2017 Honda Accord Hybrid 'Let's Give This Another Shot' Edition
After a brief hiatus, the Honda Accord Hybrid is back, and it’s feeling good about itself. It thinks you’ll feel good about it, too.
Arriving this spring as a 2017 model, the Accord Hybrid hopes to capture more customers this time around. The previous generation proved to be something of a Jekyll-and-Hyde affair, with reviewers walking away reasonably impressed, or not so much.
The 2017 Accord Hybrid is sure it can erase nagging memories by offering more horsepower and efficiency than before. The next-generation two-motor hybrid system boasts 212 horsepower (up from 196), with the 2.0-liter Atkinson Cycle engine returning as the gas mill.
The system is now good for one more mile per gallon in the city and two more on the highway, Honda claims, for a total of 49 mpg city/47 mpg hwy/48 mpg combined.
As before, the Accord Hybrid has three drive modes — EV Drive (at light loads and low speeds), conventional Hybrid Drive, and Engine Drive (where both motors drive the front wheels via a lock-up clutch).
Out back, Honda has freed up more trunk space (13.5 cubic feet) through use of a newly compact battery pack. Behind the wheel, Accord Hybrid drivers receive the full suite of Honda infotainment, connectivity and driver safety technology as standard equipment.
Sales of the previous Accord Hybrid were lackluster, with Honda moving less than 14,000 units in 2014, the model’s best year to date. With the 2017 edition, Honda wants to double those numbers.
[Images: Honda North America]
More by Steph Willems
Comments
Join the conversation
No pricing info, that's unfortunate. But from what I understand, Honda dealers are selling every single one they get their hands on, so don't count on any discounts. The MKZ Hybrid starts at $35,190 (+dest.), and Ford's putting $5500 on the hood. I might look there instead of at the Honda.
I was reviewing the owner's manual for the 2017 Honda Accord Hybrid and noticed on page 176 under the "Cargo Section" a warning to not carry a temporary spare in the trunk because a severe collision to the rear of the car could cause damage to the hybrid battery and cause a leak of flammable electrolytes. This was surprising because the marketing release by Honda states that the car is delivered with a temporary spare. This is a significant safety issue for me. Given the warning in the owner's manual, I cannot buy a car that strongly warns against keeping a temporary spare in the trunk. My current vehicle had a blowout from a pot hole (2 years ago) and my prior truck had a blow out once (7 years ago). I will not own a car that does not come delivered with a temporary or full-sized spare. To have an owner's manual specifically include a warning to not store a temporary spare is quite disconcerting given that I have a 7 year old that would be sitting in the backseat center with a battery full of highly flammable electrolytes just on the other side of the seat.