Six months and 10K with an Accord Hybrid

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Last week, the Accord hit 10K. I changed the FF with the MM remaining at 20%. 10K on the factory fill, or any other fill is probably plenty. The oil change was easy with no need to remove anything underneath to get at the filter and drain plug. The car went up my lower pair of Rhinos without any clearance problems. The only problem I had was in getting the engine to run after the change since it was a pleasantly warm day and I typically arrive home from work with a full battery after the last couple of downhill miles. I had to take it out and drive it some just to get the engine to run so that I could check for leaks.
The raison d'etre of a hybrid is of course green, both in terms of whatever environmental benefits result from reduced fuel use as well as the benefits of keeping more green in one's wallet. The Accord delivers this in spades. As of the last fill, today, at 10,377 miles, the car has consumed 238.3 gallons, for an average of a rounded 43.6 mpg. The car went into service in October, so this includes an entire winter of use. With warmer temperatures and lower RVP fuel, consumption is much lower. On the last tank, the car went 624 miles on 12.9 gallons, or about 48.4 mpg and this included about half interstate driving. I've had two tanks below 40 mpg, one at 37.4 and the other at 39.1, both in the depths of winter and involving interstate drives in single digit temperatures. I do see a lot more miles in EV mode in warmer conditions. The high voltage battery pack starts the engine without hesitation on below zero mornings when the car has been left outside.
This Accord is comfortable and quiet on the road. The seats are comfortable and ride is well controlled if firm. Handling is good and cornering is better than what I saw with our Gen 8. The OEM LRR Michelins were okay in snow and slush and do well in the rain. The adaptive cruise control works well and the active lane keeping also does, although I've shut lane keeping assist off because it's simply too annoying in daily use. I've left the brake assist on because it's normally not intrusive and might someday save the day.
Power is ample. If you really leg it, things get pretty noisy with the two liter reaching immediately for its 6K power peak, but acceleration is strong. This thing will leave any other four cylinder hybrid for dead, as well as most other mainstream cars. Part of the appeal of a hybrid is the instant acceleration the electric motor provides.
This car also has a very simple hybrid set-up, with no transmission at all. Honda had the wit to figure out that no multi range gearbox was needed with an electric motor in play, so they didn't include one. In another thread, I called Toyota's hybrid system a Rube Goldberg assembly, and compared to the simplicity of Honda's, it is. That the Accord Hybrid is both more economical of fuel and much quicker than the Camry Hybrid demonstrates this. You'd also pay quite a bit more for a Camry Hybrid and the words "handling" and "cornering" are rarely used in connection with the name "Camry".
I'm very pleased with this car overall. It does what Honda says it will do in terms of fuel economy and this operating economy comes at a very reasonable price premium over a 1.5T Accord.
Anyone who does a lot of miles should seriously consider one of these cars. This is our ninth Honda and despite all of the talk about Honda not building cars as good as those they once did, we've seen zero issues with this one, just like out Gen 8.
For the record, my all-time favorite Hondas were our '86 Civic Wagon and our '99 Accord LX 5 spd sedan.
 
I have a coworker that has a 2017 hybrid Accord and she raves about it. I've ridden in it a couple of times and am in agreement with your assessment. The interior is quiet and comfortable. Another coworker's wife has a 2018 and is also in love with hers. Looks like the Accord hybrid is pretty legit.
 
I've always been a Honda fan...purchased a 1999 Accord LX years ago new...drove the thing to 287,000 miles before I finally sold it. Thing still ran although it was beginning to hestitiate and stall at stop lights and I did put some repairs in to get it that far (although original tranny and engine four cylinder Vtec).

I love the look of the new Accord - and I realize I'm in the minority - but I just like the aggressiveness of the styling, it looks a little bit like an Audi upfront and the rear end looks wide. I don't see many of them on the road right now, not sure how their sales are against the new Camry, but I seem to see a lot more new Camry's driving around.

The 2018 hybrid Accord looks like an amazing option for a person that will put 30,000 plus miles a year on a car...looks nice, doesn't have that hybrid look to it, and the interior looks fantastic. From what I've read they don't give great performance, but your testimony is different. Either way, as long as it doesn't look or drive like a Prius, I think it's a major win.
 
