stop to 60 mph in 7.5 seconds, besting the regular Accord's eight-second time. What's more, Honda's tests show the Accord Hybrid will get 30 miles per gallon in the city and 37 mpg on the highway, versus the federal EPA rating of 21 mpg city and 30 highway for the conventional model. With an expected price of $30,000, the Accord Hybrid will cost about $3,300 more than the current EX model on which it is based.

Read entire article by clicking this link.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Speedracer\";p=\"39978)</div>

Honda's angle has always been "The Power of a V6 with the Mileage of a 4 Cylinder"

In fact, they've exceeded the standard power of the V6.

If you want to own the hottest, fastest Accord available, you have to buy the Hybrid.

If you want to buy the most fuel efficient Accord Available, you have to buy the Hybrid.

They see it as a 'best of both worlds' marketing plan.

You can have your hot-rod and your green credentials too.

 

I think the Accord V6 hybrid is supposed to get the same mileage as a 4cyl Civic with the power of the V6. In fact, with the electric boost, it is supposed to have a faster 0-60 mph time. To me that seems pretty worthless as it isn't a dog now.

• 
  data from: Accord Review
  The hybrid also cuts out 3 cylinders when they aren't needed. I suspect that is where they get the majority of their fuel savings.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(bruceha_2000\";p=\"39987)</div>

Absolutely not. Remember what sells a vehicle in this country. People like power, regardless if they need it or not. Playing that card, while still pointing to the fuel efficiency of the design, another area of increasing public scrutiny, it's my prediction that they are going to have waiting lists for the hybrid version. Honda is making a VERY smart move with the Accord, and will snag a sizeable chunk of Camry sales with this step. It will also give Honda bragging rights of the first midsize hybrid sedan - bread and butter cars for both Honda and Toyota.

 

Thanks, but no, thanks. I'll stick to the Prius... good performance and 50 miles per gallon.

 

Even though catering to the American market involves more of showing customers power than efficiency, good for Honda. It's slightly annoying too, that Honda's mild hybrid system, IMA made it's debut in the first hybrid in America, and first sedan hybrid in America. When Honda says those facts, consumers here almost automatically assume the Honda is the first in the world, when in fact Toyota is.
However, I'm not whining that there is another hybrid on the road. In fact there is an exciting article in the October edition of Consumer Reports telling which cars will be hybrid and when. The report says:

2004: Full Hybrid--- Toyota Prius, Ford Escape Hybrid
Mild Hybrid--- Civic Hybrid, Insight, Accord Hybrid, GMC Sierra, Chevrolet Silverado

2005: Full Hybrid--- RX400h, Toyota Highlander hybrid, Toyota Sienna*
* tentative
Mild Hybrid--- Dodge Ram Diesel

2006: Full Hybrid--- Lexus LS430*, Mercury Mariner, Nissan Altima, Toyota Camry*
* tentative
Mild Hybrid--- Saturn Vue

2007: Full Hybrid---Chevrolet Tahoe, Ford Fusion, GMC Yukon
Mild Hybrid---Chevrolet Malibu

And to think, the Prius really did start it all....

 

Maybe it will be a real hybrid that feels and drives like a proper car. Their Civic isn't a patch on the Toyota in the UK, dull and slow.

Me? I'll stick with the Toyota

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Wolfman\";p=\"40011)</div>

Well, I did say to ME! I didn't mean it wouldn't sell, I meant I didn't think it needed an even faster 0-60. Consider that 10 years ago people were driving the same speeds they are now, but a 0-60 mph of 9 or 10 seconds was perfectly satisfactory. Sure there were plenty that were faster but no one was dying because they couldn't get up to speed fast enough. I have NEVER needed the full capacity of my Odyssey's 13.2 second 0-60 in 9 years of driving it. I haven't gotten any speeding tickets either, maybe there is a connection ;-)

The same marketing that leads people to believe they NEED an SUV to be safe on the road convince people they NEED the ability to get to 60 mph ever faster. So we get more larger, and NOT safer, vehicles that use more gas to get to the same place at the same time as the smaller, more eco friendly vehicles because in reality, the NEED to get to 60 in the shortest time possible is extremely rare outside a race course.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(bruceha_2000\";p=\"40045)</div>

Well, I did say to ME! I didn't mean it wouldn't sell, I meant I didn't think it needed an even faster 0-60. Consider that 10 years ago people were driving the same speeds they are now, but a 0-60 mph of 9 or 10 seconds was perfectly satisfactory. Sure there were plenty that were faster but no one was dying because they couldn't get up to speed fast enough. I have NEVER needed the full capacity of my Odyssey's 13.2 second 0-60 in 9 years of driving it. I haven't gotten any speeding tickets either, maybe there is a connection ;-)

The same marketing that leads people to believe they NEED an SUV to be safe on the road convince people they NEED the ability to get to 60 mph ever faster. So we get more larger, and NOT safer, vehicles that use more gas to get to the same place at the same time as the smaller, more eco friendly vehicles because in reality, the NEED to get to 60 in the shortest time possible is extremely rare outside a race course.[/b][/quote]

I hear you on the 0 to 60 thing. Some of my favourite vehicles are ones that need 20 to 30 seconds to get to 60. The old Mercedes 190D that occupied my carport for so long, had a 0 to 60 time of 36 seconds!! :crazyeyes: I loved it not for it's speed, but for the level of interaction with the vehicle that was required to drive it. 8)

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Wolfman\";p=\"40053)</div>

yikes, by interaction, do you mean pushing it? Anyway, your Wing makes up for it!

rob

 

Honda's effort is to be admired but their hybrid system is cheap and not overly effective - although they plan to charge the big bucks for it. I hope this will push Toyota to introduce the HSD Camry sooner. My dream is for Toyota to put HSD into the Scion xA znd xB vehicles and push them to 80 mpg. These two vehicles are 'hot' with younger people right now and would introduce hybrid technology to the generation that MUST adopt it to make it move ahead to the mainstream.

I look for Honda to quietly abandon their IMA system in favor of a full hybrid system soon. They certainly have the know-how but just have to make sure it doesn't infringe on Toyota's patents.

 

I am not wild about 2 doors, but it sounds like an upgrade path for anyone wanting more horsepower. I wonder how available it will be?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(onerpm\";p=\"40055)</div>

yikes, by interaction, do you mean pushing it? Anyway, your Wing makes up for it!

rob[/b][/quote]

Hehe, nope. It was a 40 hp four cylinder diesel engine pushing around nearly 4,000 pounds of circa 1959 German Iron. It required ALOT of shifting to extract anything remotely resembling power out of that little 1.9 liter engine, and it had a column mounted four speed manual tranny. One thing you could not do with that setup, was get into a hurry with it, or the whole system would bind up from the sheer number of joints in the linkages to make the shifter work. I absolutely loved driving that thing. Unfortunately, it started making some funny noises one night, and started puking oil out the dipstick tube. Adding up the numbers for the parts to rebuild that engine, (yes they were still readily available, and stocked by MB), was enough to make one choke. Pistons alone were going to be in excess of $2500.

To fully restore that car, was going to cost me more than I would pay, to buy two already fully restored ones.