Hybrid Accords!
I don’t know how this managed to get buried in the news today, but Honda announced today that they’re planning to ship hybrid Accords in the U.S. this fall. I’ve been waiting for this for a very long time. Honda says that the new Accord will have the power of an Accord V6 with the fuel mileage of a four-cylinder Civic. That’s not astonishing mileage — it’s maybe 50% better than the current Accords — but it’s still better than I get today, and I’d have a more powerful car, too. Tempting. So very tempting.
I can’t wait to see what Honda ends up shipping and how much the hybrid Accord costs. If the cost isn’t totally ridiculous, maybe I can convince myself to get a new car when my current Accord turns five next February. That’s a stretch, but it’s possible. I’ve wanted a hybrid for long enough that I just might have to be a little bit financially irresponsible for once.
Eric Blair Said,
January 5, 2004 @ 10:43 pm
When I got my Accord last summer, I gave a bit of thought to the hybrid Civic, but I decided I wanted the larger vehicle. The concept of a hybrid Accord sounds really cool.
I’m really curious what the feature set and price tag are going to look like. Not that I’ll be in the market any time soon, of course (he said, hopefully).
Guess I have to start thinking about cars the same way I think about computers - once I make a purchase, something better’s going to come along :-).
Mark Mascolino Said,
January 6, 2004 @ 1:01 pm
Thanks for the info. This is exciting news (and my Accord just turned 5 a few months). The only wrinkle is my new father-in-law works for a Jeep and Nissan dealership so I think we are some how obligated to buy there. Oh well.
Bill Trail Said,
March 15, 2004 @ 2:10 pm
Add $2,000 to the price of the current V6 Accord to arrive at the price of the new ‘05 Hybrid.
Also I did a little math to see what the real dollar savings will be. I used 20,000 miles a year and $2.00 / gallon for fuel and the supposition that the Hybrid will get 10 miles per gallon better fuel mileage than the V6 non-Hybrid (It won’t. It’ll only be 5 to 8 mpg better).
It’s a whopping $333.33 per year.
So, you pay an extra $2,000 up front to buy the Hybrid. It will take you 6 years of driving at 20,000 miles per year JUST TO BREAK EVEN. (is anybody listening?)
Six years x 20,000 yr = 120,000 miles. Now just how many of you keep a car 6 years and / or 120,000 miles.
Hmmmmmmmmmm………… ?
Me either. Where’s the beef.
Now what. Spend the money just to be spending the money? How green is THAT?
Bill Trail
Owner and President
Penny Computer Systems, Inc.
Macon, GA 31211
BillTrail@BellSouth.net
(sure I want one but it’s crazy)
Eric Said,
March 16, 2004 @ 3:40 am
Well, the goal isn’t necessarily to save money. It’s to help the environment, and for that I’m happy to pay a bit extra (and to take the accompanying tax break).
That said, the Civic Hybrid gets about 25% better mileage than the standard Civic Sedan — about 10 mpg. I’d expect that Honda should be able to match that with the Accord. If they can’t, it’ll be rather disappointing.