Honda Accord Hybrid MPG-Real World Numbers

larsb

All this talk about suing for misadvertisement of EPA mpg is pretty funny, but certainly a waste of time.

The EPA knows the test is faulty and they are working on updating the test soon.

If a buyer is not willing to learn a new way to drive to take advantage of the hybrid technology, then they will not see the benefit of that technology.

The hybrid which provides EPA mpg while "driving it just like a normal car" has yet to be invented.

gagrice

The hybrid which provides EPA mpg while "driving it just like a normal car" has yet to be invented.

I consider that a good reason to wait until they get the technology better. I agree with the posters that are unhappy with Honda for touting something that is not exactly true. Most of what I see on TV auto ads lately, are far from honest.

thegraduate

Most of the TV ads on the HAH I've seen tout the horsepower and "green-ness" over the EPA numbers.

rahenige

I have had my 2005 HAH for just one year now. It has plenty of power and good handling, although it is not the sports sedan my previous Infiniti G35 was.

I have recorded all fuel stops and have used 450.3gal's for 12,091 miles travelled. That represents 27mpg. Most of my driving is commuting 17-miles one-way from suburban to urban, with a handful of short (up to 300mile) highway trips. My highway fuel mileage is typically 35-36mpg.

I use cruise-control as much as possible, even during commuting when traffic conditions permit. I find that this maximizes 3-cylinder operation. I find that my driving habits have changed with better anticipation of stop lights and traffic slowdowns.

I find that the HAH lives up to Honda's promise of V6 performance with better than I4 economy.

thegraduate

Using Cruise Ctrl will give you lower highway mileage than if you guide the throttle yourself. When you do it, you can allow the speed to drop on hill ascents while keeping in ECO mode, and build it back on the descent. The Cruise will power-up the hill, dropping out of ECO just to keep the maintained speed.

rahenige

Thanks for the feedback.

I find that the ECO mode is very sensitive to minor changes in pedal position and that cruise control does a better job than I can in maintaining ECO mode on level roads.

thegraduate

Ok, I haven't driven an Accord hybrid, just an Odyssey EX-L wih VCM. I found I did better than the Cr. Ctrl did in the hills of Bama.

blechten

I have a 2005 HAH and I find I get about 32mpg driving about 70% highway and 30% city. My mileage dropped for a while down to about 27 after a service call. I saw the recall notice for an error in the battery management system. Once I had that fixed, my mileage weng back up to the 32 range.

I also find that I do better controlling the gas manually than I do with cruise control. Then again, I'm a little obsessed with keeping the eco light on.

It seems to live up to the billing, but you do have to pay attention to your driving habits. One big thing is "creeping" at traffic lights. This defeats the function of the autostop. If you creep more than 2 or 3 times, the autostop will stay off. I find the autostop a big contributor to the city mileage boost. You also have to really accelerate slowly and drive with a rock steady pedal when possible. I find my mileage improves the more I focus on it (the hawthorne effect). This would be true of any car, but the hybrid has more features to maximize the benefits of mileage boosting habits.

Bill

joekinne

Where did you see the Recall notice at, I have a 2005 HAH that generally gets around 27mpg here in the seattle area.

nymaxx

I am one of the many who is profoundly disappointed with my fuel economy, am getting around 20 MPG city. This is NOT the car to get for fuel savings (as they say YMMV)

thegraduate

Drive a hybrid like most people drive regular cars, and you aren't going to get EPA mileage.

Karen_S

A national finance magazine is looking to interview current hybrid owners who purchased a hybrid within the past year or two. The reporter is wanting to know if you have been satisfied or not with the gas savings you’ve been receiving. Please send an e-mail to ctalati@edmunds.com no later than Saturday, June 10, 2006 by 5:00 PM PT/8:00 PM ET containing your daytime contact information and the make and model of your hybrid vehicle.

