New Honda Accord Hybrid Owners - Give us Your Report
Congratulations on your new car! This is the place to post your initial impressions of your new ride!
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I finished 71% of my first gas tank at 340 miles today (mixed of highway and city driving, more driving in cities):
My manually calculated MPG: 28.04355.
Digital calculated MPG on dash: 29.2.
When I took delivery of this HAH, I did not even care to test drive it. Just came to the dealer, signed the paperwork and drove my HAH away. Because I have owned so many Honda and was strongly convinced I would be very happy with every single detail of the HAH as I used to be happy with Honda autos and motorcyles in the last 40 years. Now, my assumption holds very true. Everyday is my Honda day (specifically Everyday is my HAH day). Everything from my HAH fits me real well and meets my best requirements and satisfaction. Its robust 255 true HP has been under my right foot sensitively. The steering wheel is so solid that I feel it really nice and precise inside my palms, the seats hug me real nice and comfortably. When it stops the engine is completely quiet that gives me a funny feeling when looking at other cars tiredly roaring and exhausting carbon monoxide. I love the real feeling at the HAH's gas engine with plenty of power yet the running engine is so quiet, very sensitive and so responsive. Handling is very precise. I got good road feel. It runs confidently and strongly with its real power with no efforts to beat any hills or tough road conditions.
However, this early morning the weather was cold about 30 something, the NAVI. was a bit confused and it appeared not to take my voice commands to the radio channels very accurately. I am not sure on this. Must track on this issue before calling the dealership. Probably I will remove my parking sticker (on a piece of paper) I put on the rear dash under the rear windshield to see if the problem can be fixed that way. But, in the afternoon, on the way home, probably it is warmer, my voice commands to the radio were executed very accurately. Absolutely, no problems with the Navi. system.
Likes: Everything inside and outside the HAH. Honda has never disappointed me so I have kept buying Accord after Accord from Honda. Love the 8 airbags, the powerful engine, good feeling with a great Accord V6, etc.
Dislikes: High MSRP that I had to pay to the dealership to buy it. But, newly-introduced, hot, high performance and sophisticated HAH cannot be bought at cheap price for now. It is OK with me.
My nephew bought a small Benz C class, 4 engines, 189 HP, with no NAVI at $35K something out the door. Now he plans to hire somebody to add in the Navi. Good luck to this young guy. The other young female friend just bought an Acura TL 2004, with no Navi. at $35K out the door. Good luck to her too.
My wife got mad with me last night and copied (cat) somebody's curse at me:" You are so sick with cars why dont you sleep with cars? ". In fact, my HAH still smells brand-new. I love that "brand-new car aroma". Therefore, I can "sleep" inside it if I need to. My HAH is a real great piece of engineering and also a very nice piece of arts. I have been very happy with it for sure.
Your HAH sounds excellent , I am glad you are enjoying it. I am currenlty looking for a high mpg car with manual shift. I think the HAH would be my choice with a 5-speed or a wide ration 6-speed. It seems that Honda/Acura when going from 5-speed to 6-speed keeps the end ratios the same; I would rather have a very tall gear instead.
Concerning your nephew's GPS an excellent aftermarket GPS is the Garmin 2610 or 2620. The 2610 is fully poratable and can go in any car. The 2620 has "dead reckoning" and requires profession installation.
Again congratulations on your car. With your mileage, it sounds like you are still driving like you did before; that is good. Some hybrid owners seem to cahnge thier driving style dramatically after getting thier hybrid just to see how high of Mpg they can obtain. I myself am looking for a sphisticated high mpg commuter car.
Thanks,
MidCow
My son always sneaks in my secret place to get my HAH's key to drive it ocasionally even though he gets his own new Accord V6 EX. I love my HAH and I do owe Honda engineers my great appreciation and my big thanks for their great intelligence and for their outstanding and innovative Honda automobiles.
I met and talked at length with my specialist/ mechanic today. He insisted that the Accord V6 outscores the Camry V6, the Maxima and even the BMW 3 and may be BMW 5 series in terms of handling on hilly, winding highways, gas saving, "THE COMFORTABLE SEATS", acceleration, comfort, quality, low maintenance cost, durability, reliability, etc.
