If everything goes well....

...I'll be a new owner of a 2006 Graphite Pearl HAH. It was a tough decision between this and the TCH. But 2 things yesterday changed my mind alot, and of course my wife.

Went to a Toyota dealer in the morning and got around $1500 off MSRP on the TCH, was pretty sure on getting that. However, there were 2 things, the trunk space was really limited. I brought my cooler & stuff that I usually put on my 2000 Accord, and after putting the cooler, there wasn't much space left. But the price & future gas savings made it pretty attractive for me.

So...

Went to a Honda dealer in the afternoon to check on prices & deal. I manage to negotiate so they got around 3% over invoice for it. Although it would be around $2000 more expensive than the TCH in the end, the trunk space(my wife really emphasized this point) and performance was the deal breaker. Plus, the salesman was really nice(no pressuring, gave us time to discuss(aka he left us so we can talk about it)), been talking to him since last October, really patient.

Won't get the FE I was hoping for, maybe it would be better than my 2000 I4 Accord, but the handling was a life saver yesterday.

I'll really have to read up on some driving techniques to get the best FE possible.

Congratulations!

Did you get the navigation system? Why did you go with the Graphite Pearl color? I'm going to be purchasing an Accord in a few days and I really like the Graphite Pearl, but my wife thinks the color is dull. I think it's incredibly classy. Plus, I'm really getting tired of silver* (her choice).

Thanks,
Kelly


* No offense to you silver owners.

To tell you the truth, it wasn't the color I wanted at first. But it was the only one left, thus only way to get the deal.

However, the colour is actually really nice. Not deep black, but not silver either. For me, there seems to be a slight tint of blue. Really nice colour for a shiny surface.

Congrats on the new car!

<Best Tank Economy!><Best Tank Endurance!>

Enjoy your new car. I purchased the TCH, but I have to admit the trunk is a major shortcoming. In my opinion that's the only one, but if you're a family of four looking at going on a family vacation with all the luggage that's a major downfall.

I do admit the HAH outperforms it, but that wasn't a major shortcoming to me. I was buying a hybrid for economy, not performance. But that's just me.

I agree with you about the fuel economy, hence it was a such a tough decision. But when it comes to your life vs FE, I'll take the first.

Congratulations on your new hybrid!!
hope you will enjoy it!

What do you mean "your life" vs FE?


The TCH has been tested at 7.3 seconds to 60 (R&T), much faster than the standard 4 cyl versions of both the Accord and Camry. Its also faster than the previous generation Camry V6.

In terms of safety, the VDIM stability control system on the Camry Hybrid is far more sophisticated than the Accord's, and is the only one in the midsize class to fully integrate VSC, traction control and ABS. In emergency avoidance manuevers, the TCH will give up nothing to the Accord.

I nearly bought an Accord Hybrid myself, so I'm hardly a "hater," I just think your comment is...well, not accurate.

As far as trunk space, both cars are pretty weak. My recollection is that the HAH is at 11.2 cubic feet, while the TCH is around 10.6. Not that much difference.

For the trunk space, it's not the numbers, but rather how well the space that's available is used.

I brought my 2 coolers(40 quarts) & a box that I usually put in my regular car to check the trunk on both cars. I couldn't put the two in a column in the TCH as there wasn't enough space with the fan blocking the top section abit. Once I put the 2 coolers in, there wasn't much space for other things with the 12V battery taking up space on the side.

I prefer the handling of the Accord more. Partly my last car was an Accord too.