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Hondas are great - but I', still waiting for a better Hybrid. (Reply to this comment)
by marindavid
Hi-
I enjoyed both the tone and detail of this review. Having just completed the search for and purchase of a new Honda (we have had six of them) for my wife, we settled on a Civic - standard 4cyl engine. Looked at the Accord you reviewed - thought that Honda had not used the available technology very well to make a car that gets 'reasonable' mileage but has folded the technology into the 6cyl model rather than the 4. So, we'll wait until the next turnover-time (probably of my own 2001 Accord Coupe) and hope that they have applied the then available technology in a more efficient way.
As you know - it isn't so much about saving money at the pump to a degree that will pay for the difference in price of the car - it probably never will. It's about doing the right thing for the world our children and grandchildren will inherit.
Thanks, again, for the informative (and entertaining) review!
David
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Feb 03 '07
8:09 am PST
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Excellent Review (Reply to this comment)
by jhinson
I realize I am in the minority - most of the media elite seems to feel that Honda is headed down the wrong path. I disagree. This is an excellent application of hybrid technology - to take a powerful car, increase its performance, AND its gas mileage!
An excellent review! Couple of thoughts:
1. Where the engine turns off at lights is dependant upon cooling requirements. The car actually has two compressors: a smaller electric one, and a larger one driven by the engine. If you've just jumped into a car that's been sitting in the sun, the smaller electric compressor can't meet demand. Thus the gas engine will remain running to cool the car. However, if you've been driving a bit, the electric compressor can likely supply all cooling required, allowing the engine to shut off.
2 - The apparently quieter cabin likely is. Active Noise Control is built in to combat any additional engine noise created when VCM turns off the rear three cylinders. This system also combats exterior noise.
3- As you mentioned, the Hybrid does have different tires - wider. I don't know if they're quieter, though - my guess is the active noise control is causing that.
Thanks again for the well-written review! I will be looking for more of your reviews.
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Jul 01 '06
7:24 pm PDT
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Getting a good deal on the Accord Hybrid: Fact or Myth? (Reply to this comment)
by jfahim
Before Tuesday evening, I was set on getting the Toyota Camry Hybrid XLE because I thought there was no way I could beat the value for the options contained within it. Until I traveled 30 miles to a Honda dealer that had a few Hybrids in stock, I was content with just driving the Accord to please my father, who was making the purchase for me. Upon reaching the dealership, I found that the Hybrids were clearly marked with an unusually low price: $26,773. With their "One Simple Price" pricing, there was no haggling - not that there needed to be. We were blown away. Here was a car that is priced from the factory with an MSRP of almost $32,000 marked down almost 5,000 dollars. On top of that, there was a recent hail storm in San Antonio (a rare occurrence) and we were told that an additional $915 would be taken off. Their final price:
$25,858 + TTL + my options
I chose to go with the tinted windows and fog lights (because I like them - I can't help myself). I would have liked the navigation system, but being an impatient bastard, I would and could not wait 5 weeks and would not get the same discount on the car. Also, I could not find one on a dealer lot in San Antonio, Austin, or Houston. So to those who say that the 06 Accord Hybrid is too expensive, just take a drive down to friendly ol' Texas and visit any of the Honda dealers who have had an Accord Hybrid sitting on their lot - trust me, they are eager to get it off of their hands. That being said, I can attest to the fact that the Accord Hybrid CAN be cheaper than the Camry Hybrid when similarly equipped.
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May 25 '06
1:07 am PDT
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Re: Reliability information lacking (Reply to this comment)
by mkaresh,  in Cars & Motorsports
The site does not compete with Epinions. It complements my reviews, and the inclusion of this material brings Epinions at least five times as much additional traffic as Epinions sends to the site. Epinions is benefiting big time.
It would not be practical to provide the reliability information in the review for a number of reasons.
First of all, I have learned that freely providing reliability information would mean no reliability information, as no one would have an incentive to contribute towards this information. The only way this will work is to require people to contribute in order to receive.
Second, I'll be updating this information quarterly. I'm not about to go and update roughly 400 reviews every three months. Way too much work.
Time to realize your initial perception was misguided and move on.
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Apr 03 '06
10:16 am PDT
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Reliability information lacking (Reply to this comment)
by bromo33333
Would be best to publish the relaibility information rather than referring to a website that competes with epinions.