One guy indicated that after he had sat on an Accord's driver seat and test drove it he felt so in love with the seat and bought that Accord immediately.
All I can say the HAH is an agressive monster on the road. All it does is to accelerate and speed up real fast. If one wants a great sport car (disguised as an innocent sedan) instead of buying an epxensive Corvette or a Mustang GT, etc. the HAH may be his/ her good choice.
As far as the HAH being a performance car, it is definitely a league or 2 below the cars you mention. The HAH can certainly keep up with traffic, but unless you do some heavy modifications, you'll never see 1 at any sort of track. You can dream it is an aggressive monster, just like people dream their Highlander will eat up the Baja.
Enjoy the car for what it is, a decent mid-size car that's good, (but not exceptional at that price) in many categories.
Performance
Mileage
Comfort/Space
Handling
Gizmos
Style
Price..not so much..
Have you had a chance to take any long cross country trips in your new HAH yet? Be sure and give us the rundown when you do.
I have had no complaints yet. I usually get the "ECO" light on most of the time even at low speed 40 MPH or so. It's Honda style. My mechanic confirmed with me one more time that Honda is pretty much easy on fuel consumption yet it delivers great performance.
Its "thin" transmission is smoother than that of my kid's Accord 2002 V6 EX 200HP. 7th generation Accord is very nice. The HAH's 255 HP is really something that I care about. I paid a little bit expensive when it was first introduced but it's OK. I surely will buy another HAH in a year or a little bit longer if Honda will not introduce another model that suits my needs. I do need another new car in a year or so.
I have never driven it on very long distance trips. But for 32 miles, 80% highway, trips I got 36.5 - 37 MPG easily.
My 10 year old 200K miles Accord I4 still gets 27.5 MPG mixed driving (the EPA is 21 - 28) but it burns oil now so I bought another low mile VTEC engine and transmission to put in. Will drive it around for a year or so and buy another brand new...HAH again (I guess).
Most men are extremely excited when buying new cars and "inhale" the new car "aroma".
My mechanic told me yesterday most men are crazy about cars and...many of them are womanizing while most women are "insane" with shopping. It is my mechanic's point so please do not argue with me.
My old Si Civic had nice seats in it with no problems on trips - and I would expect the Accord seats (in either leather or fabric) to be comfy - but not well bolster for "perfomance driving" :-)
It is wise to ask about these things, since who wants to site in the car at the dealer lot for hours at a time to see how it will be on a trip?
Dennis
Oh yes. The HAH is truely "a Bang for a Buck" (more HP with less fuel consumption and more MPG). It accelerates pretty quick especially when I need to pass some other cars, change/ merge to other lanes, accelerate, etc. Yet it is "ECO" whenever it is able to even when it runs about 40 MPH on city streets. I always love that Honda's economical style on all my Accords. Imagine that my old Accord I4 at 200K miles still got 27.5 - 32 MPG which exceeded its original sticker EPA MPG of 21 - 28. Now, I enjoy it more as a "little loyal pony" to drive around with little fuel consumption with its "new resurrected engine/ transmission".
When I need to drive on long hilly trips at high speed I pretty much appreciate my powerful and fast HAH. As far as I know most owners are very happy with their HAH. I love very much its extremely solid body, 6 airbags, the door-closing sound and the feel when it runs eerily quiet and effortlessly like a feather. The drive is firm. In fact,.it is an "economical sport car" which pretends as an "innocently conservative sedan".
It is very honest when Honda claims the HAH's low end torque is better and its MPG is 29 - 37. The NAVI and stereo system is skillfully integrated and is voice-activated and also manually operated. It's impressive Honda intelligence.
Both are great cars at their price point and I would reccomend either without hesitation.
I love this car. So far I've put in more than 1000 miles--street and highway. The mileage is not what it should be-- but then again, the mpg reading on the dash is giving me an overall average and not, necessarily, the mpg for that moment on the road. That being said, the mpg could very well be close to EPA estimates. Once, I tripped the travel odometer to get a "contextual" reading and I did achieve 35-40 mpg on the highway (45 minutes at 65 mph.) Not bad.
