2006 Honda Accord Hybrid: Still a Mixed Bag
by Michael Graham Richard, Gatineau, Canada on 03.19.06
We admit it, we're not the biggest fans of the Honda Accord hybrid. Of course, there's the fact that it's a car and not an electric bicycle, but strangely Honda engineers won't return our calls on that one. As for the Accord as a car, we always though that Honda's experiment with the "muscle hybrid" wasn't completely satisfying. The tailpipe emissions were not cleaner than many other modern cars (2005 model: ULEV-2/Tier-2 bin5) and the fuel economy was okay, but real-life results didn't seem to show a big improvement over the much cheaper 4-cylinder model (at least it does better than the hybrid SUVs). For 2006, Honda smartly improved emissions to AT-PZEV (Advanced Technology, Partial Zero-Emissions Vehicle), but the EPA fuel economy rating decreases from 29/37 city/highway miles per gallon (mpg) in 2005 to 25/34 city/highway mpg in the 2006 model. In comparison, the 2006 Honda Accord 4-cylinder is rated at 26/34 and the V6 gets 21/30 mpg (though the emissions are not as clean as on the hybrid).
When looking at the upcoming Toyota Camry hybrid, which will also be rated AT-PZEV but with 43 mpg city/37 mpg highway despite it's 192 horsepower engine (about as much as the 2005 Camry V6), we can't help but hope that Honda will re-consider some of its engineering decisions when designing the next version of the Accord hybrid. Via ::Honda Accord Hybrid for 2006: Improved Emissions Performance, Reduced Fuel Economy.
Update: ::Honda May Cut Accord Hybrid Production.
See also: ::Hybrids: More Mechanical Trouble? Really?, ::Information About Honda's 2006 Civic Hybrid, ::Update on the 2006 Honda Civic Hybrid, ::2006 Honda Civic Hybrid Reviewed by... Gizmodo?!
Wow, so it's not only heavier than the standard model, but uses more gas? Nice.
"Wow, so it's not only heavier than the standard model, but uses more gas? Nice."
It acutally uses a little less gas than the four cylinder (since one doesn't compare a 5 speed with an automatic), yet weighs more and has substantially more horsepower (since it's a V6).
Some people would consider that a good thing.
The honest comparison is between cars of similar engine power and transmissions, not between one with 166 HP and a 5 speed and one with 253 HP and an automatic.
The Accord hybrid has 5-speed automatic, so its not as bad as the most frequent 4-speed. But even if you compared to the Accord automatic, there's not a big difference.
As for the Accord hybrid, my disappointment with it is not as a powerful well-designed car. It is with it as a fairly expensive supposedly "green" car.
Even compared to the V6, the gains aren't that impressive (25/34 vs. 21/30 mpg) and until this year the emissions were the same.
Compared to the I-4, you basically pay a lot of money for more power and better emissions. That's not *bad*, but I would rather see more of that money go to improving efficiency instead of furthering the ridiculous horsepower arms race. But hey, that's just my opinion.
The fuel economy decrease could be attributed to the new standards being used in the US. It markedly decreases the EPA estimated mileage as it takes standard use, A/C, etc into consideration.
Adam, the "new" EPA standards are still on the drawing board. That's not the reason.
"While the '05 model was rated at 30city/37 highway, the revised-for-'06 model carries a less impressive 25/34mpg figure.
How did that happen?
Well, if you read the earlier press release on the '06 Accord Hybrid's pricing, you may have noticed that this year's model has been enhanced with the addition of a moonroof and a compact spare tire (vs a can of Fix-A-Flat, a glove, and a small 12V compressor that the '05 model shipped with). These two items and a few minor detail changes resulted in an increase in curb weight of 88lbs (up to 3589 lbs from 3501 lbs). Guess what? According to a font of knowledge over at American Honda with whom I spoke earlier today, this weight gain pushed the Accord into another EPA class, which means it had to be retested using a different set of EPA laboratory test parameters. The result is a noticeable ding in the mileage figures posted on the window sticker, but fear not, real world mileage figures will likely be very similar between the '05 and '06 models. "
http://www.vtec.net/news/news-item?news_item_id=490336
I guess the real question is; is the new EPA mpg figure closer to real-world results than the previous one? According to Greenhybrid.com, it would seem so.
At least this accord and the new lexus muscle hybrid is pushing the hybrid technology cost down and trying to mainstream it.
I am a car enthusiast and hopefully a future car designer, and I recognize that horse power sells, whether you need it or not. I would love having the power of a V8 and would feel less guilty about it if it lowered emissions and got better milage. But if I had it my way, I would build my muscle hybrid concept, which leans more toward being a pure EV:
http://phrancis.com/thesis/CataHome.html
They need to publish the pollution/emssions rate of vehicles the same way they do mgp. I guess some people don't think the earth is worth saving. Maybe their right.
"While the '05 model was rated at 30city/37 highway..."
I have a 2005 Accord Hybrid V6 (bought used in 2006 with 36k miles on it). We have driven it about 26k miles in the last year and have consistently gotten around 24 mpg. Although we LOVE the pickup, we are concerned that we were sold a lemon as far as the proper functioning of the hybrid engine. Although it's used mostly for highway driving, we should still be getting closer to 30, right?
Does anyone think it sounds like there is something wrong, here??? We are very frustrated and would appreciate any advice!!!! Thanks!
Beth, I suspect that driving style could be what is making a difference..
Lots of short trip too, maybe? Cold engines are less efficient in all cars (not just hybrids).
Do a google search on "hypermiling" and use the tips that you are comfortable with.
Good luck!