New Honda Accord Hybrid Owners - Give us Your Report

citywolf

I think we both got a good deal - after wheeling and dealing on my leased car as a trade, and showing some internet quotes for extended warranties- I got the Car with Nav, extended warranty and top protection package for less than my pre-ordered total estimated cost for just the car without Nav. Given all the civic hybrids are going for MSRP +, I thought it would be the same for the Accord Hybrid. It will be good for others to know that at least two dealers are willing to haggle a little bit with the '06 HAH.

wa60201

Yes, I think we did OK with the purchase. My dealer was going to get me a HCH below MSRP if the HAH wasn't going to come in soon. I'm glad I decided to wait. I really wanted the room more than the MPG. Honda has done everything possible to keep me happy. Unlike the Toyota dealers in this area. Most of them are rude.

citywolf

I just finished my first tank of gas in my new '06 HAH and got 25 MPG in the cold city of Chicago- w/ maybe 30% Highway. In my '03 4cyl Accord, I got about 22. Not a whole lot of difference, but with all the extra power and amenities- I am VERY happy!

viet

Please tell us much more about your HAH '06. I got about 28-29/ 37 MPG with my HAH '05. How do you like your moonroof, stereo, acceleration, change lanes, brakes, turning on winding roads at high speed...?

I have to "surrender" my HAH '05 to my son in about a month when he is accepted into a "prestigious university". My '05 HAH runs like a "dream". I am "insane" about it. I love the idea to buy a new HAH '06.

citywolf

I drove the '05 HAH and absolutely loved it-- but I do think the '06 is smoother. The auto stop and restart are much less obvious; the lane changes, cornering, etc. are extremely smooth. I do not feel like it is a 3800 pound car. Braking is excellent! I have to admit that I love the on-board computer and voice recognition that came with the NAV. The handling is amazing, and I love the moonroof. I imagine the stereo is the same as the '05. The only thing I don't like is that it does not downshift fast enough when you are coming to a stop but do not actually stop and then step on the gas. I don't know much about the mileage yet since it is so new, (and since Chicago is so cold Overall, I love my car!

alp8

anything to report???

karen28

I bought my 2006 HAH thinking I had a nice, comfortable, fuel efficient car. I was wrong. To start with I got 24-26mph. Not nearly enough economy to justify the extra $8000 I paid for it. Then the problems began. I started having popping noises with acceleration, kind of a backfire type noise with lags of power. I found myself in several dangerous situations: Pulling out into traffic, losing power, lagging & almost getting T-boned by oncoming traffic that I was not able to get out of the way of. Merging onto the freeway, losing power & almost being run over by a semi (this happened 3 different times). And, trying to pass a semi, losing power & having to drop back to avoid a head-on collision. This car had 6500 miles on it when the problems began. I took it to the dealer 8 times, they never could figure out what the problem was. I finally went for the Lemon Law & won. Stay away from Honda's Hybrid Accord! By the way, they aren't making them anymore & I know why!

sdjudd

I purchased a 2005 HAH on May1st, 2008. Almost 2 months laster here is what I can say. I am disappointed by the overall fuel mileage, but there are still a lot of positives.

My car has 75k miles. I bought a certified used Honda which gives me a 12k one year bumper to bumper and 100k drive train Honda warranty. That's the main reason I went with something with such high mileage.

The car is awesome. The power is there when you need it. It has made me completely change my driving habits. I rarely go above 75 mph and I try to coast (recharge) as much as possible. It has even influenced the way my wife drives her Pilot. I love the XM radio. I can hardly listed to the FM anymore.

My overall MPG, probably 50/50 city HEY, has been right around 27. I'm a little disappointed, but when you compare it to the 2002 Acura TL Type S that I had before this I am saving a lot. The TL averaged 22 MPG (with premium fuel). I figure with today's fuel prices that I am saving between $500 and $600 annually and I am not sacrificing very much on the performance. The HAH is actually a lot smoother then the TL.

Overall now that I know what to expect and that 27 is what it is, I am still very happy about the purchase and plan to continue to enjoy it for years to come.