Thanks,
Chintan Talati
Corporate Communications
Edmunds.com

PF_Flyer

Check our latest long term road test blog on the HAH:

Honda Accord Hybrid's Eco Mode

mattgg1

From what I've read here, those with a HAH are reporting fuel mileage that is almost identical to what I get in my I-4 Accord.

That begs the question...why buy the hybrid if an I-4 has a cheaper purchase price and lower long-term repair/maintenance expenses? What benefits do you get with a HAH that you don't get with an I-4 EX-L Accord?

I've read that "the HAH lives up to Honda's promise of V6 performance with better than I4 economy."

However, it sounds like you must drive the hybrid VERY CONSERVATIVELY if you have any hope of getting I-4 fuel economy. Therefore, you're never able to use or enjoy the "V6 performance."

mfletou1

Well, 2 reasons....

If you live where I do, you can drive in the carpool lane solo with a HAH.

The second reason is that you're going to get better fuel economy than the normal V6, with the same, or even better, performance. I'm looking at getting an '06 HAH, and my only hope with regard to fuel economy would be that the HAH does better than my '02 Intrigue. I bet it would.

accordfan81

I've put 4,000 miles on my Accord EX-L I4. Most of my driving has been in the city. My mileage has ranged from 23-24 city to 32-36 highway. Most of my city driving is lots of short trips < 5 miles stop and go with the AC running most of the time with consistant mileage of 23-24 (300 miles on a tank). Twice I got right at 500 miles on a tank with a little city driving mixed in with 65 - 75 mph on the highway. I actualy had the AC running both times and also was stuck in traffic for 30 minutes on one of those trips so I think I could probably get 37 or 38. One thing I noticed is that the mileage is actually better without cruise if your driving on a highway with alot of hills. Overall the mileage I'm getting is better than what I expected although I wish I could get a few more mpg in town.

redsoxfan6

I bought my 2006 HAH with Nav in June and have nearly 1,000 miles on it. The first trip I took was about 250 miles of mostly highway driving and the mileage was 31.4 mpg. I drove the speed limit most of the time due to break-in considerations. Last weekend I drove to Cape Cod in mixed highway (70%) and city (30%) driving and averaged 27.4 mpg. I drove 75-85 on the highway and tried to keep the eco light on. I am pleased with this car's performance, economy, and the quality workmanship. My other car is a 1999 Mercedes Benz E320 with 80K miles on it and it may stay parked a long time because this Honda is fun to drive and the Nav system is intriging.

cal_cal

You have the added power in the HAH that you dont in the I-4. A V6 is very smooth to drive. The HAH gives better mileage than the regular Accord V6, and that's why you buy it.

qualguy

I have 31K on a 2005 HAH and still love it. At a near constant 79 mph, I can get between 32 and 33 mpg. My last trip was 578 miles (on 1 tank!!) most on the highway at 75 to 80 mph with 3 adults, some luggage, and with 70 miles in city traffic. I got a measured 33 mpg (the mpg meter read 34, so it was about 1 mpg high). Speed obviously impacts fuel efficiency so at 60 or 65, I can get actually get 37 to 40 mpg, but you can't drive like a mad man.

The worst mileage I've seen is all city, with pushing the accelerations and that was still around 25 mpg. I drive alot and it seems that I average about 31 mpg running around town, where you have a highway drive to an exit and then a little city stuff, then back on the highway.

I wanted reliability, performance and fuel efficiency and I got it with the HAH. It does about 7 mpg better than my old 6 cyl. 2003. So with my driving 35000 miles per year, I am saving about $1000 per year in fuel and still have better performance!

dave67

I posted this earlier in the main HAH section
_____________________________________________
I have owned an Honda Accord Hybrid for over a year, and my experience may make some feel better. I am one of those guys that keeps records - my total average over 15 months and 5500 miles is 19.8, and I never have had a tank over 21.5. 80% my driving is my commute (6 miles with 4 lights, avg. 35mph).

