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. We've scheduled a service visit for the Accord next week, and we'll keep you posted on how it all turns out.

Warren Clarke, Automotive Content Editor @ 30,859 miles

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

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. It didn't just get the brand wrong, there was no station at all and looks like there had never been one. Weird.

Has this happened to any of you?

Managing Editor Donna DeRosa @ 25, 660 miles.

Sorry I don't have a photo. My camera battery was exhausted.

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).

Erin Riches, Senior Content Editor

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.

Warren Clarke, Content Editor @ 25,374 miles

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.

Personally, I judge a car's navigation system by how easy it is to input data and change settings while stopped for a few seconds at a traffic light. If it takes any more thought than the length of the red light, I'm frustrated.

The Honda system has touch screen input and is much easier to understand and use, Switching from freeway routes to surface streets is simple to do on the fly. And with the touch of one button, you can look ahead three steps in your directions.

The Mercedes system has a toggle button which is very delicate to use. You have to by careful when pressing enter or you end up scrolling up or down. The voice guidance gave me more advanced warning of an action than the Honda and gave the directions in more minute detail. "In 600 feet, prepare to turn left...In 500 feet, turn left..."

But what I find strange about the Mercedes system is that the map always displays north. So when you are traveling south, like in the photo above, it looks like I am going backwards. The Honda map adjusts with you as you drive.

You may be able to change some of these elements, but frankly I didn't have time to find out. If it's not obvious within seconds, I give up.

Both systems gave me slightly different directions, which I ended up ignoring anyway. If I drove 13 miles on Lincoln Boulevard like they both wanted, I'd have to slit my wrists. But it was nice to have a scrolling map at my disposal.

Managing Editor Donna DeRosa @ 16,547 miles

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. And here I thought the only thing I disliked about the Honda was its annoyingly interruptive hybrid drivetrain.

Kelly Toepke, Manager of Vehicle Testing @ 24,720 miles

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. Even with the simple act of turning a corner, I feel like I have to slow down as much as I would for, say, the Land Rover LR3 since the steering isn't all that tight.

I just don't experience the same oneness with machine as I do in all the other cars I've driven. I can usually adapt to whatever car I have to hop in to for the night, which is great since we cycle through so many cars. But with the Honda Accord Hybrid? I can't shake off that detached feeling.

Production Editor Caroline Pardilla

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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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