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Excellent writeup and overview. I wouldn't mind getting one of those in the future as you stated if you drive a lot of miles they are really nice and economical to drive. I would have to believe since it's a Honda it should last a long time. I personally like Honda's too and feel their reliability is much better then most vehicles.
 
If Honda put this drive train in the CR-V they would have a runaway hit. There is a waiting list for the new RAV4 Hybrid.
 
I have an 2018 EX hybrid with just 7,000 miles on it. I had the dealer change out the factory fill and filter at 5,000 miles. At some point-in-time, I will do my own oil changes. I am intrigued by your comment that no panels have to be removed to do the change. The owners manual does not portray the procedure that way.

I echo most of your comments. The car is a technological tour de force. It is also a most comfortable highway cruiser.

The weather in my neck of the woods has finally warmed-up. On my current tank of gas I am averaging 49.7 mpg. Given the mpg gain, the price differential between the "regular" Accord and the hybrid made the choice of the hybrid almost a no brainer.

I did have a gremlin with some of the electronics. The dealer traced it down to a loose connection in the divers door. After spending five hours at the dealer for the "fix", I had a conversation with American Honda since most of the problems impacted safety related features. To Honda's credit, they extended my factory warranty to eight years / 120,000 miles at no cost to me. In my opinion, outstanding customer care.

Incidentally, the third Accord that I have owned.
 
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Originally Posted by wag123
If Honda put this drive train in the CR-V they would have a runaway hit. There is a waiting list for the new RAV4 Hybrid.


FWIU, Honda does offer this combo in other markets.
I agree that this would be a good fit for the CRV here.
 
Originally Posted by fdcg27
This car also has a very simple hybrid set-up, with no transmission at all..
Almost true. ..... The Accord has a clutch,and several gear meshes, not quite as much as a Toyota-Ford-GM planetary gearset has, yet coupling gears to the generator and clutch drive path does involve friction. My Ford C-Max (Fusion) and most Toyota hybrids don't have a clutch to go wrong. All have 2 electric motors and/or generators, the same.
[Linked Image]


The Honda Accord set-up is hampered by being forced to operate as a less efficient Series Hybrid only below about 45 mph, the very driving regime that normally produces stellar MPG (50+) in Toyota-Ford-GM planetary gearset series-parallel schemes. That may be the reason why fdcg27's Accord gets a mediocre 43 MPG, similar to my 44 MPG Ford C-Max average, and the Accord even has better aero & weighs 200 lbs less than a C-Max.

The era of the "car with a trunk" is yesterday. ... CUVs sell better. The Accord also lacks AWD, another no-no these days.
The 2019 Rav4 AWD Hybrid offers MPG nearly as high as a Fusion Hybrid, or Accord, with AWD and a CUV shape people will buy.
 
On the new RAV4 Hybrid AWD, the rear wheels are driven by a dedicated 54hp electric motor and aren't mechanically connected to the gas engine.
 
Interesting review regarding the handling. The majority of reviews I've come across seem to think that the handling on the Camry is better. I sat in an Accord Touring Hybrid. Very nice car.
 
Originally Posted by oil_film_movies
Originally Posted by fdcg27
This car also has a very simple hybrid set-up, with no transmission at all..
Almost true. ..... The Accord has a clutch,and several gear meshes, not quite as much as a Toyota-Ford-GM planetary gearset has, yet coupling gears to the generator and clutch drive path does involve friction. My Ford C-Max (Fusion) and most Toyota hybrids don't have a clutch to go wrong. All have 2 electric motors and/or generators, the same.
[Linked Image]


The Honda Accord set-up is hampered by being forced to operate as a less efficient Series Hybrid only below about 45 mph, the very driving regime that normally produces stellar MPG (50+) in Toyota-Ford-GM planetary gearset series-parallel schemes. That may be the reason why fdcg27's Accord gets a mediocre 43 MPG, similar to my 44 MPG Ford C-Max average, and the Accord even has better aero & weighs 200 lbs less than a C-Max.

The era of the "car with a trunk" is yesterday. ... CUVs sell better. The Accord also lacks AWD, another no-no these days.
The 2019 Rav4 AWD Hybrid offers MPG nearly as high as a Fusion Hybrid, or Accord, with AWD and a CUV shape people will buy.


