New 2014 Honda Accord Hybrid

[acdii]

 

Oh no! Does this mean you're selling the Mustang GT?

 

We just got back from a little 50 mile jaunt in ours and what a contrast between cars.

But, you're right, in between a few full throttle burnouts I did drive more sensibly. ;)

I have that same problem with my Flex. It doesn't do burnouts with the AWD, but takes off like a rocket! I am driving it more economically though.

[hybridbear]

Decent article about the HAH. This one actually mentions the FFH too!

http://www.newsday.com/classifieds/cars/2014-honda-accord-hybrid-tops-competition-on-technology-fuel-economy-1.6685157

[B25Nut]

Decent article about the HAH. This one actually mentions the FFH too!

http://www.newsday.com/classifieds/cars/2014-honda-accord-hybrid-tops-competition-on-technology-fuel-economy-1.6685157

This "review" only quotes figures from Honda. It doesn't appear that the writer actually drove the HAH.

[djminfll]

I will believe what B25Nut says, we know he's reliable!

I don't get trust Fox news viewpoint, so I'm not really interested in what they have to say on this subject either. LI Newsday is pretty reliable (I grew up in NY on LI and read Newsday for years), but as B25Nut said above, it doesn't appear the writer actually drove the car.

What I do know is that my 2006 Honda Accord EX-L coupe was one of the worst cars I ever owned, I couldn't wait for the lease to end so I could give it back. That experience soured me on Honda, I'm not sure I'm ready to give them another try yet.

[hybridbear]

Another HAH reviewer who got over 44 MPG in a few hundred miles of driving.

http://cars.about.com/od/honda/fl/2014-Honda-Accord-Hybrid-review.htm

 

I'm hoping to go test drive a HAH this afternoon. Temps are currently about -10F with a high of 0F today so this should be a good test. I told the salesman I specifically do not want the car warmed up before I get there because I want to see how Honda designed their powertrain to work in the cold.

[corncobs]

Another HAH reviewer who got over 44 MPG in a few hundred miles of driving.

http://cars.about.com/od/honda/fl/2014-Honda-Accord-Hybrid-review.htm

 

I'm hoping to go test drive a HAH this afternoon. Temps are currently about -10F with a high of 0F today so this should be a good test. I told the salesman I specifically do not want the car warmed up before I get there because I want to see how Honda designed their powertrain to work in the cold.

Can't wait for your review I won't see until next year. ;-)

[hybridbear]

Can't wait for your review I won't see until next year. ;-)

Thanks. Unfortunately I just found out that the HAH that was first put on sale yesterday sold yesterday. It took them less than 8 hours to sell it and move it off their lot... I guess I should have found the time to get over there yesterday...

[corncobs]

That was actually thought to be a joke since we are going to be 2014 7 hours before you guys. Maybe a can predict the future but it's interesting how fast to they moved the car.

Edited December 31, 2013 by corncobs

[dalesky]

Thanks. Unfortunately I just found out that the HAH that was first put on sale yesterday sold yesterday. It took them less than 8 hours to sell it and move it off their lot... I guess I should have found the time to get over there yesterday...

I love the abreviation- HAH- might be what some buyers say when they see the mileage numbers!

[hybridbear]

A PriusChat member drove the HAH today and really liked it. He said that it blows the Prius out of the water in comfort, handling, styling, features, driveability, etc. It sounds like Honda might have a hit on their hands...

[dalesky]

A PriusChat member drove the HAH today and really liked it. He said that it blows the Prius out of the water in comfort, handling, styling, features, driveability, etc. It sounds like Honda might have a hit on their hands...

Really doesn't take much to be better than the Prius in the areas you mentioned, does it? I think the same is true to a slightly lesser extent for the Camry, but at least that is a good highway car.

[acdii]

If I were forced to drive one or the other, the Camry would be my choice. The prius reminds me too much of a 1975 Honda Civic.

[hybridbear]

Another good HAH review.

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303870704579296424164040790

 

I like the writing style of this writer. One of his comments makes me really want to drive the HAH to compare it to the FFH. He says:

 

At moderate speeds, when you put your right foot down, the Accord Hybrid first surges with demanded electric torque, and then only several beats later will the engine begin to pick up the revs as the computers instruct the generator to restock the battery. Lift the throttle, and the engine keeps revving, counter-intuitively, the car slows down.

We have all grown up knowing the direct, satisfying, intuitive linearity of gas-engine powertrains, in which when we squeeze the throttle pedal, the engine's pitch and volume rise, and the car accelerates. The next generation of super-efficient automobiles will increasingly privilege the EV side of the hybrid equation, and relegate the internal combustion engine to generator duties, working inscrutably in the deep background.

It sounds like in the HAH the ICE will keep running at a high RPM even when you take your foot off the gas. In the FFH the ICE doesn't continue to rev when you aren't accelerating. In the FFH the ICE primarily spins the generator to make the electricity needed by the traction motor to power the wheels. But it usually spins the generator motor fast enough that there is more electricity generated that what's needed for the wheels and thus the excess is stored in the battery. However, as soon as you let off the gas the ICE turns off. In this sense the FFH is fairly similar to a conventional car in that the RPM of the ICE usually makes sense with what your right foot is doing with the pedals. It sounds like there is less of this connection in the Accord...

