By accessing this website, you acknowledge that Edmunds and its third party business partners may use cookies, pixels, and similar technologies to collect information about you and your interactions with the website as described in our
Privacy Statement, and you agree that your use of the website is subject to our
Visitor Agreement.
Comments
Not too many sedans have four wheel double wishbone suspensions (5 link rear), plus front and rear sway bars, plus gas shocks with progressive coil-overs either.
MODERATOR /ADMINISTRATOR
Find me at kirstie_h@edmunds.com - or send a private message by clicking on my name.
2015 Kia Soul, 2021 Subaru Forester (kirstie_h), 2024 GMC Sierra 1500 (mr. kirstie_h)
Review your vehicle
sounds just like the suspension on my explorer. actually, the back is single wishbone(or a-arm).
Explorer: SLA front and rear. Non-progressive coils in front. Single rate shock front and rear.
don't believe everthing you read, which is my point.
http://www.fordvehicles.com/suvs/explorer/features/specs/
Look,I am by no means a suspensions expert! I'm sure your Explorer is a fine vehicle. I love my 99 F250! It's just that you can't really compare your suspension to that of the HAH. Go take a drive in any upscale Mercedes, Lexus or BMW sedan which share this type of suspension and judge for yourself. They DO out handle an Explorer. I promise!
I have noticed that the torque steer can be a bit strong on heavy acceleration though. It is always a good idea to keep a firm grip when tromping the HAH!
Happy Motoring!!
The MT Coupe has P215/50 R17 compared to the HAH P215/60 R16.
The higher profile of the HAH 60 versus 50 would actually make it flex more.
Thanks,
MidCow
P205/60 R16
On Honda's website they show the same for the coupe. You must have HFP upgrade?
The again..I've got 235/45/18 now.
>>>>> In terms of real world FE of the non-Hybrid Accord’s, the following should just about take care of that question
I'm having trouble with that link - did it cut/paste correctly? - maybe its just me
Let us try it again?
http://www.consumerreports.org/main/content/display_report.jsp?FO- LDER%3C%3Efolder_id=520005&ASSORTMENT%3C%3East_id=389451
Remember, the Edmunds forum SW doesn’t allow hyperlinks over a given length to display or link properly. Just cut and paste the entire url above into your browser and try again.
Good Luck
Wayne R. Gerdes
Let us try this again? Copy and paste the 3 lines below into a Word/Notes document. Remove the spaces in between and copy/paste into your browser.
www.consumerreports.org/main/content/display_report.jsp?
FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=520005&ASSORTMENT%3C%
3East_id=389451
Yes, that works.
Good Luck
Wayne R. Gerdes
"When one buys a Honda he/ she will never buy another make" (Anonymous quote).
Tell them you want this one at Invoice to make up for the markup on the first one. You will be the only guy in town with TWO HAHs.... Don't get any better than that.... Then you get the color you want...
I feel better to support the talented and dedicated Honda engineers/ management who are able to build and provide me with sophisticated and affordable cars so I can buy and drive them around in style and comfort.
The AH w/out NAVI is available for $27,495 down in Shreveport. It is available for $28,000 here in Chicago. I don’t think anyone really cares who is calling you up and offering you one with a premium on top of MSRP because that would be a foolish purchase today. Maybe during the first few weeks after initial release but not today. For those that read the details in this as well as the Honda Accord - Prices Paid and Buying Experience forum anyway.
Good Luck
Wayne R. Gerdes
Actually I found viet's post kind of interesting, if not entertaining, to hear what tactics some salespeople resort to in order to find buyers who are willing to pay over MSRP for a car. The appropriate response to such a call is, "Ha ha ha, thank you, that's the best laugh I've had in a long time!"
Well, I got 24.6 mpg on my first tank I think that is pretty good. Quite a bit highway drving at 75-80 mpg. The Navigation system is outstanding and you gotta love the tall 6th gear at 30 miles per thousand rpm, only 2,300 rpm at 70 mph.
Cheers,
MidCow
ThIn summary , the 6-speed Honda Accord Coupe handles well for a sports "coupe" since it is a "coupe" instead of a "sedan".
Cheers,
MidCow
I think I figured it out, but it's weird.
Because the weather was good here recently, I put the climate control in manual mode, turned off the A/C thinking that that would put the lightest load on the engine and increase my mileage. But for some reason that configuration prevents the Auto-Stop feature from engaging.
Why does that not seem quite right to me?
Turn "off" CC.