In terms of steering: Yes, it is somewhat sloppy. However, the steering is electric assisted and different from conventional vehicles. I accept the slop in exchange for superior low emissions.
Laura :shades:
I got exactly same like yours with NAVI. Does yours have NAVI? I love my graphyte pearl HAH too.
P.S. Did I mention how fun this car is to drive? :P
HOWEVER, check out the May 2005 HAH review of Consumers Report (pages 46-47)
The consumers report testing clearly stated 18 city/37 highway, 25 mpg overall . Thats significantly less than the Honda numbers. In fact, the Honda lowest number (assuming all city driving) 29mpg is higner by 25% than the consumers OVERALL.
Those are not "Honda numbers". They are EPA mpg numbers, the only ones that automobile manufacturers are permitted to place on their window stickers. The domestic manufacturers have, for many years, resisted efforts to have the EPA testing regimen brought up to date. The EPA has been denied the funding that would have been required for the changes.
The only way for window sticker numbers to reflect reality, will be when vehicles under test will be driven on actual roads or tracks at realistic speeds and operating temperatures, instead of indoors on dynamometers.
Maybe some of the other HAH owners like viet will share their tips for getting higher than 23-25 mpg. Looking at the tactics used by the HAH owners who have reported fuel economy at www.greenhybrid.com may also be helpful.
This is what I'm upset about: My decision to purchase a HAH was strictly a financial one. In an article in Forbes.com (March 14,. 2005) entitled 2005 HONDA ACCORD HYBRID, the author adresses the question: Is it worth it financially to pay the extra 3,290 for the HAH as compared to V-6 EX which is fully loaded and "comes with the same toys you find on the HAH."
He used 34 mpg for the HAH in his computations, and said that you would break even at 100,000 miles(about 3.3 years for me)This article was deceptive in the fact that he failed to mention that these are "EPA" numbers, and are not very realistic, but I believed him.Now I'm finding out the baseline no. for the HOA is more like 25mpg.Thats what most messages on this site indicate.( Incidentally the article was given to me by a Honda salesman,)
The 0-60 on the EX is quite fine with me, but I spent $3290 more than I needed to. Thats what I'm upset about.
Honda Inc. wins loyal customers by its sophisticated, advanced and "accurate" engineering. I have been driving Honda bikes and autos for over 40 years and still love Honda. I am currently having 4 Accords at home including a 2005 HAH. I do get 29 - 37 MPG, sometimes more, on my HAH. One of my Accord LX 92 that I gave to my relative still runs now at over 260K miles. This LX 92 was made in Japan like the HAH. The MPG depends on your driving style and several other factors. If you often drive over 70, 80 MPH or more you will have to sacrifice your MPG a little bit for your "power pleasure" with great torque and terrific speed. My young son's MPG on my HAH is always much less than my MPG because he is only 16 years old but he has a "61 tons" (transposed) right foot on the gas pedal. Sometimes, I let him drive it. I calculate the MPG on every single gas tank when I fill it up.
For all my Honda in the last 20 years I always have achieved a few miles more than the EPA ratings icluding the Accord 95 at 200K miles when I replaced the engine and the transmission. Its MPG was so accurate. It was equal or more than the EPA ratings until its last day when the engine was retired and buried with sorrow and my great appreciating and admiring farewell because it was so smooth until the last second of its life. No complaints whatsoever unless I did understand that it had to go soon to shake hand with the Director of Tobia Funeral Services when it was almost 11 years old and it burned 1 quart of oil for every 600 miles. The old engine was replaced by a newer engine and a newer transmission. Now it runs again, so smooothly. It obviously saves me some big bucks. Its exterior paint is fading outside like a Texan cowboy in his uniform but inside its tires, brakes, shocks...are new to trick the car thieves. I let my wife drives that "little oldest turkey" as a disciplinary action to a person who is not knowledgeable about cars but so lazy to learn it and does not appreciate the Accord power. One of the 2 original brake lamps was just burned out after 11 years. Muffler, starter are still original and working great.
In a year or so when my second son enters college I will have to give up my current HAH to him as promised and I will buy another HAH without hesitation unless Honda invents a better sedan model. Honda has never betrayed me. Trust me, NewHAHOwner. I work with numbers every day. I love to "numerically calculate" every nano-second so Honda cannot fool me if they tries to "blow a big trumpet with its bogus MPG on the HAH".