Needless to say, I am totally disappointed. I only got "wait longer", "drive better" and "everything is fine" from my dealer (6 visits about this). I am now attempting to use the lemon law, but I am not too hopeful.

terry92270

You are starting from stops with a lead foot, racing the other cars to the next light, only having to stop there. You cannot drive a Hybrid like you have driven all your life, and not end up "disappointed".

Modification of your driving habits will most certainly increase your MPG, in a ICE or Hybrid. All that is lacking is a will do to so.

rst10

I just bought a 2005 HAH with the navigation system. I can't find an instant MPG display. Yes, I see the bar graph on the info screen, but that displays MPG in +/- 10 MPG increments. The only way I can get an instant reading with an accuracy of greater than +/- 10 MPG, is to reset the average mpg display, which is just silly. It may seem a little picky of me to not be contant with the MPG bar, but hey, I did buy a hybrid. One can reasonably assume that I have more than a passing interest in my mileage correct? :confuse: The fact that this car is a hybrid and it is the first car I've bought in years that didn't have an instant mpg display to a tenth of an mpg just blows my mind.

Any help? Have I simply missed it? And while we're on the subject of missing data displays, have I also overlooked an outside temp display?

Thanks!

Kirstie_H

A reporter with a large local newspaper is hoping to talk to consumers in California who purchased a hybrid vehicle this year. If you are interested in speaking to the reporter, please reply to ctalati@edmunds.com no later than Thursday, April 12, 2007 with your daytime contact info. and what car you purchased.

maverick9

Disappointing, yes, but not that bad! Steady 70mph: 39 to 41. In traffic, 28 miles each way, bumper to bumper: 27.7. Vehicle has 19,000 on the clock. Only mod is K&N air filter. Use Mobil-1 5W-20.

satswac

I don't mean any of this as an insult to those of you who bought HAH and like them, but when I do the math, my used '04 Elantra (auto trans), that I bought with 27k mi for $10K gives me, worse case 32 mpg and best case (absolutely no lie) 36 mpg, I figured that for the cost of an HAH that averages 27-28 mpg...........it would take 10 years (with my driving distances of 20,000/year) before an HAH broke even with my Hyundai over-all costs.
By-the-way, if the HAH is so good, why is Honda going to discontinue the Accord hybrid?

PF_Flyer

If you are a long-term hybrid owner, our Senior Editor, John O'Dell, would love to hear from you! A short email with your maintenance experiences and concerns would be great. Please send to John at jodell@edmunds.com by close of business Wednesday, August 22, 2007. Be sure and include your Forums username.

tazman4

2005 HAH bought new, 37k on it, ex-Datsun racer from the '70's, so I really drive it - love the performance. 35 plus at steady 75, 26-29 commuting in the Minneapolis metro area. Like I said, it really goes, very comfy, decent handling (not as good as my S2000). I consider it a good buy, gas accord hwy mileage in town. If you wanted a Prius, you should have bought one.

PF_Flyer

A Forbes.com article on the least efficient hybrids and the dreaded "hybrid premium" are the subject of today's Alternate Route entry, Boon or Bane?

mrhowell

Has anyone seen the blurb in the news on an Atlanta station about the 20-ish year old guy who tinkered with his Honda hybrid and added a few batteries he bought from WalMart and ended up getting 100+ mpg? Someone told me they saw it on an Atlanta station and he demonstrated how he did it. Can anyone help? I cannot seem to find it and am hoping someone can point me in the right direction. Many thanks!

phrodo99

Here it is 2 years later and we're in a big fuel crunch of $4 + a gallon. Well my comment to that question is to have the best of both worlds performance and economy. I can be green and still lay rubber. Actually bought this for the wife I drive a 06 GTO. In my opinion until the technology catches up this 05 HAH is awesome!

nowakj66

As a HAH 2005 owner I have to second the notion that as the gas prices rise, so does my appreciation for this car.

I've also noticed about a 10% boost in price they fetch on the used market.