After a short absence, the Honda Accord Hybrid is back for the 2014 model-year - with an all-new drivetrain.
While Toyota and its Prius hatchback have dominated the hybrid market in recent years there was a time when the Japanese giant was locked in battle with its Asian rival, Honda. But the smaller maker’s original alternative, the quirky 2-seat Insight, as well as latter models, failed to generate near the following, in part due to shortfalls with the original Integrated Motor Assist, or IMA, hybrid drivetrain.
A dozen years after it got into the battery-electric market, Honda is making another big push, this time with a trio of alternative hybrid systems, including the lower-priced, single-motor technology introduced on the latest Civic. A high-performance, three-motor hybrid package will soon be introduced for Acura models including the MDX, RDX and reborn NSX supercar. But perhaps the most promising system – at least on a mass-market scale, is the two-motor hybrid debuting on the 2014 Honda Accord Hybrid.
We could probably sum up the biggest part of its appeal in four words, “50 miles per gallon.” That’s a hard number to argue with and comes within a hairsbreadth of the 54.5 mpg Corporate Average Fuel Economy standard that the Obama Administration has put in place for 2025. But there are other reasons to be impressed with the new Accord Hybrid. Unlike so many other mainstream gas-electric offerings it actually delivers a reasonable amount of performance. Add a well-appointed interior and Honda has a package that should appeal to those who want more than just a mileage miser.
Despite delivering up to 50 mpg in the city, the 2014 Accord Hybrid offers surprisingly good performance.
If there’s a downside it’s the fact that Honda has stuck with the familiar body of the latest Accord, rather than adopting a distinct, Prius-like shape, adding just a few modest details to signal those in the know that this is a hybrid.
We got our first drive of the 2014 Honda Accord Hybrid during a long, hot and dusty weekend in Texas Hill Country, the rolling countryside between San Antonio and Austin that stands in sharp contrast to the endlessly flat and lifeless stretched that define much of the Lone Star State.
(2014 Accord the only hybrid among 5 finalists for Green Car of the Year. Click Here for the full story.)
If you haven’t paid close attention to Honda’s strategy, you might be asking why we refer to the 2014 Accord Hybrid as “new.” In fact, when the Japanese maker launched the latest-generation Accord for 2013 it accompanied the standard gas-powered models with its first-ever plug-in hybrid. The conventional hybrid model was put on standby for a year.
Like the Accord Plug-In, the 2014 Accord Hybrid migrates from time-tested nickel-metal hydride to newer lithium-ion battery technology, a switch that allows for the maker to store more energy in a smaller, lighter pack. (In the Plug-in, the pack can hold 6.7 kilowatt-hours, the standard hybrid 1.3 kWh.) Capturing and reusing more energy normally lost during braking and coasting is one of the reasons why the 2014 Hybrid can deliver that 50 mpg City rating – and a still-impressive 45 mpg in the EPA’s Highway test cycle, and 47 in the Combined category.
The 2014 Accord Hybrid is the first Honda to adopt the maker's new i-MMD gas-electric driveline.
To put that into perspective, the original, 2005 Accord Hybrid managed a mere 25 City, 34 Highway. That eventually rose to 28 and 35, still far from impressive numbers.
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The new battery pack is just one of the notable changes from the old IMA system, however. There’s the critical move to a two-motor system. To avoid going too deep into the technical side, we can sum it up this way: one of the motors is assigned the primary driving duty, sending torque to the front wheels. The other motor is there to generate electricity, whether pulling energy from the wheels when slowing down, or from the gas engine when power demands are light, sending that to the lithium battery pack.
Another difference: the new 2014 Honda Accord Hybrid can now run short distances on battery power alone – something that most competitors, such as the Prius and the Ford Fusion Hybrid can do, but the IMA-based Honda models couldn’t. In fact, the new Accord will normally start out in electric mode unless you’re mashing the throttle to the floor. The electronic control system has been designed to shift between a variety of different gas-electric operating modes depending upon road conditions, speed and driver demand.
The switch to a lithium battery reduces the space lost, the trunk cut by only 3 cubic feet -- though the car loses the fold-down rear seats.
