Some impressions after 6 weeks driving the HAH for 4000 miles: one 1200 mile trip, mostly interstate at 65-80; most of the rest highway commutes of 40+ minutes at 50-65 miles per hour with few stops, rolling hills, the rest short trips in town with some stop and go. Except for a three day period of 20-25 degrees, most driving temps were in mid 30s to mid 50s.

1. It’s a Honda Accord, our fourth since the 80s. The first three were 4 cyl manuals, the last two LX models. Similar feel of the road that we like. Drivers preferring a GM sedan “cushioned” feel might call the HAH a little firm, maybe even harsh. Steering on the HAH may be a little “softer,” than on our 1999 Accord, but that could just be the difference between a new car and one with 137,000 (trouble free) miles. Handling and cornering are steady, predictable, reassuring. It’s a good skunk and deer dodging car, beneficial where we do most of our driving. It (and previous HAs) can handle abrupt steering changes at 65 miles per hour without loss of control. The really BIG difference is the change from around 150 hp in the 4cyl to 255 hp in the HAH. A serious temptation to use, the HAH brings back memories of my first car, a 1957 stick shift Pontiac V-8 which would zip up to 80 in second probably too quickly and too often. From 55, the HAH is quick in getting around a pickup with stock trailer and two other cars reluctant to pass in a short passing zone. It zips up to 80 impressively from 50, and will cruise at 80 quietly and smoothly.
Interior is very comfortable, the roomiest of all our Accords, back seat leg room very impressive. Leather smells good.

Body style has a recognizable connection back to Accords of the 80s, and there’s good news-bad news about that. Accords don’t look flashy or old; they look like Accords. The roof line, A pillar to C pillar, is nearly identical to that of our 99 Accord. The head light enclosures remind me too much of an early 90s Civic I owned, and I didn’t like the “cat-eye” look even then.

Accord dependability. We’ve put 150,000 plus miles on our previous three 4-cyl Accords. The 1988 still used no oil, got close to 30 mpg, with original clutch (we like 5-speed manuals) at 184,000. The 1999 performs much the same as the 1988, though with only 137,000 miles. The 2005 HAH has its work cut out for it, but the first 4000 miles have been typically Honda, routine and problem free.

2. HAH schizophrenia. I’m torn between punching it to pass, or treating the gas pedal like an egg to keep the ECO light on. For now, the ECO side is winning. Most of the time I’m driving without cruise control, keeping an eye on the green ECO light. I’ve had two consecutive tanks of 34 mpg, and I just finished a 60 mile trip, half into a 20 miles per hour headwind (back, wind was lighter, about a 10 miles per hour or less push, 70 degrees), with 35.3 showing on the trip computer, about three miles in town, the rest highway at 55-65, no mountains, but plenty of rolling hills. The trip computer mpg was still going up, leading me to think that under moderate speeds and conditions 35+ mpg is a reasonable possibility. Trip computer mpg and math mpg over ten tanks have been mostly within 1% of each other, sometimes TC more, sometimes less than math mpg. At the gas pump, I accept the automatic cutoff and don’t add more gas, so pump variables could account for the TC and math mpg variations.

On the other end, 40 miles of short, town trips (10 miles or less) in 25 degrees yielded 21 mpg. The hybrid benefits aren’t available until the engine warms, and until then the HAH is a pretty hungry, 240 hp, six cylinder, mid-size car.

In the middle, I watched a 33 mpg trip get whittled down to 31 by some city rush hour stop and go, but with some very noticeable IMA assist that kept it from dropping further as did the autostop feature; IMA seems to “volunteer” more at 15-45 miles per hour with mpg benefits; I’ve learned I can “call” IMA with more abrupt throttle pressure, but this may not produce immediate mpg benefits; when the traffic moved steadily at 35-45, the mpg started climbing again.

I’m still learning the car which is still set up as it came from the dealer. I’d add that my wife put up 33+ mpg numbers going to DFW airport, including about 20 minutes of thick traffic and some stop and go; she said, “I drive it just like I drove all the others,” which is to say, she’s not a lead foot (tho she likes the HAH’s passing punch), but neither is she an ECO game player. Once warmed up, the HAH seems to respond o.k. to just being driven prudently without any particular attention to hybrid features, and that’s good news for the way most people drive.
Lewis