2017 Accord Hybrid will change your perception of car performance

Looking to the body-line of Honda’s latest, and at this time, only hybrid sedan offering, while the design is captivating, it pales in comparison to the drive and ride experience that’s uniquely specific to 2017 Accord Hybrid.

Granted, I’ve written volumes on Accord Hybrid, so why spill the virtual ink on yet another McCants auto diatribe, praising yet another member of Honda’s reinvented world-car lineup? For me, and other well seasoned Autophiles, the future in personal conveyance rests with electrification of the automobile, this Accord takes electrification mainstream without the cord, and frankly, at the end of the day, I simply like driving it!

2017 Honda Accord Hybrid, while (perhaps) not redefining the generally perceived and accepted meaning of “performance,” as in automotive engine performance, ride, drive dynamics, and fuel economy; absolutely points to a logical path toward fossil fuel reserve sustainability, while in practice, weaning the driving and car buying public off of the internal combustion engine -- gradually, through co generated electrification and the ecological benefits thereof.

A car like no other, well yes and no

I’ve just a bit of an issue with the company that introduced the first mass-produced gasoline/electric hybrid car to North America; the 1999 Honda Insight -- followed by the Honda Civic Hybrid -- the quirky but lovable CRZ Hybrid Coupe -- and the first generation Honda Accord Hybrid. All have faded in the rearview mirror of consumer car buying trends -- most often set into motion by cheap, seemingly plentiful gasoline, manufacturer subsidized low interest purchase loans, and favorable lease rates.

And then there was the Honda Fit stand alone plug in electric, the Accord plug-in hybrid, and the rare as hens teeth first generation Clarity FCEV. (hydrogen fuel cell vehicle) All deemed “compliance cars” by my fellow auto writers, and yet these limited offerings not only signalled a revolution in electrified-automotive development, but sparked the imagination of the next generation of car buyers. Up next: The 2017 Honda Clarity FCV

Honda, along with General Motors and Toyota bring decades of electrified car building and marketing to a citizenry that’s been less than accepting of a logical solution to not only reducing exhaust emissions, but teething U.S. consumers off of foreign import and domestic oil dependency.

The Advent of the 2-electric motor Accord Hybrid signals a shift for the maker

2017 Honda Accord Hybrid presents a unique drive and ride experience with long reaching implications.
Beyond the fact that we drove 280 mixed driving miles last week on $ 9 of regular gasoline, what Honda rightfully touts as its “best” Accord offering to date, brings a unique drive experience to the midsize sedan segment with a quality built primary electric drive 4 door sedan that brings not only exceptional fuel efficiency to this very mainstream segment, but the “cool!” that is a near silent takeoff in electric only drive mode.

In-fact, 2017 Honda Accord Hybrid runs in EV mode most of the time, with the cyclical engagement of the 2.0 liter Atkinson Cycle 4 cylinder gasoline cogenerator. Along with regenerative braking, (when braking an electric charge is sent to the battery module,) while one drives along in the quiet and comfy confines of Accord Hybrid, a very sophisticated transmission-less 1 engine, 2 electric motor propulsion system brings one back to the future, as Honda re enters the golden age of the electric automobile.

No transmission required

Yes, Honda Accord Hybrid does get a bit raucous at times, momentarily, as the Atkinson Cycle engine joins 2 high torque electric motors in producing measurable, highway ingress and lane changing speeds. However, when driven with just a bit of ‘finesse,’ Accord Hybrid returns to a rather civilized and relaxing drive and ride experience. “EV Only,” Eco mode, Spot mode, highway speeds engine only, yes, that’s all there too, along with HondaWatch ™, Honda’s award winning 5-Star active safety technology.Super low emissions, stellar fuel efficiency, measurable combined horsepower and torque

Arguably, most of what we see in today’s “alternative” car market comes to us through emissions compliance. Without C.A.R.B, the E.P.A., and their foreign regulatory counterparts, we’d most likely still be choking on exhaust fumes while averaging 10 to 15 MPG in our behemoth metal stamped 4-wheeled monsters. This is where I come into that personal issue thing. Honda and (ALL) other world-auto-manufacturers, have waffled just a bit on the advent and presentation of financial attainable electrified cars and light trucks.

While my fellow journalist and electric vehicle proponents point to the long-time-coming advancements in battery technology, to swing the long armed pendulum of electric car market acceptance, I look to the roads of the U.S., and still view more than a couple of 17 year old rolling reminders of last century viable EV contenders.

In 99’ 65 MPG fuel efficiency was reported by more than one first generation Honda Insight owners. This streamlined gasoline/electric hybrid sounded the charge as to a viable, affordable, and very doable low emissions, fuel efficient driving future. The driving public as a whole did not respond to that call.

So, as with all auto manufacturers that must answer the market’s directive in the quest for profitability, the mainstream gasoline electric mostly sits on the sidelines, waiting for the next fuel crises, smog alert, global warming warning, and most importantly, a shift in how the driving public perceives automotive performance. Honda Insight, Chevy Truck, Toyota Prius

Chevrolet was in fact the champion of electrification back in the 1960s! That’s my driving lifetime, and today I look to Chevrolet, Honda and Toyota to take the driving public's return to electrification full circle.

14.000 Accord Hybrids will hit the road in its first full year of production

This time, fuel economy will not be the driving motivation. With many compact, midsize cars and light trucks approaching and now breaching the 30 and 40 MPG barrier, consumers will opt for the electric car for its plug-in-at-home “re fueling” convenience and zero emissions standard. Cars like Honda’s latest and greatest Accord Hybrid will wean the driving public off of fossil fuel, painlessly, and without sacrifice of measurable lane passing performance. Read my latest take on the 2017 Honda Accord Hybrid here.