Markham, ON – The ninth generation Honda Accord sedan made a big splash last September to positive reviews and it was reasserted when they took home the 2013 AJAC Canadian Car of the Year award. Just over a year later, Honda is primed for the launch of the Accord’s hybrid version. The Accord Hybrid provides Honda with a cleaner, more efficient product and positions themselves squarely against the Toyota Camry Hybrid, Hyundai Sonata Hybrid and the Ford Fusion Hybrid.  

The mid-size sedan segment can be crowded at times and the Honda Accord has held its own as one of the ring leaders, so it’s of no surprise that they want the same for its hybrid version against the other middleweights. The Accord Hybrid takes on the same shape of the gasoline-version, but the Hybrid does come with some unique touches. 

For this first drive, Honda Canada gave us a suburb and rural route throughout York Region that had us go from their headquarters in Markham to King Township and back. They also added a fuel economy challenge to showcase the outstanding savings that could be had in their latest model. We will get to the results later, but put it this way, according to Natural Resources Canada – the Accord Hybrid delivers the lowest fuel economy rating of any four-door mid-size sedan. 

Initial Glance

The Accord Hybrid is basically the same shape and size as the regular version. It’s a tad longer and lower, but you would never notice the difference. However, when it comes to the other exterior treatments, you can begin to decipher the variances. 

It all starts with the colour blue. To emphasize the cleaner vehicle – Honda has given the Accord Hybrid blue tinted headlights, a blue accented grille and just in case you couldn’t guess, blue accented LED taillights. The blue touches make the Accord Hybrid stand out, give it a cool vibe and would be loved by any member of the Blue Man Group. 

Outside of the blue touches, the Accord Hybrid gets 17-inch alloy wheels, hybrid badging on the side and rear, as well as a trunk lid spoiler and a unique rear air diffuser that helps to reduce aerodynamic drag. 

A Look Inside

If space and comfort is what you desire – the Accord Hybrid won’t disappoint. It has a roomy cabin that’s actually best-in-class for interior volume that’s surrounded by black soft leather on the seats, the dash and the steering wheel. 

You will find the front row to be neat and refined except for the double-screen infotainment system. That’s where you start seeing that blue colour re-emerge continuing onto the instrument panel. Many buttons and statistics can be found on the entertainment console and instrument panel making the driving experience a tad overwhelming. Nonetheless, looking at your Battery Charge Meter can be helpful towards saving that precious fuel. Monitoring your statistics might help you tone down your aggressive driving habits when you realize that you’re running on fuel alone.

I understand the need for more information and technology, but Honda makes it more distracting and at times frustrating rather than improved. They utilize the 8-inch Multi-information Display that serves as the main control centre. This is the second-level screen that allows you to change the radio, climate, navigation and check out your energy flow. If that’s not enough for you – it’s also where you can activate technology features such as LaneWatch (that assists drivers with wide-angle views of the road) or Lane Departure Warning (that provides warnings when you veer out of your lane). In this case more is not necessarily better and my preference would rather be to avoid a multiple-step process.

The round out the interior, the back seats are comfortable and identical to the regular Accord sedan. The difference can be found in the trunk that sees it shrink from 15.8 cubic feet (in the regular model) down to 12.7 to make room for the 1.3-kWh battery pack. 

Under the Hood

The Accord Hybrid uses the 2.0-litre, four-cylinder engine that runs on the Atkinson cycle. It’s a complicated system that has a gasoline motor, plus two electric motors. I won’t go into too much detail that would most likely bore you, but all you need to know is that the gas engine generates electricity in order to power the electric motor and continuously recharge the 1.3-kW lithium-ion battery pack with help from regenerative braking. 

The Accord Hybrid has a driving system called i-MMD (Intelligent Multi-Mode Drive) with three modes of operation that it seamlessly shifts into while driving – EV, Hybrid and Engine. When driving, you will first accelerate in EV mode up to 30-40 kms. At this pace, the engine runs solely on battery, but when you climb above the 40 km threshold, it will switch into hybrid mode. This is where the electricity powers the wheels and the gas engine starts to kick-in generating power for the electric motor. Engine mode is only used during higher speeds around 100 km/h at high RPMs. Once you reach a cruising speed on the highway, the Accord Hybrid will station itself in between EV and hybrid mode.

Honda’s i-MMD system creates the perfect driving scenario – a simultaneous fuel-efficient and performance ride. When you put the two-motor hybrid system together, the maximum output you can get is 196 horsepower and 226 lb.-ft. of torque.

On the Road

As much as we talk about the advancements in hybrid technology, there always seems to be some lag in-between mode transitions. That lag is noticeable along with a slight disconnect during regenerative braking, but that’s expected and I guarantee you that it’s so much more subtle and developed than most of the hybrids out there. This is especially noted in the feel during regenerative braking. The Accord Hybrid uses an electric-servo brake system that acts based on your braking patterns leading to lighter stops minus any jolt. 

What’s most impressive is that you can cruise around 60 km/h and hardly use any of your fuel. At that speed you will mostly be in EV mode. For further assistance in the fuel economy department, there is an EV button in the back of the gear shift that can improve on your fuel economy. When pressed a green EV box pops up on the instrument panel and you’re locked into pure EV mode. This can last up to a maximum of two minutes until the battery is depleted.

Our drive saw us go through some quiet rural areas and the Accord Hybrid contributed to that peacefulness drive. Handling is responsive and the steering is smooth without any loose feel, similar to the regular Honda Accord sedan. You could hardly hear a peep and that was due partially to the active noise control, but probably mostly due to us staying off the accelerator in order to win the fuel efficiency challenge.

And if you were wondering if this was all leading to victory in the challenge – you would be wrong. However, Honda Canada boasted about its combined 3.8L/100 km before the event began and we finished the challenge at an extraordinary 3.7L/100 km. Even more remarkable was that fuel economy posting finished third in the challenge. Can you believe that? 

There was a team that got 3.6L/100 km and another that astonishingly got 3.5L/100 km. These tests proved to me that the Accord Hybrid is a true leader when it comes to saving money at the pump for its consumers.

In Summary

There are two trim levels for the Accord Hybrid and they are the base Hybrid package or the Touring. The Hybrid version starts at $29,590 (Get Better Price) and if you want to jump into the top Touring that will pump up your starting price to $35,690 (Get Better Price). With the Touring package you get the juicy additions that include leather seats and steering wheel, navigation, satellite radio and a superior audio system, LED headlights and a power moonroof. Not too shabby of a list for only $6K more.

The fuel efficiency challenge can make it more difficult to fully test the Accord Hybrid out, but it looks like Honda Canada got the attention they wanted when it comes to fuel efficiency. Reaching levels of 3.5L/100 km in the city and on the highway clearly place the Accord Hybrid ahead of the hybrid versions of the Ford Fusion, Toyota Camry and the Hyundai Sonata. 

Adding the hybrid version to their existing roster of the Accord allows Honda to show off their Earth Dreams Technology powertrain and become more in-line with consumer demand and certainly the future of the auto industry. 

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