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?

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

Hi David,

I can't explain the CR estimate of 25mpg, but I can tell you that the information is false. I will admit, on my first tank of gas, I only hit 26mpg - and I was a little disappointed. But as many here will tell you, it takes a while for the engine to break in and to learn how to drive more efficiently (they call it "driving with the load"). I now have had my car for little over a month and I am currently averaging 35mpg during my 30min trips to work driving mostly hwy @ 70mph. I just got back from driving a 400 mile trip where I got up to 39mpg - I just couldn't break 40 though But it still beats 25mpg - and I am sure I will reach 40mpg or more with a little more patience on my part - I like using the V-6 to blow by all the Hummers...

You will see in the Compare Section, that most HAH are averaging 30mpg. But I believe this number is a little low since some of us are still new to the HAH experience (statistically speaking, you would also want a larger sample size ). You will find a lot of good information on this site with a lot of helpful people who are more experienced and can provide better information than I. Good luck!

Hi TXRPh,

What do you actually do, when 'driving with load' ?

David,

Car & Driver observed 26 mpg, but they also observed this: I think it's typical for testers to get in this hybrid and say "Whoa! This is a hybrid?" That kind of response in not conducive to great FE. And... you can drive for "Whoa!", or you can drive the speed limit and not entice the horses and recieve *close* to EPA, as you can see by my results below.

'05 Accord Hybrid
'05 Odyssey EX-L
'03 1800 Goldwing
'98 Civic EX (16 yr. old daughter's)

CR also got 36mpg for the Civic Hybrid, but most users see around 45mpg with normal driving. I get about that and that includes all kinds of driving often with A/C on. I use moderate acceleration, etc. But since the HCH has wimpy acceleration, it is far easier to drive it efficiently.

With the Accord Hybrid, you have a lot of power at your disposal. I'm sure that in their testing, they ignored the FE light. Still, it looks like even careful drivers are only seeing 30mpg.

It seems to be a catch 22... if you use the extra power that you paid for, you don't get the extra fe. If you want extra fe, you don't get the extra power.

HCH makes "an automatic" sacrifice of power via design.

Personally, I think that existing cars have enough power and it is better to just make hybrids equal that power and exceed in FE.

Take the new Lexus Hybrids for example. They get better fe and performance than the non-hybrid versions. IMHO, the base versions of the models have plenty of power. Just equal that power and excel in fe.

Perspective. For me, it's not a catch 22, it's the best of both. I can get near 40 if I want - AND I can pass semis on mountain roads if I need to, or just get where I want in a hurry if that is the want.

I'm a VERY satisfied customer of the HAH. Make that ecstatic.

'05 Accord Hybrid
'05 Odyssey EX-L
'03 1800 Goldwing
'98 Civic EX (16 yr. old daughter's)

Hi EricGo,

To my understanding “driving with the load” is basically using minimum pressure on the gas pedal to keep the eco light on while maintaining a given speed (someone – sorry I can’t remember who – once said, its like treating the gas pedal like an eggshell). Others may correct me though...

Usually, before I drive up a hill, I gradually accelerate to about 5 miles per hour above my current speed and then once I am about halfway up the hill I let up on the gas pedal just enough to keep the eco light on while not dropping below my intended speed – and I can usually crest the hill without dropping any mpg (but of course this varies with the incline and distance). To maximize the use of the eco feature, I use mod acceleration till I am up to about 5mph above my intended speed and then let up on the gas pedal so the eco kicks in but not so much so that I fall below my desired speed limit (that usually gives me just enough cushion). And, as GreenandBlue had suggested, using the NAVI computer has helped a lot as well by providing real-time mpg to help me drive more efficiently.

I have about 5 good hills and a fair amount of 18-wheelers that I have to pass during my work commute - and I can still beat that CR estimate of 25 mpg, which I think is pretty good. They must have gotten that number while they were testing the 0-60…

I want to thank everyone for their comments on my question re Consumer Reports mileage estimate for HAH. Its encouraging to know that many persons are experiencing overall figures exceeding 30 mpg.

I would still be somewhat concerned, however, if the improvement in mileage over the normal V6 could only be achieved by using a totally different driving style. There should be a significant improvement if both vehicles are driven simultaneously over a certain route in the same manner. Presumably the EPA testing tries to simulate this as would Consumer Reports (as far as possible). Again, I would be interested to know if anyone has carried out such a "real world" test.

David,
140 miles today, Fort Worth area back to S. Oklahoma, included some stop and go city driving in Grapevine to get to a nursery that had some blossoming plants hummingbirds like, several quick ramp entries to merge, 4 quick passes from 55 to 85 miles per hour (one of the REALLY nice features of the HAH); temp was in mid-70s: 39.5 mpg for the trip, not a bad feature there, either.
Lewis