To sum it up: I love everything be quantified. The real life MPG on my HAH matches with the EPA numbers. Of course, I usually get a little more with my little wiser "driving tricks".
Here is (I think) the Forbes article in question:
http://www.forbes.com/vehicles/2005/03/14/cx_mf_0314test.html
I read it and I noticed that the writer didn't actually say that YOU would get 34 mpg on the HAH. He did use 34 mpg in a hypothetical calculation, though:
Does it make sense to buy the more expensive Honda If you average about 34 mpg for the Hybrid and 24 mpg for the EX (remember, EPA mileage numbers always ratchet higher than real-world driving will get you)? [bold added by me]
and
Bottom line: You'll likely make more on your $3,000 by investing it in Honda's (nyse: HMC - news - people ) stock than you will in the company's Hybrid.
Then again, if that's the type of person you are, you wouldn't want this car in the first place--you'd want the more frugal and sensible $21,000 Prius.
At any rate, you own the car now for better or worse. If you intend to keep it, there are techniques for maximizing fuel economy. Maybe viet will elaborate more on what he does. I know one sure-fire way to improve fuel economy (which viet has said he uses, and I do it too) is to pretend there is a raw egg between your foot and the accelerator. Sounds dumb, but it works. I do that and easily get 20-25% better fuel economy than my wife does. Another trick especially for the HAH is to keep the ECO light on as much as possible. Keep in mind that coasting is doubly helpful on the HAH, because of the regenerative braking; coasting builds up energy in the battery.
If you aren't already doing these things, try them out this week and tell us if there is any difference.
I like to repeat what Backy has said:
- Pretend there are some eggs under your right foot while you drive your HAH. It is not silly at all. That is the realistic trick to save you gas while it is so expensive now.
- Try to have the ECO light ON as much as you can.
I like to add some more:
- Try to keep the speed constantly, no abrupt acceleration, no abrupt braking, etc. Only old guys who have to foot the fuel bills in the family will be frugal and try all means to keep the fuel expenditure down at no avail because their kids act with their own minds while they drive and keep their old poor fathers' credit cards in their wallets which bear their names, of course.
- When your car is old try to keep it in good operating conditions by tuning it up periodically. Keep your eyes on tires pressure. Do not carry to much heavy stuff in your car if you do not need to.
- Keep the HAH's gas pedal firm at stop lights. Do not let the engine ON and OFF, OFF and ON unnecessarily if you do not need to move your car forward and continue your trip. In fact, if the engine ON and OFF, OFF and ON, etc. it will not be a big deal to worry about. Just drive casually and relax. The AUTO STOP saves gas for you at stop lights. And the ECO light ON at 40 MPH or higher even during city trips means saving you gas.
- Plan your trips ahead and avoid peak time traffic.
- On long high way trips the HAH strongly demonstrates it is a real "high way monster" with 3 engines shutting down and save you gas tremendously. Some guys got 41.2 MPG on highway trips.
- FYI, I do not mean to downgrade the Toyota Prius but there were some recent reports that some Prius just quit working on highway. We are going back to the basic old principle:" KISS Keep It Simple Stupids".
- I have entrusted my "driving stamina" to Honda engineers and I have not worried a single bit because even if the IMA fails the HAH still runs with its fuel engine at full 240HP. That is more than enough for me.
- Looking at the engines of the 7th-generation Accords and the HAH makes me satisfied so much. It is the result of professional dedication, true intelligence and superb innovation spirit of Honda engineers.
- Last word: The HAH is for old conservative guys/ gals but also for speed and torque thirsty drivers. Sometimes, when I am in a hurry or so tight with my schedules I press the gas pedal real deep and my HAH's torque does make my smile very satisfactorily when it gives me the feeling that it "flies" on the road effortlessly.
- The bottom line is when you need the power to accelerate your car and drive real fast it is right there under your foot.
> some recent reports that some Prius just quit working on
> highway. We are going back to the basic old principle:" KISS
> Keep It Simple Stupids".
In other words, when an automaker issues a TSB, make sure to actually have it done to your vehicle. No Toyota Prius with the TSBs (there were two) applied have ever reported that problem afterward.
