Long-Term Road Tests
2005 Honda Accord Hybrid
April 13, 2007
One of our editors noted that the Accord Hybrid tends to sometimes exhibit a weird shudder when braking at freeway speeds. I wasn't able to duplicate the issue, nor was another editor who drove the car. We did, of course, notice that the car's non-linear acceleration causes the Accord to lurch and shake like a dancer at a burlesque show when you hit the the gas -- but that, apparently, is par for the course with this Honda's hybrid drivetrain. Or maybe it isn't...
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- Posted by: Warren Clarke April 13, 2007, 2:27 PM
- Categories: 2005 Honda Accord Hybrid
December 21, 2006
Our long-term test of the Honda Accord Hybrid is drawing to a close with an official end date of December 29.
Any last thoughts from owners, prospective owners or otherwise interested parties?
Kelly Toepke, Manger of Vehicle Testing
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- Posted by: Kelly Toepke December 21, 2006, 12:37 PM
- Categories: 2005 Honda Accord Hybrid
December 19, 2006
One of my favorite features of the Honda Accord Hybrid's navigation system is that it not only shows the location of gas stations, it displays their logo as the icon. This way if you have gasoline credit cards, you can see your refueling options.
This weekend, however, the Accord kept faking me out. Twice in my holiday shopping travels, the display showed Shell stations and when I got there, there was no gas station any where near...
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- Posted by: Donna DeRosa December 19, 2006, 12:14 PM
- Categories: 2005 Honda Accord Hybrid
December 12, 2006
Like most other Hondas that have passed through our long-term test fleet, the Accord Hybrid is holding up well on the inside and aside from the stains on the floor mats, it looks pretty close to new after more than 25K miles. The only other sign of wear is the leather upholstery, which is starting to look dry and creased.
It's nothing a little leather conditioner wouldn't help, but aside from serious Hondaphiles, most people probably don't think of giving this kind of TLC to a workaday Accord. Which is why I'd rather have cloth (unfortunately not offered on the Hybrid)...
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- Posted by: Erin Riches December 12, 2006, 6:36 PM
- Categories: 2005 Honda Accord Hybrid
December 11, 2006
The fuel economy on our long-term Accord Hybrid continues to be underwhelming at best. Our log book shows an average miles per gallon figure of 23.4 since we first purchased the sedan back in December of 2004 -- way , way, way below EPA estimates of 29 city/37 highway. Fuel economy over the past couple of months has tended to be in the low- to mid-20s per tank. Not too impressive, especially when you consider how punishing this hybrid's herky-jerky handling can sometimes be...
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- Posted by: Warren Clarke December 11, 2006, 1:44 PM
- Categories: 2005 Honda Accord Hybrid
Having recently moved, I'm still trying to find the best route from the office to my new home.
Last week I drove our long-term Mercedes R500 back-to-back with our Honda Accord Hybrid. Both have navigations systems which I tested on my daily commute. This gave me the opportunity to compare their features and ease of use...
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- Posted by: Donna DeRosa December 11, 2006, 12:33 PM
- Categories: 2005 Honda Accord Hybrid, 2006 Mercedes-Benz R500
November 21, 2006
I drove our Accord Hybrid this past weekend, and in a fit of pre-holiday enthusiasm (that's a euphemism for laziness), my husband and I decided to run to Target and buy our first artificial Christmas tree prelit with 600 white lights. The 7.5-foot tree was packed into a sizeable box, and we knew we'd need to fold down the Honda's rear seat to expand the cargo area in the trunk.
Suprise. No folding seat in the Accord...
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- Posted by: Kelly Toepke November 21, 2006, 2:29 PM
- Categories: 2005 Honda Accord Hybrid
November 16, 2006
I can appreciate the hybrid-ness of our long-term Accord (yay), but in all honesty it really sucks to drive it. I basically have the same complaints Chris did in the previous post. The brakes seem too touchy, the car is slow to accelerate and the steering wheel feels too loose. I probably look like I'm drunk driving when I'm piloting it around town because every movement I make is exaggerated...
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- Posted by: Caroline Pardilla November 16, 2006, 11:49 AM
- Categories: 2005 Honda Accord Hybrid
November 1, 2006
I've recently spent quite a lot of time behind the wheel of our Accord Hybrid, mostly by default. Why? I usually work at home on Thursday which means the vehicle I take home on Wednesday doesn't return to the office until Friday morning. I've discovered that the one long-termer least likely to be in missed by our staff is the Accord Hybrid. Now I know why. Nobody else wants it.
