Despite the ever-growing number of hybrid electric models available in the U.S. market, the share of these dual powered vehicles has remained stubbornly flat, at least in part due to relatively low fuel prices. Despite only accounting for about 2% of total sales, Honda is expanding availability of electrified propulsion in its vehicles with more options to come in the near future. With the new Civic-based Insight just starting to hit American Honda dealers, the brand’s currently best selling hybrid remains the midsize Accord which I just took on a road trip to northern Michigan.
Now powered by Honda’s third-generation two-motor hybrid system, the permanent magnet motors contain no rare-earth metals, which is claimed to be an industry first. Like other hybrids, the Accord’s drive unit is paired with a 2.0-liter Atkinson cycle four-cylinder engine that now has 40% thermodynamic efficiency. Thermodynamic efficiency is a measure of how much of the chemical energy in each gallon of gas is actually converted to mechanical energy to drive the car. Most internal combustion gas engines are in the 25-30% range with the rest of the energy being thrown off as heat or overcoming friction and pumping losses.
As in the new Insight, the lithium ion battery pack is integrated with the battery management system and power electronics and packaged under the rear seat. As a result, the cargo volume remains unmolested from the conventional variants at 16.7 cubic feet and it’s very usefully shaped so it could easily carry at least half a dozen carry-on bags plus extra family detritus. Locating the battery under the rear seat also leaves the pass-through with the rear seats folded down at its original size, rather than the narrow slot that’s left in many other hybrid mid-size sedans.
Aside from the instrument cluster display that replaces the tachometer with an energy gauge, the rest of the cabin is effectively unchanged compared to the gas-only models. The same is true of the exterior where only the hybrid badges on the fenders and trunk lid give a hint as to what provides motive force. I’m partial to the fastback profile of the newest Accord, but some that prefer a more traditional sedan might not agree. The bold face and sculpted sides give the car a muscular, athletic appearance that also looks more premium.
The hybrid is available in base, EX, EX-L and Touring trim levels. Unlike the 2.0-liter turbo Touring, the hybrid Touring retains the same 17-inch alloy wheels and tires as the lesser models. In recent years, Honda has had some of the best support in the industry for smartphone users. An NFC tag embedded in the dashboard enables ridiculously easy bluetooth pairing of Android phones by just tapping the phone on the logo. Apple users still have to pair the old fashioned way through the menus since Apple restricts NFC use to Apple Pay.
Honda vehicles also support both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Again Android users have a distinct advantage because Honda can mirror navigation prompts from Google Maps and Waze in the instrument cluster as well as the heads up display that is part of the Touring package. iPhone users will have to glance over at the center screen to see the map display.
Another helpful feature in the Accord is smartphone projection support in both of the front USB ports, one in the bin below the center stack which also has a Qi wireless charging pad and the other in the bin under the center armrest. In most vehicles only port supports CarPlay/Android Auto. This means that two phones can be plugged in and you can switch between which one projects to the screen through the menu, something that can be very handy when your wife doesn’t want to listen to your technology podcasts. While this feature is handy, the software in the Accord infotainment system seemed a bit buggy and occasionally refused to recognize that any phone was connected. My friend Rebecca Lindland, who also happened to be driving an Accord the same week to the same event was also experiencing similar behavior with a single phone in her car. Honda has been alerted and the system does have support for over-the-air updates of the infotainment system so it should get addressed eventually.
Actually driving the Accord hybrid was a very pleasant experience. The powertrain is exceptionally quiet so even if the power-split hybrid with its e-CVT functionality was keeping the engine at constant speed during acceleration, it wasn’t really noticeable. With 181-hp and 232 lb-ft of torque, the hybrid has plenty of gusto for any normal driving conditions and switching the drive mode from Eco or Comfort to Sport adds some extra responsiveness to its programming. Either way, merging into freeway traffic wasn’t an issue.
The latest Accord platform provides an excellent combination of driving dynamics and ride comfort. The car glides through all manner of corners on rural roads in northern Michigan with complete composure and a level body. Ultimate grip on the low-rolling resistance 17-inch tires isn’t going to match what you get on the 19s mounted on a Sport or gas Touring model, but they are commendably quiet.
All 2018 Accords come standard with radar-based adaptive cruise control (ACC) and a surprisingly capable lane keeping assist system. Personally I find ACC to be probably the single best feature addition added to cars in the past two decades when it comes to long road trips. The camera used for the lane keeping also reads traffic signs and displays local speed limits on the map and in the instrument cluster. As mentioned, the Touring also adds a color heads up display that can show multiple pages including power-flow and navigation along with a blindspot monitor system.
One of the main reasons for purchasing a hybrid over a conventional model is the fuel efficiency and in this regard, the Accord was excellent. While the official EPA ratings are 47 mpg city, highway and combined, I averaged 41 mpg over about 700 miles. Most of those were highway miles with no particular effort to drive especially efficiently and the air conditioning and ventilated seats on most of the time.
The latest Accord hybrid is the first built in the U.S. with its complete powertrain made here as well. The hybrid drive unit, engine and final assembly all happen in Ohio. The base Accord Hybrid starts at just under $26,000 while the loaded Touring I drove comes to $35,600. On the off-chance that the inexplicable allure of crossovers and SUVs still hasn’t captured your heart and you still want a very fuel efficient midsize sedan, the Accord hybrid is definitely worth a serious look.
As a non-plug-in it also doesn't require any of the lifestyle adjustments that a battery electric car might demand such as planning for where to get a charge during your road trips. For those that want something just a bit smaller with largely the same propulsion system the Insight is an alternative. On the other hand, if you are already in the utility camp, Honda is already offering a hybrid version of the CR-V in Europe and it will no doubt be arriving on our shores before long.