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Apr 02 '06
6:29 am PDT
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Re: Re: Why we bought it (Reply to this comment)
by joela714
Thanks, Michael. I actually plan to write an "After a Year..." review of our hybrid.
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May 28 '05
9:08 am PDT
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Re: Why we bought it (Reply to this comment)
by mkaresh, in Cars & Motorsports
Excellent comment. If you haven't already, you should put it into review form and post it.
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May 24 '05
5:54 am PDT
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Why we bought it (Reply to this comment)
by joela714
Michael,
We purchased our Accord hybrid last year. Here's our reasons and experiences:
First, we purchased the hybrid because of its increased gas mileage. While we've never accomplished the EPA's gas-mileage of 37 mpg on the freeway, the car's come pretty close at 35 mpg. Currently right now it's averaging 32 mpg which is good when considering we're using the heated seats, the six-CD changer, the NAV system, and the AC all the time.
Yes, we considered the Prius. However, we're used to six cylinders and the extra "umph" they provide. And this segues to the second reason for the sedan: power. I drove a Prius (considered THE hybrid) once as a rental and felt it only had a little more power than my Neon which is not good during rush hour in Los Angeles freeways. We didn't try out the lower Accord six-cylinder trims and maybe we should have. The hybrid has only 15 more extra horses than the next lower one. However, I doubt their mpg would have equaled the hybrid in real-world situation (which was our main reason in the first place).
Third is luxury. This is another reason we disregarded the Prius. My spouse likes leather seats, for example, which is not offered for the Prius. (Something to do about the environment but and animal rights and all that jazz but since the leather comes from cows....) And our hybrid is fully loaded with the (optional) NAV system. We're techno-geeks and like having advanced engines in our vehicles. We like as though we're moving up in our vehicles like we do with our house or careers. The only major regret we had was that Honda doesn't give the option for a sunroof. However, that's a minor loss. (My spouse also has a personal philosophy to always get the top of whatever car line you're purchasing from, saying it's better to own the top of a second tier line than the bottom of a first tier. Whatever.)
Fourth and final is the Accord's not showy. This is a strength to us. My spouse works in the medical industry and, among our peers, driving a Lexus, BMW, or Mercedes-Benz (or owning one of each) is commonplace. We have no desire to stand out in that crowd, viewing our vehicles more as appliances than show pieces. (Now, if there was such as thing as reliable Jaguar hybrid....) We investigated the Lexus RX400h before it was released and even got on a waiting list. However, my spouse hated what are considered the strengths of SUVs: the height and the size. The Accord hybrid sedan was far more preferable (and $20k cheaper.)
There are other, minor reasons (like reliability and resale value) we purchased the hybrid but these are the main ones. Hope it helps.
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May 23 '05
5:55 pm PDT
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Re: It's getting closer (Reply to this comment)
by drive571
Beyond the financial argument, there's a lot to be said for V6 performance at four-cylinder gas mileage... especially considering that tailpipe emissions are so low. I think the reduced contribution to pollution is worth a premium in price.
About the EPA's tests, I wonder how many hills their gas-mileage test route contains. My girlfriend's Prius also averages about 42 MPG overall, but we live in a hilly area. On long, flat freeway drives, we've seen the average creep up to 55 MPG. I've also read that hybrids get much worse mileage in cold winters. Sounds like it's time for a revamp of the EPA's testing procedures...
- PJ
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May 21 '05
2:17 pm PDT
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It's getting closer (Reply to this comment)
by sohel
The Hybrid Accord is moving in the right direction: fuel economy without sacrificing performance. But the numbers don't quite add up.
The real world mpg numbers for ALL hybrids seem to be MUCH lower than the EPA estimates on the window stickers. My brother's Prius (2nd gen) averages 40 to 42 mpg in mostly gentle city driving compared with the EPA estimate of 60mpg in the city (lower on highways). The EPA is in the process of revamping their test procedures to better reflect more aggressive driving in the real world. Hopefully we will have a better way in evaluating the ROI (return) on hybrid cars.
As it stands now, the $4,000 premium for the Accord hybrid CANNOT be recouped within 7 years with real world driving by most people. With the low end torque available on this car, it just begs you to floor it often ;-)
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May 20 '05
10:30 am PDT
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