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- Posted by: Chris Walton November 1, 2006, 10:56 AM
- Categories: 2005 Honda Accord Hybrid
October 30, 2006
The service light clicked on just as we rolled 23,300 miles on our Honda Accord Hybrid. We called our local Honda of Santa Monica and scheduled an appointment. The dealer considers this a minor service, consisting of: oil/filter change, tire rotation and inspection of fluids, brakes, wipers and various uderbody components. The total cost for parts was a "minor" $28.14 while the cost of labor was quite the opposite at $135. Total cost with tax: $165.26
Mike Schmidt, Vehicle Testing Assistant - 23,379 miles
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- Posted by: Mike Schmidt October 30, 2006, 3:44 PM
- Categories: 2005 Honda Accord Hybrid
October 23, 2006
I'm moving house soon, so I set out to explore different routes from our offices in Santa Monica to my new neighborhood. I punched my new address into the Accord's nav system and it quickly calculated a path using the L.A. freeway system. But since I know that traffic on the freeway will be at a standstill on most work days, I ignored the directions and figured it would recalculate a course once it realized I wanted to use surface streets...
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- Posted by: Donna DeRosa October 23, 2006, 2:11 PM
- Categories: 2005 Honda Accord Hybrid
October 11, 2006
A couple of weeks ago I blogged about the Accord Hybrid's navigation system and debated the merits of spending $2,000 to have it. Well, here's one minor advantage to having a factory system: Honda dealerships. Every dealership and its phone number is programmed into the system. Not owning a Honda myself, I got directions to the closest dealership to me last week when taking the Hybrid in for its 22,500-mile service. Of course, this feature is of very limited usefullness in your hometown – you already know where the dealers are. But it could come in handy on a road trip should your Honda require service...
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- Posted by: Brent Romans October 11, 2006, 9:29 AM
- Categories: 2005 Honda Accord Hybrid
October 7, 2006
I took our long-term 2005 Honda Accord Hybrid in for its 22,500-mile service last week. This was a minor service, with only an oil change and tire rotation being required. I took the Accord to Clawson Honda of Fresno, Calif. I arrived at the scheduled time of 8 a.m., and a service advisor, Vicky, promptly met me and took town my details...
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- Posted by: Brent Romans October 7, 2006, 3:13 PM
- Categories: 2005 Honda Accord Hybrid
October 2, 2006
Lackluster fuel economy is a common complaint about our long-term 2005 Honda Accord Hybrid. For the life of the vehicle, we've averaged just 23.1 mpg. Getting above 30 mpg from a tank is possible, but sub-20 mpg tanks are a more frequent occurrence on our fuel log spreadsheet.
The Accord is due for its next service and we'll be taking it to the dealership later this week...
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- Posted by: Brent Romans October 2, 2006, 11:57 AM
- Categories: 2005 Honda Accord Hybrid
September 21, 2006
Navigation systems are sort of like insurance; you don't use it very often, but when it comes into play, you're really grateful you have it. Both also happen to rather expensive. Honda charges a $2,000 premium to equip the 2006 Honda Accord Hybrid with navigation. Alternately, you can look at it from a financing perspective. If you buy an Accord with navigation and finance via a five-year loan, you'll be paying about $40 more a month...
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- Posted by: Brent Romans September 21, 2006, 9:50 AM
- Categories: 2005 Honda Accord Hybrid
September 18, 2006
The majority of posts concerning our long-term 2005 Honda Accord Hybrid focus on the debatable benefits of its gasoline/electric powertrain. But it's important not to forget that the Accord, no matter what engine happens to be powering it, is still of the best midsize sedans available.
I was reminded of this recently I as I was driving on Panoche road, one of the many rarely driven roads that run laterally through central California and the Pacific coastal mountains. On the day I drove on it, I encountered nothing more than hungry dairy cows...
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- Posted by: Brent Romans September 18, 2006, 9:23 AM
- Categories: 2005 Honda Accord Hybrid
August 30, 2006
This one goes into the nit pick file for the Accord, a folder which gets used a lot since there really isn't anything seriously wrong with this car. My complaint has to do with the shifter, specifically its tendency to go right into third gear. The detent is so smooth you hardly notice that you've slipped right past "Drive" and into "D3". I usually don't figure it out until I go to parallel park and after pushing the lever two slots forward I find myself sitting in neutral...
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- Posted by: Ed Hellwig August 30, 2006, 11:02 AM
- Categories: 2005 Honda Accord Hybrid
August 22, 2006
In a previous post, I criticized the Accord Hybrid's steering as being too numb because of its electric power assist. I've changed my mind. After a weekend spent with a Saturn Aura test vehicle, it was so refreshing to get back into the Accord. This is what steering in a midsize sedan should feel like -- light, accurate, modestly communicative...
