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Originally Posted by davidb
I'm considering purchasing an Accord hybrid but have been a bit put off by Consumer Reports overall mileage estimate of 25 mpg -- only 2 mpg better than the non-hybrid V-6. This is far from the improvement in mileage one would deduece from figures provided by both the manufacturer and the epa -- 40% better on the highway and 20% better in the city. In the real world this would work out to something in the area of 28-29 mpg overall rather than 25 mpg. ( I'm not expecting to get epa mileage. I'm just expecting that real world improvement in mileage would be greater than 2 mpg or 8.5 %.)
Does anyone have an explanation for the minimal improvement suggested by Consumer Reports?
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I have not read the CR story, but there's been considerable discussion here on the low CR mpg numbers for the Civic hybrid; you might find that thread relevant.
It is possible to get low mpg in the HAH in certain driving conditions. I got 21 mpg for 40 miles in Feb, 25 degrees, short trips of 15 minutes or less; most of the miles were before the engine warmed up and hybrid features kicked in. And if you can't resist the temptation of punching 255 horsepower, you can watch the mpg readout drop to 10 mpg while accelerating. Got to admit that passing with this car is a lot more fun than in our 4 cyl Accord.
But, for a daily commute of 80 miles round trip, one 1200 trip at interstate speeds (65-80), and some town driving, I have averaged just over 33 mpg in 6000 miles on the HAH . With a 10 miles per hour tailwind, 60 degrees, 60 miles per hour except for about 15 miles of 35-45 miles per hour small town and construction zone speeds, I got 40.1 mpg on a 60 mile trip. No drafting, no special tricks. I've since gotten 42 mpg on a 70 mile trip at higher speeds in 75 degrees.The car has OEM oil and tires inflated to 35 psi. I do pay attention to the ECO light and try to drive to load and avoid sudden stops and acceleration. The hybrid features encourage fuel economy conscious driving I think.
I've relied on CR tests and auto repair data over the years and respect their work. But my driving experience of 6000 miles in the HAH gives me mileage that is surpassing the 30-33 mpg we get in our 4 cyl Accord 5-speed. Hard for me to see how the HAH would not have significantly better mpg than the regular 6 cyl Accord when driven with awareness of the hybrid features.
Lewis