That's a scary thing for pedestrians. :-)

I don't think the HCH uses the 1.8-liter engine, and it's only coming as a CVT transmission. They say it will have equivalent performance of a 1.8, but it will be a 1.3-liter as it is now, but with a bit more power.

2001 Prius Photos       2005 Prius Photos
1992 Mitsubishi Delica Diesel-WVO Hybrid Photos

Let me clarify. It's a misuse if that's all it becomes. The HAH is a great car - would not admonish anyone for buying one. I considered one myself. However a 4-cyl Accord driven properly can get the same or better mileage. The purpose of the IMA in the Accord is for power - FE is just the collateral benefit that comes along for the ride. If they had wanted to focus on FE, you'd have a 4-cyl Accord that gets 50 MPG.

I've argued before that any hybrid technology being purchased is good. I won't put down the HAH, or the SUV hybrids simply because as they get purchased, we collectively are voting for more of this technology to get on the road. Yes, they get better mileage than their non-hybrid equivalents, but that's a relative thing (think Hummer vs. Hummer Hybrid - what's the point?). What we need is a collective mindset that low MPG is not acceptable for any car, hybrid or not. Auto makers can do better, but the don't, because we put up with it (which is more profitable for them).

At the end of the day if all we have is a small, specialized market of high-mileage cars, and most of the hybrids are only helping powerful luxury vehicles become more powerful, we will have been played for fools but the auto makers and oil companies.

*** Retired after 65,000 outstanding miles ***

Joe, is this what you had in mind when the light turns green? http://videos.streetfire.net/Player....9-7DAEF708EE7A

I'm so glad they didn't show the FE display in that clip. Would've brought tears to me eyes matey.

I think fully electric cars will be the next big performance thrill.

Check out this converted Golf: http://dontcrush.com/media/DougKorthofFC.mov

And the tzero sports car with a 4.07 seconds 0-60 time

http://acpropulsion.com/ACP_movies/tzero_drag_strip.mov

http://acpropulsion.com/ACP_movies/Considine.mov

2001 Prius Photos       2005 Prius Photos
1992 Mitsubishi Delica Diesel-WVO Hybrid Photos

At the end of the day if all we have is a small, specialized market of high-mileage cars, and most of the hybrids are only helping powerful luxury vehicles become more powerful, we will have been played for fools but the auto makers and oil companies.

Tim
Thay have played us for fools. I wouldnt buy a HAH. Pay the extra money for a tiny bit faster car and maybe better mpg. And only better if driven right. Compared to a standard coupe or sedan v6 6sp that will eat its lunch and can be modded to insane levels of fun. The high mpg market even with the rising fuel prices will stay small. Honda has made there civic line even smaller in the hi mpg section. No HX it looks like. They have removed it cause its a threat to the HCH. Take me for example. Why would I buy a HCH when I can get a HX for 5k to 6k less and still get a easy 45 mpg out of it. Take toyota, there not going to offer anything close to the prius in a striped down fashion that can threatin the high price whiz bang force.

There will be this limited models of the high mpg cars and then the mid and upper lines will expand with hybrid. The plain truth of the matter is they make more margins off the high ticket models and less off the cheap entro line stuff.

The official press embargo will be lifted on September 1st, and we should know then for absolute certain if there is an HX model still. All indications are that it's now absent from the lineup. Worse yet, the fuel economy is actually WORSE on the Civic now for all manual transmission models! I'm stunned that Honda would do this, but then again, horsepower is what sells cars these days. The top selling cars in August of this year were all the gas guzzlers. Small and economical cars did very poorly in marketshare.

My main hope at this point is twofold. First, that my HX will actually last another two years or so without me getting so fed up with it's old-ness that I have to buy a new car. Second, I'm hoping between low sulpher gasoline and ultra-low sulpher diesel, we'll see either gasoline direct injection Civics (like Honda's DI motor in the Japanese-market Stream), the turbo-diesel Civic that Europe gets, or perhaps both by 2007 when we have low-sulpher fuels. I refuse to buy a vehicle with a city rating of 30mpg when gas is on it's way to $3/gallon. Forget it!

I agree. I know they need to make money too, or they'll stop making them. I just get mad at the whole thing. I know we're being led along - they (car companies) can do much better today. The grip the oil companies have on everyone is just alarming.

*** Retired after 65,000 outstanding miles ***

I'm waiting to get banned for continually posting the same thing, but what I wish Honda would do is sell the HAH in a coupe with a 6-speed manual transmission. (The honda website says the Accord hybrid comes in a 5-speed, not a CVT.)

If they made a hybrid accord coupe it would be lighter. If it had an MT, you could drive it for hypermileage when you wanted to, but you could have the comfort/security/satisfaction/whatever of being able to release a little frustration by actually driving the **** thing like a "real" car every once in a while. Of course, that mileage indicator would discourage such a thing, but sometimes...

I think this would satisfy the original poster (unless he needs four doors, which I doubt).