2017 Honda Accord Hybrid more powerful, fuel efficient, safer

For 2017, Honda upgrades an already exceptional midsize hybrid and takes it to the next level in electrified high torque drive dynamics. Frankly they did not have to improve the 2014-2015 Accord, it was already arguably the finest Accord in the lineup.

The back story

At a time in our economy when low priced and plentiful gasoline compels consumers to purchase crossovers, SUVs and extended cab pickup trucks, Honda Accord continues to buck the trend with near record sales, as we enter the second half of what is shaping up to be a 17,000,000 vehicle sales year in the U.S..

With Accord selling at near record level volume, why introduce an improved hybrid variant?

Honda Motors knows that the future in personal transportation is an electrified one. As shared with Torque News by Honda’s Carl Pulley, ‘while we don’t have access to the inner office memo that compelled Honda engineering to push Accord hybrid development to the next level in 2 motor hybrid technology, it’s a given that the pump price of gasoline will continue to rise in the United States.’ For Honda’s latest hybrid Accord, measurable performance comes with exceptional fuel economy, standard!

Honda and other auto makers are betting that with the advance of higher priced gasoline, will come a greater demand for hybrid automobiles. According to our sources Honda is committed to increasing the production of the manufactured in Japan Accord Hybrid to 30,000 units in its first full year of availability in the U.S. and Canada.

Back in 2014 demand was high, but production constraints impacted availability and subsequent retail sales, greater production volume will answer pent up hybrid want and need, especially in Honda’s greatest car market Los Angeles.

Electrification in this instance enables exceptional drive dynamic

For hybrid fans like myself, higher fuel efficiency is simply the icing on the cake that is 2017 Honda Accord Hybrid. I like its overall drive dynamic, comfort and turbo-like torque, And with its broadened color pallet, this midsize sedan is visually stunning! Honda’s injected just a bit of aggression in Accord Hybrid’s grill and body line. Blue lighting accents and Hybrid badge announce your newest hybrid driving preference to the world. cool!

As Carl so eloquently states: ‘It’s the elegant engineering manifested into precision parts and components that make Honda Accord what it is today.’ And to me and other hybrid fans the 2017 Honda Accord Hybrid Touring presents the pinnacle in engineering elegance, standing on the precipice of the reinvention and inevitable public acceptance of the electrified car.

While the power plant and drive-train of this transmission less car is anything but conventional, other than an occasional outburst of high rev exuberance from Honda’s 2.0 liter Atkinson Cycle 4 cylinder engine, transition between I.C. gasoline engine power and two electric motors is largely seamless, and that of course is what Honda intended.

This is the most fuel efficient and powerful 4 cylinder Accord in the lineup. With 200 combined horsepower on tap, it’s also the most powerful in the midsize hybrid segment. Yet there’s more to the hybrid driven experience than exceptional fuel efficiency and torque. One also experiences the joy of that occasional near silent take off, and the occasional electric only highway run.

In short, what we experience today behind the wheel of Honda’s latest hybrid sedan is a taste of automotive things to come. Next up in Honda’s firm commitment to zero emissions and segment leading active safety is the Clarity platform -- the upgraded and more powerful 2017 Accord is a preview of things to come from Honda and the auto industry as a whole.

Turbo-like acceleration from ZERO mph

Torque News has driven the 2015 Honda Hybrid, and appreciated its near 50 MPG fuel efficiency and instant on demand torque electric only mode, while cruising the roads of Western Oregon.

For 2017 we discover an Accord Hybrid Sedan with greater trunk capacity, a slight increase in fuel efficiency, a measurable increase in interior refinement and improved 2 motor hybrid technology.

Honda Sensing™ Active Safety features standard on all trim variants

Every 2017 Honda Accord Hybrid variant will come off the assembly line with a full active safety suite. Lane Keep Assist ™, accident preventive brake mitigation, adaptive cruise control, and more. As to connectivity, one will find Bluetooth ™ phone pairing capability, Android Auto ™ and Apple Carplay ™ in select models.

When combined with a beginning MSRP of $29,605, the highest fuel efficiency in the midsize sedan segment, and the inherent drive dynamics of multiple electric motor drivetrain torque leading to exception drive dynamics, 2017 Honda Accord may be one of if not the best overall purchase and cost of ownership values found in a midsize sedan today.