[hybridbear]

Fuelly is starting to have a few HAHs...

http://www.fuelly.com/car/honda/accord/2014/hybrid%20l4

 

So far it's off to a slow start just like the FFH last winter. One owner who has done a road trip in his HAH reports getting 42-43 MPG (from the pump) at 70 MPH in 30-40F temps. He also saw 36.5 MPG when going 75-80 MPH in 30-40F temps.

 

There are a few users on the Accord Forum complaining about their gas mileage and saying that no matter how gently they drive that they can't get more than 40 MPG...sound familiar??

[Ted Swing]

It seems like every new positively reviewed alternative fuel vehicle (Tesla Model S, FFH, HAH) gets built up so much that they inevitably get some backlash when they turn out not to be 100% perfect. I actually hope the HAH owners don't create a big thing about the low winter MPG, because that kind of thing fuels people's unjustified fears of hybrids even though they're still much better than traditional cars.

Edited January 7, 2014 by Ted Swing

[hybridbear]

MSN Autos review

http://editorial.autos.msn.com/2014-honda-accord-hybrid-first-drive-review

 

They say they hit the EPA ratings easily and that it's possible to beat them...

[GrySql]

MSN Autos review

http://editorial.autos.msn.com/2014-honda-accord-hybrid-first-drive-review

 

They say they hit the EPA ratings easily and that it's possible to beat them...

FTA:

"(As part of a sponsored press event, the automaker provided MSN with travel and accommodations to facilitate this report.)"

 

Write something nice or we don't invite you next time.... I get it.

[hybridbear]

FTA:

"(As part of a sponsored press event, the automaker provided MSN with travel and accommodations to facilitate this report.)"

 

Write something nice or we don't invite you next time.... I get it.

Every car review has that disclosure

[acdii]

I did the same with the Camry and Avalon hybrids, so whats the big deal? Ford is the only one that is rated higher than what the average driver can achieve, only because of the different technology and driving techniques needed to achieve it. So, good for Honda, they have a system that can achieve good fuel economy, lets wait and see how well the rest of the car holds up.

 

Here is the Good part of all this, Competition! Now Toyota HAS to step up their game to catch up, for once there are other cars out there besting Toyota in the hybrid game, especially in the mid size market, where a good majority of family cars are sold.

[hybridbear]

This reviewer says he got 45 MPG in the HAH at 70 MPH on the freeway

http://gas2.org/2014/01/08/review-2014-honda-accord-hybrid/

[aaronj1159]

This reviewer says he got 45 MPG in the HAH at 70 MPH on the freeway

http://gas2.org/2014/01/08/review-2014-honda-accord-hybrid/

The way he worded it is odd to me:

 

 

 

I never saw less than 38 MPG on the highway, and cruising at 70 MPH saw my MPG match or exceed the EPA ratings, which stands at 50 MPG city and 45 MPG highway for a combined 47 MPG. Thanks to the innovative hybrid system, I was able drive nearly two miles from my house to the grocery store on battery power alone. While it helps that most of the trip is downhill, in my old Jeep Wrangler a similar round trip consumed nearly a quarter tank of gas. Not an exaggeration.

 

 

I can't really tell what he means by this statement... it's pretty vague. I'm wondering if he's talking about the instantaneous fuel economy for part/all of this paragraph.

 

And when he talks about the grocery store trip, he says the way to the grocery store was almost all downhill. So what did he get on the way home, which is probably the direction that his Jeep burned the most fuel "round trip"?

[acdii]

What was the REAL world gas used? Going on the instantaneous, my Flex got 35 MPG on the Interstate going 70 for 6 miles. Not really a fair comparison is it? 35 is a far cry from the actual 18 it really got when I filled the tank.

 

Gallons per 100 miles vs MPG. I would like to see that instead. I dont know how many miles I put on since Sunday, rough guess about 800, but I burned 39 gallons this week. Oh will I be happy to be back to car pooling next week and cut that in half.

[hybridbear]

The way he worded it is odd to me:

 

 

 

I can't really tell what he means by this statement... it's pretty vague. I'm wondering if he's talking about the instantaneous fuel economy for part/all of this paragraph.

 

And when he talks about the grocery store trip, he says the way to the grocery store was almost all downhill. So what did he get on the way home, which is probably the direction that his Jeep burned the most fuel "round trip"?

I agree that it's odd. One thing I find interesting is that the comments about HAH MPG are overwhelmingly positive. At this time last year, none of the car reviews really had positive things to say about FFH or C-Max MPG. If the positive reviewer experiences translate to positive owner experiences, then I think Honda will really have a hit. That's my point in posting the different reviews where the journalist comments about getting great MPG. Because that didn't really happen with the FFH reviews last year...

[Ted Swing]

By contrast, here's a new review of the HAH and Accord Plug-in from the NY Times. This reviewer said he didn't break 43 MPG (despite trying) and averaged about 40 MPG. Presumably temperature was a factor.

 

It seems like there are some inconsistencies - some reviewers say they get significantly better MPG with the HAH than the FFH and other hybrids, but other sources (such as this review and the early fuelly numbers) suggest that the HAH's MPG is more comparable to the FFH. That said, overall the reviewer was quite positive about the HAH.

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/12/automobiles/autoreviews/a-hybrid-pioneer-is-back-in-the-hunt.html

[B25Nut]

So far Fuelly is showing a 36.6 mpg average for 12 HAHs. Of course, Honda is running into the same issue that the FFH did by being introduced during a period of low temperatures. I think this is something the auto makers need to consider in the future. If you are going to make a new hybrid, realease it in April.

 

http://www.fuelly.com/car/honda/accord/hybrid%2014/sedan