The two electric motors can pump out 166 horsepower combined, and 226 pound-feet of torque. The other half of the package is a 2.0-liter DOHC Atkinson Cycle inline-four producing 141 hp and 122 lb-ft. Don’t try to add the numbers up. The maximum useful output of the Intelligent Multi-Mode Drive, or i-MMD, comes to 196 hp.
But the good news is that torque comes on quick – thanks to the fact that electric motors hit their peak the moment they start spinning. And that means the 2014 Honda Accord Hybrid actually has a checkmark in the fun-to-drive column. No, it’s not a rocket, but comparing notes with colleagues suggests you’re looking at something in the order 7.5 to 7.8 seconds 0 to 60, as much as 3 full seconds faster than the Prius.
Curiously, while Honda execs bragged about the fact that there’s no continuously variable transmission in the i-MMD system, we found that under certain medium- to heavy-load driving conditions the Accord Hybrid drivetrain sure sounded and felt as if it had a rubber band-like CVT.
As regular readers know, hybrid fuel economy ratings are often the automotive equivalent of the high-tech world’s “vaporware.” It’s rare that motorists get the rated number, and while hyper-milers can well exceed the official EPA numbers, it’s far more common to miss the mark on the downside.
The 2014 Honda Accord carries only minimal hybrid badging and a few other distinctive cues.
During a series of media drive waves, we and our colleagues were encouraged to see how well we could do. The best numbers nudged up toward an astonishing 80 mpg – in line with that original, 2-seat Insight. Now, to get there required driving through the sweaty Hill Country with the A/C off and carefully using every mileage-boosting trick in the book. But getting closer to the rated 50 mpg only required a light foot at launch and on long straights. Even when driving about as aggressively as possible, we still managed numbers in the high 30s to low 40 range.
So, if you’re simply into getting good mileage, or perhaps bragging to friends over organic smoothies just how far you get on a gallon – of gas, that is – the 2014 Honda Accord Hybrid should prove quite satisfying. If, however, your reason for buying a hybrid is, at least to some degree, the chance to show the passing world how “green” you are, well, there you might be a bit disappointed. It takes a sharp eye to notice the unique hybrid badging, the special 17-inch aero wheels, LED accent lamps and blue-accented grille.
Inside, the Hybrid is very much a 2014 Accord, with only a few key differences that include the unique multi-information display revealing such details as how the complex i-MMD drivetrain is operating at any particular moment.
The new Accord Hybrid gets a 50 mpg city rating.
One good piece of news is that by switching to a lithium battery, Honda engineers were able to avoid having to sacrifice any interior room, a problem that has plagued some competing hybrids. The trunk loses only a modest 3 cubic feet and still comes in at a reasonably roomy 12.7 cf. But you do lose the standard Accord’s folding rear seats.
(Acura hoping new hybrid version can add momentum to sluggish sales of ILX. Click Here for the story.)
One of the market’s best-selling midsize models, the Hybrid can draw on most of the rest of the 2014 Accord’s strengths. Of course, this is a segment loaded with good competitors, most of which now or soon will be offered with hybrid options. That includes the likes of the Toyota Camry, Ford Fusion, Nissan Altima, Hyundai Elantra, Chevrolet Malibu and more.
Only the original Prius hatchback has a higher mileage rating – then just barely – and it is nowhere near the lavish and refined package of the Accord Hybrid. Among more conventional midsize models, the Honda has a solid mileage advantage.
As for pricing, the base model starts at $29,155, with the top-end Touring coming in at $34,905. You’d have to be creative to add much more to that well-equipped version. To put the Accord Hybrid into perspective, the base gasoline model starts at $21,955, with the Plug-in topping the chart at $39,780.
The new i-MMD offers a number of different operating parameters, and a touch of the Eco button can help further boost mileage.
There is, for many buyers, a psychic premium for going with a green machine, but for those who are more interested in making dollars and sense, you’d be advised to figure out your own driving situation – how many miles you put on and under what circumstances – to decide whether you’ll make up the Accord Hybrid’s price premium through savings on gas.
The good news is that from a driving perspective the sacrifices are minor. This gas-electric drivetrain is about as transparent as we’ve so far experienced, especially when the light turns green. And that should be a solid selling point for those who already appreciate the Accord.
Incidentally, expect to see the two-motor i-MMD system appear in still more Honda models in the near future, company officials whisper. If the 2014 Honda Accord Hybrid is any indication, we’ll welcome the expanded line-up.