While I am aware of the compromises inherent in the Honda hybrid system, I can tell you that in local driving, the car will indeed do 50 mpg. When we set off on our interstate trip yesterday, the tank average was an indicated 49.1 mpg which does translate to 50 mpg since I've found the car's indicated fuel economy to be around 2-3% pessimistic.
WRT real world results, I found the following on fuelly.com for 2018 MY hybrid vehicles:

Accord 42.0 mpg
Camry 43.3 mpg
C-Max 41.2 mpg
Fusion 39.5 mpg

So yes, Toyota's system does look better real-world than Honda's, by about 3%, while the Accord does better than either Ford. The incremental fuel efficiency of the Camry may also be no more than an artifact of Toyota's use of a DI engine, which Honda avoided with their hybrid.

WRT body style, a lot of women like the higher ride height of CUVs. My wife does, which is why we bought one for her. The Forester also brings some real talents to the table, like the soft long-travel suspension that provide a smooth ride over the cratered interstate commute she does as well as class-leading AWD and fuel economy. You'd need to check fuelly for the latter.
I personally like a sedan, which is the reason that we have one for my use and for most of our travels. This is strictly a matter of personal taste and to say that a three box design is yesterday is simply silly.
 
Originally Posted by fdcg27
So yes, Toyota's system does look better real-world than Honda's, by about 3%, while the Accord does better than either Ford. The incremental fuel efficiency of the Camry may also be no more than an artifact of Toyota's use of a DI engine, which Honda avoided with their hybrid.

The new Camrys use both port and direct injection systems in conjunction with a higher compression ratio.
 
Originally Posted by fdcg27
WRT real world results, I found the following on fuelly.com for 2018 MY hybrid vehicles:
Accord 42.0 mpg
Camry 43.3 mpg
C-Max 41.2 mpg
Fusion 39.5 mpg

That list spans $80 worth of gasoline per year (12k miles, $3/gal) diff, from worst (fusion) to best (camry). I'd say all are about a tie, thats not much diff total.
I'm surprised the newer Accord doesn't really spank the C-Max more, since the Accord is lighter and more aero.

Accord is the best choice, despite being limited to Series Hybrid mode below 45 mph. Mostly due to its driving dynamics, as it doesn't represent a leap in MPG performance at all.
Price? '19 Fusion Hyb and '19 Accord Hyb are identically priced (cheapest trim compared) according to TrueCar.com.
Clear winner is Accord for the average $24,800 transaction price.
 
I much prefer driving the Accord. Rental Camrys are noisy at speed due to nearly zero insulation.

It is true, the current Camry handles well.
 
Originally Posted by oil_film_movies
Originally Posted by fdcg27
WRT real world results, I found the following on fuelly.com for 2018 MY hybrid vehicles:
Accord 42.0 mpg
Camry 43.3 mpg
C-Max 41.2 mpg
Fusion 39.5 mpg

That list spans $80 worth of gasoline per year (12k miles, $3/gal) diff, from worst (fusion) to best (camry). I'd say all are about a tie, thats not much diff total.
I'm surprised the newer Accord doesn't really spank the C-Max more, since the Accord is lighter and more aero.

Accord is the best choice, despite being limited to Series Hybrid mode below 45 mph. Mostly due to its driving dynamics, as it doesn't represent a leap in MPG performance at all.
Price? '19 Fusion Hyb and '19 Accord Hyb are identically priced (cheapest trim compared) according to TrueCar.com.
Clear winner is Accord for the average $24,800 transaction price.


I paid more than a grand less than that.
Also, if you look at the EPA numbers, the Accord beats the Camry by about 2% and neither Ford is really in the hunt.
When I posted actual fuel economy, that consisted of mostly cold weather and higher RVP fuel with many warmups in the driveway, since I'm not driving off in a car otherwise on a below 10F or so morning, much less one below 0F. I will brush the snow off but am not about to scrape windows or mirrors when the car can do that for me. This is my daily driver for my fifty mile a day commute as well as our road and weekend car.
With warmer weather and lower RVP fuel, the 48.3 mpg I saw on the last tank is an example of what this car is capable of.
As I noted above, I've been very pleased with it. When 43 mpg average seems mediocre, you've really entered into a new realm of fuel economy for any car with 110 cubic feet of interior space.
 
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