Taffeta-
(nice color for the HAH, by the way)

I'm sorry to hear about your mpg frustrations. I suppose this won't exactly soothe your feelings, but caveat emptor?! There's certainly enough easily accessible information out there warning the public that a hybrid ain't a silver bullett. Especially a big one with a V6 under the hood.

The hybrid stuff is just gravy- you have a trimmed-up Accord, which is worthy of a lot. You seem to be happy with it as a Accord, its just not the magic elixr you hoped it would be. Good fuel economy is like losing weight or staying virus-free on the internet- you can't do it without properly balancing the technology with personal habit. Old/bad/not adjusted habits will ruin any technology.

But you recognize that now, and seem like you want to adjust. NOTE: 95% of these tricks are good for ANY vehicle. They have nothing at all to do with the 'hybrid-ness' of it.

You mention your family also has Accrods, but don't put in any figures- they are a built-in reference level for you!! How's your mpg compare to theirs? Swap cars for a few days and see- it'll help you remember that you're doing better than you would in the non-hybrid V6, and maybe even the 4cyl. IN town it'll be hard, though.

If your driving is around town, there's not a ton you can do to get over low-30s. I mean, its a V6 every time it starts until it gets to a steady load and can cut back. But if your driving is on the hwy, you should be able to meet or exceed my numbers.

You answered many of your own questions:
- space between me and the car in front, to enable#2
- coast more, brake less,
- try to remember this is not an Insight, Civic, or Prius,
- be happy

to these I add the following for good fuel economy:

- ignore yahoos behind you. They can pass you, and maybe they'll break their finger as they flip you off.
- accelerate at under 2000rpm. This is an approximate #.
- get into 5th gear whenever possible- you have to pop over 42mph, then it wil hold to around 37.
- experiment with "driving with the load" (see glossary) in town, but in general I
- use cruise control religiously. set it at 60 or 65, get in the right lanes and relax.
- tires pumped to 36 or 40 or 44lbs (I use 40) (to enable further coasting)
- do not be a "binary driver"- your 2nd comment. If you know you have to slow/stop, FOOT OFF THE GAS and KEEP IT OFF THE BRAKE. Coast coast coast. If you want to extend the coast, use just enough throttle pressure to cancel out the regen, but JUST enough- you don't want to turn the injectors back on. Pretend your brakes are a last-resort means of stopping.

That last part along with staying under 65 has done more for my fuel economy than anything else.

Did I mention to stay at or below 65mph?

I don't want to hear any cra* about "I'll get run off the road under 70- drivers are NUTS around here." Ever notice how people from EVERY region say that? I learned to drive in New York City, cut my teeth in SoCal, and now commute to DC every day. I've seen them all- and they are all the same. 60 or 65 in the right lane is perfectly fine- people EXPECT slower drivers to be there.

things I personally don't worry about:
- 0W20 instead of 5W20 ( I do not do this, jsut haven't gotten to it)
- don't use AC; windows down is less of a mpg hit
- if you use AC, use recirc

And there are a ton of other tips you can borrow from the other forums and tutorials here. Good luck, and be like Bobby McFerrin.