A year and 20K with the Accord Hybrid

Originally Posted by CKN
New fangled tech-not acceptable on BITOG.


For a lot of members this is true, silly as that might be.
Also, this tech is not really that new.
 
Originally Posted by fdcg27
Originally Posted by CKN
New fangled tech-not acceptable on BITOG.


For a lot of members this is true, silly as that might be.
Also, this tech is not really that new.



I agree.
 
I also have a 2018 Accord EX hybrid. From my experience your comments were spot-on.

While not exactly a no-brainer, the incremental cost of the hybrid over the 1.5T was not a serious consideration for me. The great efficiency, I am currently at 48.6 mpg average, will eventually negate the price differential. I even get a discount on my car insurance for owning a hybrid.

When I was evaluating a new car purchase in 2018, I narrowed my choice to the Accord and Camry hybrids. While the Camry is an excellent vehicle, the steeper incremental cost for the hybrid and lack of Apple Car Play were deciding factors in favor of the Accord.

I have had a couple of minor clichés with the Honda Sensing system, but overall very pleased with my purchase.
 
Turn off the lane keeping assist, which is annoying.
The autobrake function seems to work well and rarely gives false alarms, although you can shut it off as well if you wish. I left this active in my car.
The adaptive cruise control seems to work very well and very transparently.
You can enable active lane keeping and the adaptive cruise control and play autopilot for a while, although if you do this you'll also quickly see how easy it would be for the car to make a sudden lurch toward the wall, as has happened with some examples of Fremont's foremost maker of EVs.
 
Is HGMO 0w20 a full syn or syn-blend? I know the MC 0w20 is a syn-blend and was developed for the Ford CMax. Also what color is it?
 
Originally Posted by SatinSilver
Is HGMO 0w20 a full syn or syn-blend? I know the MC 0w20 is a syn-blend and was developed for the Ford CMax. Also what color is it?


The oil I'm using is a full syn although Honda also offers a syn blend under their brand.
The oil is a light straw in color going in, although I'm not sure why anyone would care.
 
Originally Posted by SatinSilver
Is HGMO 0w20 a full syn or syn-blend? I know the MC 0w20 is a syn-blend and was developed for the Ford CMax. Also what color is it?


My Honda dealer states that the HCMO 0w20 is a full syn. It is so clear that it is almost impossible to see on the dipstick when it is just changed.
 
What is the life expectancy/replacement cost of a new hybrid battery pack?
I looked online and there are some pretty outrageous prices. One site said $14,400 for the late model Accord's Lithium battery pack. I'd guess they simply looked up the part number and list price. The 8 year, 100K mile warranty ensures most owners don't have to worry for quite some time.

However, it's good to know that battery cell price has plummeted, and there are various shops performing repairs and making replacements for older models. I expect the newer crop of Hybrids will be no different.

What we are seeing is aftermarket packs for older hybrids that are now below $2000.

Thinking aloud about lifespan, it really depends on how Honda manages the pack. Assuming they do the right things and cycle the pack in the middle of it's charge range, I'd expect a quality Lithium pack to far outlast the previous generation of NiMh cells.

For those who don't know, the cells are Yuasa's Blue Energy's EHW5 or EH5 or similar variants. They are the best of the best and are optimized for EV/hybrid use, they are not anywhere near as energy dense as competitive cells. Instead, they are designed for long life. They are rated at 50,000 cycles and more than 10 years.

These cells have been around long enough now at 8 years, and seem not to fail. They even accept complete discharge to 0V and recover!

img_gs_171101592310.jpeg
 
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How is the MPG on the highway in the Accord hybrid? My preliminary comparisons to Camry Hybrid yield that the Accord's MPG suffers quite a bit at speeds above 70mph. Camry supposedly does much better at those speeds.

On the other hand Fuelly has these two quite close, but the Camry does edge out the Accord a little bit.
 
How is the MPG on the highway in the Accord hybrid? My preliminary comparisons to Camry Hybrid yield that the Accord's MPG suffers quite a bit at speeds above 70mph.
While both the Accord and Camry hybrids are rated near or around 50MPG highway, one really has to take it easy to achieve the rated highway MPG in these cars. At least around here in the area just above South Florida, traffic moves at over 80 and sometimes over 90. In fact, rated MPG would require holding traffic up, even in the right lane.

I've driven all the hybrids on my normal PBI-SAV trip (800 mile round trip) and neither will achieve more than 40MPG at those speeds. In fact, the Accord hybrid, Camry hybrid and Fusion hybrid all do similarly at speed, with the Fusion being a MPG behind. The prius will achieve 45 and every once in a while 48 on the highway. Saving just over 2 gal on the trip.

I'm not sure it matters much either, as it amounts to about $30 gas savings per year if MPG drops from 45 to 40, if one drives 12,000 miles.

In this class of car, simply purchase the one you like the best.
 
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