Hit Fan up button.
hit A/C button to "Off" position.
then you get no Auto-Stop no matter what.
PS I'll double check this again tonight.
Interesting. I just realized that in my 2002 Honda Civic Si (2.0L), traveling across Arizona from LA to Phoenix a number of times, I always averaged about 30mpg.
So the small, light, somewhat sporty Honda Civic Si hatchback gets 30mpg, and the larger, heavier, somewhat sporty HAH gets 38.5mpg. Nice work Honda engineers, I'd say.
I know it's just the cylinder management, but it's still impressive. Makes me wonder what level of improved mileage our larger V8 truck and SUV friends might experience on the highway with this or similar technology.
Firstly, everyone including the EPA admits that the EPA testing is flawed, so let's not concentrate on that number so strongly.
I think we MIGHT BETTER WAIT until next December when we can have a full year of MPG reports before we "fail" the Accord as a Hybrid....If the broad owner average for the first year is still 22 MPG, then let me know in December 2005 and I will get that email off to Honda....:)
By your 16% number of below EPA combined, is the Prius is also a "hybrid failure" at 14% below EPA combined, and Escape at 15% below EPA?
Does a non-hybrid Civic which gets only 85% of EPA to be deemed a "gasoline failure?" How about my Avalanche, which only got 76% of EPA? A "failed pickup?"
Please try not to be so dramatic Gary !!
The V-6 hybrid is a very nice total package, but it does not break any new ground for efficiency in an Accord (except maybe according to the EPA)
My 4X4 Suburban gets right at the 14/18 so I guess it is a success.
The reason for a lot of the complaints by hybrid owners is they bought the car for that express reason to save fuel. Very few are living up to what they expected. More hybrid owners posting on Edmund's report poor mileage than those that are getting over EPA ratings. So far the HCH and Insight are the closest to EPA ratings. Why do you suppose that is?
Are you saying people with Civic non-hybrid are getting less than 28 mpg combined?
W e a l r e a d y K N O W w h y t h a t i s - b e c a u s e t h e E P A t e s t s a r e f l a w e d , b y t h e i r o w n a d m i s s i o n .
Some cars do closer to EPA, some do not, some exceed it. It's a mixed bag
And yes, I'm sure somewhere there are owners of non-hybrid Civics getting 28 MPG in the cold winter. And I know for a fact that my Avalanche only got 76% of EPA.
Gary, I'll bet you an Omaha Steak delivery that by the end of 2005, the Accord Hybrid mileage thing shakes out and it will have averaged very near EPA (at least 86% like the Prius) according to the gh.com drivers. Wanna take it?
There has already been "ground broken" on ultra high mileage hybrids and no doubt there will be more!
The HAH is a performance car that gets good mileage. Not great or ground breaking but good. Yet it has a lot of performance! Is there another hybrid out yet that can be really called a performance car?
People are just so used to a hybrid name badge as indicating super-ultra-high mileage. This is a whole new concept. How much better sales would performance cars in general have if they boasted 30-40 MPG on top of their wheel burning ground pounding horsepower!!!
This is the promise of the future for which the ground work is being laid by....The HAH
Could not agree with you more strongly !!
That is EXACTLY what people are missing. Honda says "we can put our IMA system in ANY CAR in our line and make a better car than the EX model in that line" and they have AGAIN proven it with the HAH, as they did with the HCH before that.
Hybrid DOES NOT have to equal MAX MPG - it CAN mean "more MPG than a comparable non-Hybrid version of this car with NO performance sacrifice."
I am a fan for the Hybrids, but I feel they are not living upto their hype. Honda does not really push the MPG issue as much as others, but I would have thought the HAH would have done better.
The HAH gives up valuable trunk space and still has increased it's weight a a serious amount. The problem is what are they after? A performance vehicle? (In the conservative Honda Accord Skin - Nah!) A gas saving car? (Not really) An excercise in technology? (Hopefully not)
What I see here is a very expensive vehicle that provides slightly better performance and slightly better fuel mileage. What I do not see is a valid reason to buy this car YET!
Time will tell if the fuel savings is real. In the meantime, add the cylinder management system in all of the V6's. Lighten all of the cars when reasonable.
If you want a performance version of the Honda and need to showcase the Hybrid technology, put the Hybrid in the Acura TL where at least the car looks like a performance vehicle. But plase add all wheel drive as the wheels will just spin in place and burn out the tires.