By the way, the "quit working" is incorrect. It was actually "lost power", which meant you could still drive but the car slowed down. The steering & brakes continued to work just fine.
JOHN
You spent a lot more than $3,290 "too much" since you likely could have gotten a DEEP discount on a non hybrid Accord (and likely didn't get much of a discount on the hybrid) and you could have gotten similar real world mileage and saved a lot more if you had purchased the I4 Accord instead. Not nearly the performance, but not much worse real-world fuel numbers for a LOT less money.
If you had checked in here first, folks could have educated you up.
The hybrid would be MY Accord choice - decent mileage coupled with the best sedan Accord performance. That does not mean it is the right one for everyone, and last time I ran the numbers the break even point is WAY past 100k.
Dennis
John, did you review the Prius Software Forum? The cars actually died completely; their electrical systems cut out, and the steering is electrical.
Also, can you confirm that none of the reported errors either failed to add the TSB, or that none were in the lot that was not affected by the TSB? I haven't found any such information yet. It would comfort a lot of people if we could get those URLs posted here...
"Last Friday I took another road trip and made my best mileage so far. 207 miles on 4.8 gallons for a pure highway mpg of 43.125".
SuperC
"I almost didn't believe my first 40+mpg reading, but in warmer weather, highway speeds around 60, no major climbs, I've found that 40+ is very doable. Still, I'm very happy with around 34-36 pretty regularly overall".
Lewis
I just washed my HAH an hour ago. The engine looked so marvelous and well organized under the light-weight aluminum hood. The alloy wheels looked bold and lasting. It took me an hour and a half to do "a quick wash" cleaning in and out. I have been "babysitting" my HAH for almost half a year without driving much on highway. I get about 29 - 30 MPG mixed driving at 60 - 70 MPH.
Viet
Besides, who REALLY wants to drive that way.
I like your comment that you are in a hurry you mash and go :-) Now THAT is my kind of driving...
If you want to putt around and max mile it, you certainly don't need an Accord hybrid to do that. In fact, you should be better off (and pay less) to get a Prius or an Insight. Now if you want to mash and go AND get decent mileage while doing it then the Accord Hybrid is just the ticket. If you want to putt some and mash and go when you want, then the Accord Hybrid is a pretty good choice for that too.
Dennis
Actually, i'd be upset too. My 8 year old 3-series will go 0-60 in 6.5 and get the fuel economy he's reporting. My city/highwy mix usually nets me 24-25MPG.
dave
I get very satisfying and relaxed experience to drive my HAH when my CD system is playing my favorite CDs. That is Heaven to me to enjoy myself and forget for a while about work, nagging people and some other challenges in life.
Honda Inc. recently solicited my opinions on their new Hybrid design, style, pricing, etc. Honda knows for sure I am going to buy another Honda Hybrid soon to enrich my line of Accords. That was probably the reason they asked me so many complex questions for their next hybrid design. I am willing to pay big bucks to buy good products with great values. You have every rights to trust me Honda Inc.'s CEO, CFO, CIO, Vice President in charge of Manufacturing, etc. Long live Honda Inc., King of Car Makers.
I may be inferior to Dennis, Backy, Excel and many other guys in this forum in automotive technology because I do not have much time left to take college course in automotive engineering. But I am sure am a very good driver and a great buyer with my sufficient research, references and experience before I make my decision to buy a new car or to "resurrect my favorite cars" with minimum cost. In fact, my knowledge about cars is OK to me not to make stupid mistakes by buying lemons (nice flashy biggy metal boxes which cover inferior engines).
Honda Accord hybrid is really one of a kind. My wife "complained" to my in-law that my HAH was expensive as a baby Mercedes. It is so true. But, the technology, HP, features and etc. are much more valuable than those in the baby Mercedes that my nephew just bought one. It has less than 200 HP, less airbags.... As a single young guy he may need that Mercedes to flirt around to win some girl friends. I dont and I paid more serious consideration to technicalities, feature, comfort, durability, reliability, pricing, track records, etc.
