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.
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.