Karen_S

A reporter with a large financial magazine would like to speak with hybrid owners and their experiences. If you are a hybrid owner, please respond to ctalati@edmunds.com with your daytime contact information no later than Wednesday, August 6th.

hatcherb

Bought it in May 2007 brand new. I has everything except NAVI. I now have 41,000 miles. Dealer maintained. (Oil only so far) Runs great getting a minimum of 29 mpg and typically 33 mpg. Average speed is 65 to 75 on I-95 to and from Washington DC. I can hit 500 miles easy when sitting in the red alleged low gas light area. (more on that). Mostly highway 65 miles one way to work. Horsepower is there when I need it. The seats are tolerable. I feels like ihere is insuffiicant padding where the seat meets the back. In other cars I adjust the seat and back at a slight backwards angle to compensate for my long legs, however in car I have to raise the seat and find that perfect point closer to the seat being more horizontal. Back to the gas guage. Definately non-linear. My last car had a digital guage which I miss. Tank is rated 17.1 gallons, but it lights the low fuel with over 3 gallons left. I usually fill it at 12.5 to 13 gallons down with about 390 to 440 miles. So the digital display showing the average mpg is pretty accurate. Radio sounds pretty good, mostly XM and some FM, but I am thinking of some after market speakers. They're not crisp enough and the bass is unnnatural. I don't use the CD player and ordered from Honda the $15.75 audio accessoriy cable so I can use my Creative Labs ZEN 30 GB MP3. I'll let you know when I get that installed. I bought the big Service Manual and have read mostly about the IMA and the audio system so far. Ordered and installed the fog light kit from Honda. Love the fog lights, but only use them when I really have to. (Live iin the country). The wife has a Toyota Highlander 'cause we have dogs and likes to "borrow" the HAH periodically. At low speeds I do notice some light hesitation and jerking as the car changes gears, but I cannot tell when the IMA system is kicking in or out. I put in a K&N air filter at 25,00 miles and notice a slight increase in mpg. Looking forward to better mileage as the engine continues to polishes. I have seen only 2 other like this car in my neighborhood and the highway. The only thing I do not really like is the White Pearl paint job. Shows dirt too easy, but helps on thse summer days. Aw yes! The air conditioning...If you are stuck in slow traffic on a 90 degree day the "auto" mode does not cut it even if you point the vents directly at you.I switch to Manual and a higher setting on the blower. On those rare occasions where the temperature and humidity are great I open the moonroof and one of the back windows and turn off the air conditioner. Ahhh! It's a shame Honda dropped the HAH. Got it for $25K @ 4.9% right off the lot. By the way Honda is on the cutting edge, but their finance department is in the middle ages. We have an electronic transfer and it leaves our bank in pleny of time and 2 weeks later they are calling "where's our money". This happens every few months. After numerous phone calls we are friends and on a first name basis with "Manny". We complain, he double checks and sure enough they have the payment so we chat about our dogs and cats. sigh!

bvdj84

The problem was, the Accord Hybrid was a V6, which got the mileage of the 4cyl, but really didn't benefit substantially on mpg's in terms of a real hybrid. The Accord hybrid was pretty expensive, but I see Honda was gearing more for a performance hybrid, having the V6 power at the expense of a 4cyl. I think most were wanting a true gas saver.

If they offered or offer a 4cyl Accord, then it would be more inline with what consumers are wanting. Camry offers this, so if the Accord offers this, I do believe people would jump on that right away. Now, they need to keep the model relatively affordable though, perhaps doing what Camry did, and giving the option mid-way through the trim line, instead of it being the option only on the top end model, that way it is more appealing, more affordable option. Perhaps start this option on the EX models and up. EX starts at $24k, so perhaps be able to get the Hybrid option for $26k. That would be a nice price I think, giving all EX, EX-L models the option, just like the navigation. Make the option to high, and you'll defeat the whole purpose. So perhaps, if you wanted a loaded EX-L Accord, navi Accord with hybrid package, I think should be priced around $30k or so, give or take. Pricing the hybrid option too high is crazy, because you will be placing a big portion to the premium of getting the hybrid, instead of gas, it'll go to the payment, and companys need to realize this. Make it cheaper, so it truly makes a difference, therefore, eventually helping the economy a bit.