Here’s the formula for the Honda Accord Hybrid: take the second
best-selling car in the country, offer it with as many luxury features
as possible, and soup it up to make it faster than any other family
sedan on the market. If this formula works, the Honda Accord Hybrid
could be the car that helps hybrids break through to the mainstream.
Honda has set the modest goal of selling 20,000 Accord Hybrids in
2005—but the first year would just crack the door open for
much higher numbers in the following year.
> Read about the experiences of a hybrid driver
who switched from the Civic to the Accord hybrid.
Early reviews are showing that Honda has indeed produced a fast
machine. David Welch of BusinessWeek, writes about his test drive
of the Accord Hybrid:
“I look left to watch for oncoming traffic.
Seeing a clear lane, I punch the accelerator of Honda’s
new Accord gasoline-electric hybrid sedan. The front tires respond
with an obtrusive squeal, and the car bursts out onto the main
road. Yea, this car—an environmentally friend and fuel-efficient
hybrid—really did burn a little rubber.”
Ward’s Auto World calls the Accord a “power
sell.” Other reviewers, such as Mark Phelan of the Detroit
Free Press, question if the strategy will work. Phelan says, “It
remains to be seen how many buyers will think excellent fuel economy
and a small increase in power from a conventional V6 Accord's
240 horsepower justify a price tag likely to be more than $30,000.”
The electric motor-gas engine combo adds up to 255 horsepower
while promising 30 mpg in the city and 37 mpg on the highway.
Whether or not consumers go for it (and I think
they will), the main point is that “hybrid” will be
an option for Accord shoppers. As Frank Giovinazzi, the web editor
for American International Automobile Dealers Association wrote
in a recent email to hybridcars.com after he took the Accord Hybrid
for a test drive:
"As someone who writes about all kinds of things
in the auto realm, I don’t have as much technical knowledge
of the hybrid system as many aficionados—which is why I
write about the car simply as an Accord with a hybrid option.
Let’s face it—that’s how 99% of the people who
buy this Accord are going to think of it. As an Accord with an
engine that gives them better performance and better gas mileage
than one of their standard V-6s.”
The Comparison
Compared to the conventional Accord, the hybrid
version will be 400 pounds heavier, 14 inches longer, and offer
a 15 horsepower boost. At the same time, the Hybrid Accord offers
a 9 city-mpg gain over the gas engine version.
And how does the Accord stack up against the
Prius? Honda spokeswoman Sara Pines says the Accord Hybrid will
not compete with buyers looking at the Prius or the Escape. But
I think many buyers will be tempted to at least do a cursory comparison
of the Accord and Prius. I worked up these comps:
| |
Prius |
Accord |
| Price |
Mid-$20s (after loading up) |
$30,000 (comes loaded) |
| MPG |
60/55 |
30/37 |
| Engine |
1.5L 4 cylinder |
3L V6 |
| Speed (0-60) |
10 seconds |
6.5 seconds |
One Technical Note
The Accord Hybrid is the first hybrid vehicle to utilize Honda’s
Variable Cylinder Management technology. Developed by Honda, VCM
allows for the deactivation of three of the engine's six cylinders
under certain conditions—such as highway cruising—to
deliver even greater fuel efficiency with no sacrifice in performance.
This is not a reincarnation of the disastrous V-8-6-4 GM from
the 1980s—but it’s essentially the same idea improved
upon by modern electronic controls and computer systems. Cylinder
deactivation could become one more arrow in the hybrid quiver.
