Honda Accord Hybrid

Here’s the formula for the Honda Accord Hybrid: take the second best-selling car in the country, offer it with as many luxury features as possible, and soup it up to make it faster than any other family sedan on the market. This approach—using hybrid technology to boost performance and to only moderately improve fuel economy—caught car reviewers and hybrid fans by surprise when the Accord Hybrid was introduced in Nov. 2004. Aren't hybrids supposed to be small, underpowered, econoboxes with great fuel economy?

One headline read, "Sips Gas. Hauls Ass." Environmentalists pinned the term "muscle hybrid" on the Accord. David Welch of BusinessWeek, as if shocked, wrote, "The car bursts onto the road. Yea, this car—an environmentally friend and fuel-efficient hybrid—really did burn a little rubber.”

Another First for Honda

Honda was the first to introduce a hybrid in the U.S. market: Honda Insight. They were the first to offer a hybrid version of a conventional vehicle: Honda Civic Hybrid. And suddenly, they were the first to show that hybrids could offer more performance, more amenities, and better fuel efficiency than other vehicles in its class.

"Hybrid" wasn't the point. The point was that a Honda salesman could point Accord shoppers to an option with a nine mpg boost in city mileage and a 15 horsepower boost in performance—all for a couple of thousand dollars more than the standard package. Honda set the realistic modest goal of selling 20,000 Accord Hybrids for the 2005 model year. The company seemed content to sell the premium hybrid option to relatively few customers—allowing Toyota to bask in the hybrid glory.

By the end of 2005, Honda sold more Accord Hybrids than Ford sold Escape Hybrids, and with a lot less fanfare (and green washing). The fact that sales were not nearly as brisk as the Prius's didn't mean that Accord Hybrid drivers weren't happy. By all reports, they are ecstatic. Dr. Oliver Sachs, who wrote The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, loves his. The Accord Hybrid converted auto economist Dr. Walter McManus (a blogger on this site) from a hybrid naysayer to a hybrid advocate. And Dr. Leon S.—he's not famous, but he is a doctor—who found the Prius and Civic short on power and amenities, finds his AH a pleasure to drive.

Comparison with Upcoming Camry Hybrid

The Accord Hybrid currently stands alone as the only hybrid in the family sedan category. That will change in mid-2006, with the introduction of the Camry Hybrid. The conventional Camry is the number one selling passenger car in America.

The size and shape of the two vehicles will leave little distinction for shoppers. The real story is in the technology designs. The Camry uses a smaller engine with a more robust full-hybrid system to produce better fuel economy results in the city, but less overall power. The Accord utilizes a milder hybrid system with a larger engine (that allows three of the engine's six cylinders to shut down during highway cruising) to produce a lot of power, with respectable fuel economy.

In the simplest terms, the Camry Hybrid will reign as the most fuel-efficient family sedan and the Accord Hybrid will retain top honors as the fastest family sedan. The two—standing side-by-side as hybrid versions of America's number one and two most popular cars—demonstrate the extraordinary capabilities of hybrid technology. And provide affordable well-appointed options for drivers who insist on extra legroom, additional oomph, and a few more miles on a gallon of gas.