I love Hondas... I have owned 5 to date and will be a loyal owner... but I do not get this one. As someone else said, put the Hybrid in the 4 cyclinder model and gain V6 performance with 4 cylinder mileage. That to me sounds like a winner!
The reason I looked up this forum today is that every article that I have read on the vehicle indicated poorer mileage than anticipated. Much less than the flawed EPA figures. In one case, the mileage was so poor, they would not even publish their results. They all agree that the HAH is getting to the near luxury category and uses a very high tech engine system. But they also say that for the money, there are better cars out there. I hope they are wrong, but I have read nothing here to support an argument to buy this vehicle at the current price. (I would jump on it if the price was much closer to the normal V6 model. Oh well... you can't have your cake and eat it too this time... or can you?
It is already close 84% compared to the Prius. The Prius is way out there also. I would think a more fair bet would be to match it up against the HCH which is now very close to EPA. They are the same design according to Honda.
PS
You must have been a terror in that Avalanche to only get 12 mpg. Along that line I really liked the Odyssey EX-L until I saw what the people are getting with it. Many posters are complaining they only get 15-16 mpg with that new VCM, 69% of EPA. Looks like the EPA really needs to do some more research with the newer technologies.
I kind of think that some of the people in that organization were hoping for more than they are getting...How does that affect the CAFE standards if EPA expects 27.2 mpg combined and in fact the average driver in vehicle X only gets 20 mpg?
While the HAH only provides an additional 15HP one should really look at the power curve! It's much more dramatic than you think. Have you driven one? REALLY driven one? The low end torque provided by the IMA makes a great deal of difference off the line and at lower revs in general. The Vtec engines have always been good at top end but have suffered at low end. The IMA goes a LONG way to remedy that. I drove a hybrid and a standard V6 before I bought and couldn't believe there was only 15HP diff. It was not till after I had one the I saw picture and graphs of the power and torque curves that I realized why.
I would also like to point out that the mileage I have been getting does not reflect timid driving. I love to tromp this thing for more than I would a lesser performaing car. It's just fun! My mileage seems to vary little from times when I'm trying to get the absolute best mileage vs tropping on it a lot. I would love to see a side by side mileage comparison in a performance oriented test. I'll bet the gap would be even greater. I have to say as an owner and generally a domestic only owner that this car really pleases me. Maybe even more then I wish it did :)I don't say that to justify my purchase. I REALLY DO love the car.
It's probably unfortunate that this car suffers more in mileage due to weather conditions than most. I think as a result more time will be needed to flesh out the true mileage. Here in Arizona the Winters are mild and I suffer no ill effects on my mileage. I will likely pay a higher price when our temps get above 100 this Summer and the autostop ceases to engage. I promise to be as honest about the situation then as I have been to date.
Cheers.
I DO LOVE MY HAH as AZHAH loves his. It is really different from the regular Accord V6.
As the weather is getting warmer my HAH's battery is usually charged to its maximum 100%. I did not see very often my battery getting charged 100% in the winter. The cold weather does generate some negative impacts on the HAH as it does on other cars and on human-beings too. As I have been passing the break-in mileage the IMA is getting more sensitive and smarter. The HAH runs very quietly and the torque is much better than my regular Accord V6 2002.
In fact, it is quite fun to drive my HAH. It does meet my expectation of a high performance car and also a car that is very easy on gas in considering of its 255 HP. The regular unleaded fuel is $2.25/ gallon today.
The same could be said for buying the V6 vs. the 4-cylinder. The V6 costs more, but returns lower fuel economy and higher emissions. What is the payback? Let's see... the V6 is quicker than the 4-cylinder. But then, the HAH is quicker than the V6. Also it returns higher fuel economy and lower emissions than the V6. One could say that the HAH provides more "payback" compared to the V6 than the the V6 does compared to the 4-cylinder. It just depends on how what the value of the payback is to the buyer.
Extra Cheers for you!!!
I think you just have to figure that the HAH acts like a V6 for four months of the Northern year. As for the price - it is a bit steep, but it is a very nice car.
Sure - I'd prefer the HAH to be cheaper, but it's the first Hybrid I could actually see myself driving for the next few years.
My decision process was: Hybrid first, particular model second. I test drove all the currently available hybrids (except insight), and the non hybrid versions of coming-soon models.
In the end I settled on the HAH - I would like a Hybrid Pilot but the VCM model is still a ways off. Maybe next time round
Before anyone chimes up - I did check out the Escape and Highlander
Waiting for the models 2-3 years out is not an option - anyway waiting for the "next best model" is a never ending quest.