I have been very happy with my HAH and will be willing to create another good justified reason to buy another one as soon as I should. Seems like I have been working only to buy Honda. I enjoy very much my "reborn 95 Accord EX, new engine/ transmission" as same as I am crazy with my HAH 05.
Following is the testimony from another happy HAH owner who got a very good MPG:
"I drive the NYS thruway about 70 miles to work each day at exactly 65MPH.
Lately I've been getting 40.+ each way. Even when bucking a head wind, I can
still get 38.+mpg.:shade: Up hills I just tap the cruise control down 1 tap at a time to keep the eco lite on and then return to speed when I'm over the top. Best trip so far....42.6 mpg...with a tail wind".
Hans
No one here is inferior. All opinions are appreciated at least by most of us. When you talked to Honda did you tell them the dealers were adding to the MSRP? Maybe you can get a your 2nd HAH at invoice price. That would be a good deal. Keep us posted on your mileage and driving experiences.
Actually, based on reports here and elsewhere it appears the HAH can be had for below invoice in at least some parts of the country. Viet, they should give you a big discount for all the Hondas you help to sell with your unwavering support.
This is true, everyone is entitled to his or her opinion. I think the Accord hybrid is a nice car for the right person. I think the problem is that some of the "wrong" folks are getting it - they don't know what to expect (much worse than EPA mileage, for example) if they drive it like they normally would drive. Prius has the same "problem" - folks buy then and drive like normal and get Tercel like numbers but paid a premium price.
Hey, I used to have a 330i so I can comment on that as well. A nice car, very expensive, runs great for a (then) 225hp car, with sports pack stops and handles much better than any Accord. I think I got around 20-21mpg commuting to work. Available with a manual transmission. No real comparison design or price-wise with an Accord - other than it was as quick/quicker and would not be a lot worse on mileage than some Accords (if driven in a spirited manner) - but requires premium gas. Using premium means an effective reduction of up to 10% in the MPG (based on how much extra premium costs and the current price of regular). If you offered me a new 330i or a new Accord hybrid for the same price (what I could get the hybrid for now) I would take the 330i and the heck with the fuel economy. The the price difference for a 330i with leather, sports, luxury, NAV, etc is a TON more money there is not much other reason to compare them.
Hopefully the car will be available for discounts everywhere soon - and Honda will put the moonroof and spare in it for 2006.
Dennis
Latest reports from today newspapers and NHTSA: 33 cases of Prius completely died on highway and had to be towed away.
Please don't twist the facts.
Those Prius continued to drive without the engine, using just the electric motor. And when they pulled off the road, some were able to restart the engine without needing to be towed.
And in all fairness, you should mention that there were updates already available which those owners did not have yet.
JOHN
http://www.cnn.com/2005/AUTOS/06/01/toyota_prius/
http://money.cnn.com/2005/05/16/Autos/prius_computer/
The Honda Accord Hybrid does not seem to be having any software problems.
Actually you are twisting the facts. In those 33 documented cases, they Prius did have to be towed off. I don't think he was referring to the hundreds if not thousands of cases where a minor software glitch allowed then to pull off the road and then restrat and continue on.
If you will look at the real facts both Toyota and the NHTSA have opened an investigation as to the cause. Search the Prius, Honda andother hybrid threads and you can read the exact information youself.
I hope you are still enjoying your second Prius. I noticed you have come back to the Edmund's board after a year or so haitus; Welcome back.
Cruis'n in 6th :shades: ,
MidCow
P.S.- Toyed with the indae of getting a Prius but couldn't handle the lack of muanual shift and the slow acceleration , so I ended up with a 2005 Accord Coupe 6-speed with NAV: very good mileage, good comfort features, low cost of ownership and great acceleration,
I think the answer is somewhere in between. In several of the cases, it was only the ICE that quit (giving about 2 miles of range before the battery depelted and the car was a goner). I most of the cases, as reported, the entire car died (warning lights lit up and nothing worked either electrical or ICE).
However, I don't think that the number of incidents is in the "hundreds" or "thousands". The total number is most likely under 100.
The HAH is less vulnerable to this sort of problem because the IMA design is not as sophisticated (or complex) as the Prius. If the electrical motor has problems, the car just runs on ICE alone. This is in contrast to the Prius, where the electric motor is always running.