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- Posted by: Erin Riches August 22, 2006, 1:37 PM
- Categories: 2005 Honda Accord Hybrid
August 21, 2006
Yesterday I drove our Honda Accord Hybrid from Monterey, California down to Los Angeles, a 362 mile run down the 101 Freeway, which hugs the coast a good portion of the time. Once again, the Accord Hybrid proved itself to be a fine long hauler. We made it easily on one tank of gas and the Accord averaged 31 mpg according to the car's trip computer. Driver and passenger both noted the Honda's quiet interior, fine air conditioning and surprising stability at 100 mph...
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- Posted by: Scott Oldham August 21, 2006, 11:15 AM
- Categories: 2005 Honda Accord Hybrid
August 20, 2006
After more than a week and a half of living with our Honda Accord Hybrid I've finally found something to complain about. The headlamps are dim. Not the highbeams, the highbeams are banging out some serious candlepower, but the Honda's low beams make Jessica Simpson look bright.
Now a photo of the Accord's headlamps seemed dull, so instead I thought I'd lighten your day with this shot of the car parked at the edge of the Pacific Ocean on 17-mile drive in the town of Pacific Grove, California...
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- Posted by: Scott Oldham August 20, 2006, 12:02 AM
- Categories: 2005 Honda Accord Hybrid
August 16, 2006
As I sit here in my hotel room reading Mystic's Stamp Showcase, the leading publication for philatelists, I can't help but reflect on my 400 mile day in our long term Honda Accord Hybrid. Truth be told, I can't decide which is more thrilling, reading about the Grinnell Hawaiian Missionaries first appearance on the philatelic scene in 1920, or driving our beige on beige Accord from Los Angeles to the Monterey Peninsula.
So it isn't a thrill a minute, but the Accord proved comfortable and competent for 400 nonstop miles. That's right, nonstop...
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- Posted by: Scott Oldham August 16, 2006, 10:43 PM
- Categories: 2005 Honda Accord Hybrid
August 15, 2006
Our frustrations with the Honda's jerky Autostop feature have been well documented in this blog, however my irritation with the system is a different one. While most have complained about the roughness in which the Honda's V6 starts and stops and with the abrupt slow speed throttle response that can make parking a bit stressful, my problem with Autostop is that the air conditioning backs off when the V6 shuts down. On an 80+ degree day I find this to be a problem.
But I have found a solution...
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- Posted by: Scott Oldham August 15, 2006, 10:17 AM
- Categories: 2005 Honda Accord Hybrid
August 12, 2006
Wednesday at 4 a.m. I left our Honda Accord Hybrid at Los Angeles International Airport. When I returned 72 hours later the car fired right up on the first twist of its key.
Then today the Accord's odometer clicked past 20,000 miles on our way to my daughter's weekly swim lesson at the local YMCA...
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- Posted by: Scott Oldham August 12, 2006, 3:09 PM
- Categories: 2005 Honda Accord Hybrid
August 1, 2006
I like the interior in our long-term Honda Accord Hybrid -- excellent materials quality, tight fit and finish, good driving position and lots of storage. I also like the control layout with one exception: The central display in our navigation-equipped car is the only Honda touchscreen I've ever found difficult to use. On just about every screen I encounter, the "buttons" are too small and too close together. The audio screen is the worst, as I only get the radio preset I want about half the time...
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- Posted by: Erin Riches August 1, 2006, 11:09 AM
- Categories: 2005 Honda Accord Hybrid
July 27, 2006
I haven't driven the Honda Accord Hybrid in a long while. I'd forgotten how choppy it feels. The transition from electric motor to gasoline engine is jolting. When accelerating, the engine kicks in ungracefully but it's even more pronounced when braking...
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- Posted by: Donna DeRosa July 27, 2006, 1:21 PM
- Categories: 2005 Honda Accord Hybrid
July 17, 2006
I really want to find a hybrid to love and call my own. But the SUV hybrids don't get great gas mileage and the compact hybrids are, well, too compact. A midsize car like the Accord seemed like it could be "the one." Though rather plain on the outside, I didn't want to judge a book by its cover, and I looked forward to driving it during a long weekend.
Once I opened the door, the interior surprised me nicely...
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- Posted by: Joanne Helperin July 17, 2006, 4:00 PM
- Categories: 2005 Honda Accord Hybrid
July 6, 2006
The Accord Hybrid is as likable as they come. It's got a roomy cabin, seats comfy enough to snooze in, and a reasonably powerful engine. And I love the fact that Honda's roster of hybrid vehicles keeps getting longer and longer - way to go, Honda! Having said that, I was disappointed with how jerky the Accord Hybrid felt when starting and stopping. I have yet to experience this issue with our Toyota Prius, which has never been less than graceful in the old stop-and-go...
