2014 Honda Accord Hybrid – A Solid And Dutiful Car

Hitting the big 5-0

There are parts of Texas where you’re more likely to see an oil well than a mid-size car, so prevalent are pickups and SUVs. It’s not quite that extreme in cosmopolitan San Antonio. Even here, though, gas prices are often as much as thirty cents lower than the national average. Stereotypically, this is pickup-truck country, not hybrid country. But Honda says it makes perfect sense to launch the 2014 Accord Hybrid here. Everything’s bigger in Texas, and the Accord Hybrid has one big thing no other car in its segment can claim: 50 mpg in the city. Honda thinks that is a game changer.

When Honda decided to revive the Accord Hybrid after its mid-2000s flop, it set out to become a leader in hybrid technology. That required no small amount of innovation from the R&D team. The biggest breakthrough is the transmission, dubbed E-CVT. Instead of using a system of belts and pulleys to transmit power, Honda uses a two-motor hybrid system. One motor, bolted to the engine, generates electricity. That electricity powers the second motor, which in turn drives the wheels.

On a winding road through Texas Hill Country, the Accord Hybrid handled itself with grace, feeling solid and predictable. It’s stable, but it won’t inspire daydreams. Cruising along on a sunny Tuesday morning, we wished we were driving something with a little more character. But the Accord Hybrid isn’t designed to thrill, unless you’re thrilled with 50 mpg in the city, 45 mpg on the highway, and 47 mpg combined. Those EPA numbers are not just theoretical; without really trying, we topped 47 mpg on a two-hour drive. With a total of 196 hp, the Accord Hybrid manages this feat without feeling like a tree-hugging slug – it can easily keep up with most conventional four-cylinder mid-size sedans.

The Accord Hybrid outfoxes much of its competition in packaging and driving enjoyment. Add class-leading fuel economy, and it seems like the clear choice for hybrid shoppers. Hyundai Sonata Hybrid and Toyota Camry Hybrid fuel-efficiency numbers fall far short. Only Ford’s Fusion Hybrid gives the Accord a run for its money in matching the Honda’s 47 mpg combined rating. Even though the Fusion has more dramatic styling and a smaller price tag, the Accord wins us over with its stellar city mpg estimate.