The Accord was last updated and redesigned for the 2013 model year, though the pair of hybrids didn't launch until the 2014 year. While the plug-in hybrid built in Japan is Honda's first-ever, it is sold only in a handful of states, and not even 1,000 have been sold in 24 months. The plug-in model actually went on sale first, in January 2013, while the conventional Accord Hybrid entered the market in the fall of that year.
The Accord Hybrid, on the other hand, is built in Ohio, but has been supply-limited due to shortages of some key components. While its outstanding 47-mpg combined fuel economy rating is higher than that of any of its competitors, it too remains frustratingly rare to buyers on the ground--which means that if you find one, you're not likely to be able to bargain too hard for it.In the fall of 2014, Honda said it was working hard to boost production.
Honda has sold mild hybrids--which don't offer all-electric running--since 2000, although it is now phasing them out with the withdrawal of its Insight model last year. There was a previous Accord Hybrid, sold from 2004-2007, but its mild-hybrid system was tuned for extra performance rather than fuel economy. Confused consumers didn't get it, and the model largely failed to sell and was withdrawn.
Now Honda has developed a clever and compact two-motor full hybrid system designed specifically for larger vehicles. It offers electric running at low speeds and under light loads, electric torque to assist a downsized gasoline engine, and regenerative braking to recapture and reuse energy that would otherwise be wasted as brake heat. Competitors for the Accord Hybrid, including the hybrid versions of the Ford Fusion, Hyundai Sonata, Kia Optima, and Toyota Camry. In turn, the plug-in version competes with the Ford Fusion Energi--also a plug-in hybrid--and the Chevrolet Volt.
The styling of both hybrid Accords is largely that of the current Accord gasoline models, although the plug-in has more differentiation in its grille, lights, and trim. It's a clean, handsome sedan very much in the mold of Accords past, and we give Honda's designers special praise for keeping the beltline low--improving the driver's rearward visibility and making it possible for shorter rear-seat passengers to see out the windows.
Inside, the new hybrid 2014 Accords are pretty much
Quick Specs
Gas Mileage 50 mpg City/45 mpg Hwy
Engine Gas/Electric I-4, 2.0 L
EPA Class Mid-Size Cars
Style Name CVT Hybrid Sedan
Drivetrain Front Wheel Drive
Passenger Capacity 5
Passenger Doors 4
Body Style 4dr Car
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