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- Posted by: Warren Clarke July 6, 2006, 12:55 PM
- Categories: 2005 Honda Accord Hybrid
June 26, 2006
Over the weekend I used our long-term Accord Hybrid for some errands. While loading up some bulky items purchased from Target, I noticed that the car's trunk space looked a tad small as compared that of our other long-term Honda product, the Civic Si. Officiallly, the Hybrid's trunk space is listed at 11.2 cubic feet. A regular Accord provides 14.0 cubic feet...
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- Posted by: Brent Romans June 26, 2006, 10:13 AM
- Categories: 2005 Honda Accord Hybrid
June 22, 2006
It's all about the little green light. For those readers who don't know, the Honda Accord Hybrid is powered by a V6 engine that features cylinder deactivation technology. In certain driving situations, the car's computer management system inperceptibly shuts down three of the car's six cylinders to conserve fuel. It's a pretty neat feature and works so smoothly that the only way the driver knows it's operating is by the tiny green "Eco" that lights up on the hybrid powertrain readout display. I've found myself recently having a Pavlov-like response to that green light...
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- Posted by: Brent Romans June 22, 2006, 4:01 PM
- Categories: 2005 Honda Accord Hybrid
June 19, 2006
Our 2005 Honda Accord Hybrid has been in our long-term fllet for more than a year now. An often overlooked aspect in our updates so far has been what hasn't happened to our car. To date, there have been no unscheduled dealer visits, no reported mechanical problems and no idenfiable changes in the hybrid system's operation. In short, it's been running just like just like any other Accord model — faithfully and without fault...
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- Posted by: Brent Romans June 19, 2006, 9:45 AM
- Categories: 2005 Honda Accord Hybrid
June 15, 2006
After a very loving overnight in our long-term Honda Accord Hybrid, started think about what I really liked most about it. Naturally, I first went to the hybrid setup looking for a place to stake a claim. What I discovered, however, is that the biggest reason I have for recommending this car has nothing to do with it being a hybrid, and everything to do with it being an Accord.
An Accord--the most virtuous form of vanilla that any carmaker could ever imagine building...
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- Posted by: June 15, 2006, 5:29 PM
- Categories: 2005 Honda Accord Hybrid
Yesterday, I drove our long-term hybrid Honda Acord from our offices in southern California to my home in central California. During that five-hour drive, I kept an eye out for other hybrid vehicles. Toyota's second-generation Prius is like a weed immune to Ortho — it's everywhere. Accord hybrids?..
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- Posted by: Brent Romans June 15, 2006, 10:45 AM
- Categories: 2005 Honda Accord Hybrid
June 12, 2006
Driving our Accord Hybrid makes me wonder if Honda really had a clear goal in mind when the company decided to pair a V6 engine with an electric motor. Make no mistake, this is not a bad car. But this is a conflicted car. For example, this is the fastest of the Accords, yet in reality it feels the least athletic, mainly because of the switch to electric steering...
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- Posted by: Erin Riches June 12, 2006, 2:25 PM
- Categories: 2005 Honda Accord Hybrid
June 8, 2006
Last night I drove our Honda Accord Hybrid home. It was the first time I'd ever set foot in the car. What struck me immediately is how well this cars interior is aging. If I hadn't known how long we've had the car, or checked the odometer, I would have guessed it to be fresh from the dealer...
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- Posted by: Scott Oldham June 8, 2006, 12:12 PM
- Categories: 2005 Honda Accord Hybrid
One major difference between our Long Term Honda Accord Hybrid and any Toyota hybrid is how loudly the cars tout the constant workings of their hybrid drivetrains. In the Toyotas you can (if you so choose to) dedicate the entire LCD monitor to watching the Hybrid Synergy Drive do its "thing." The colorful and advanced animations in our Prius and RX 400h are quite entertaining (driver distraction watchdogs might even take issue with them...). In the Accord, however, you just get a teensy-tiny -- and very rudimentary -- LED gauge near the odometer that meekly announces when the car is in "ECO" or "Assist" or "Charge" mode. If you don't buy a hybrid for the bells and whistles, you might prefer this design...
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- Posted by: Karl Brauer June 7, 2006, 10:48 AM
- Categories: 2005 Honda Accord Hybrid
June 6, 2006
I'm not all that crazy about our Honda Accord Hybrid. I mean, "Yay! It's a hybrid." OK, now that's out of the way, I'm just not crazy about how it drives. Its jerkiness makes it feel unsure and unreliable...
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- Posted by: Caroline Pardilla June 6, 2006, 12:59 AM
- Categories: 2005 Honda Accord Hybrid
