Honda introduces a new Accord Hybrid. Again.

By John LeBlanc After a less-than-successful first attempt at marrying gasoline and electricity in its popular mid-size sedan two model generations ago, Japan’s Honda is introducing an all-new gas-electric Accord Hybrid Sedan for 2014. If you remember, Honda’s first hybrid Accord was anything but a hit. Introduced for 2005, it quickly went away only two model years later. With a starting price of over $38,000, the first Accord Hybrid was pricey. With fuel economy estimates of only 8.2 L/100 kms city and 6.1 highways, it was marginally more economical than the four-cylinder gas Accord that sold for more than $10k less. Not surprisingly, customers stayed away in drives. But with estimates of 4.0 L/100 kms city and 4.1 highway, the 2014 Honda Accord Hybrid Sedan is considerably more fuel efficient than the current, 2013 four-cylinder/CVT Accord’s already excellent 7.8/5.5 numbers. In fact, the 2012 Accord Hybrid can claim “class-leading fuel economy”, matching the Ford Fusion’s ratings and bettering the Toyota Camry Hybrid’s 4.5 city and 4.9 highway ratings. One reason why the new 2014 Accord Hybrid scores much better fuel economy this time around is its more sophisticated powertrain. The original 2005 to 2007 hybrid Accord used a six-cylinder and an electric motor that added some torque and allowed stop/start functionality but could not be run on electric power alone. Not so with the new 2014 version. Honda is touting an all-new 2.0-litre Atkinson cycle four-cylinder engine married to a pair of electric motors and what Honda calls a Multi Mode Drive powertrain that offers three different driving modes, EV Drive, Hybrid Drive and Engine Drive. Where Honda may be committing the same mistake again is with the new hybrid Accord’s premium pricing. While Honda Canada hasn’t announced final MSRPs yet, a report says the Japanese-market version will be sold for about 20 per cent over the cost of a comparable Camry Hybrid, which starts at  $27,710 in Canada. As well, the new Honda hybrid family sedan has more competition than ever, with not only the aforementioned Camry and Fusion ($29,999), but also hybrid models of the Hyundai Sonata ($27,999) and Kia Optima ($29,995). What do you think? Depending on its final standard equipment spec, would you pay more for a Honda Accord hybrid over any of its rivals? Or are hybrids still too expensive to warrant their premium pricing over their respective gas-engine melds? Sources: Honda Canada, Automotive News

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