I used to own a Civic Hybrid (5 speed) and now the HAH. With the Civic, assist was very predicable and happened often. With the relatively weak engine, it needed it. With the Accord, I have caught myself a couple of times seeing the assist bars come on then backing off the accelerator a bit, I guess in an unconscious attempt to save a little gas or something. I'm trying to break that habit, and now I'm seeing more assist. The Accord's use of assist is much more limited than the Civic's. The Accord uses more of the battery power to power accessories (especially A/C) when the car is stopped than the '05 and older Civics, so the battery power is still be used.