Any plans to ditch the leather?
 

I am sad to say that I immediately ruled out the Accord Hybrid as soon as I found out there was no option for cloth interior. As an evironmentally conscious citizen who is also interested in fair treatment for animals, I won't consider a car with leather interior. Has anyone heard of future plans to make this car available in cloth? I really like what Honda can bring to market and I'm quite interested in the higher performance engine, so I'd really like to add them to a future considerations list.

In the meantime, I absolutely love my 05 Escape Hybrid 4WD and would recommend it to anyone considering their options available on the market right now.

Re: Any plans to ditch the leather?
 

Hi Fired_up:

___Although I do not share your view on leather interiors, I do think it is a very valid concern for many including yourself that may think similarly.

___With that, have you considered a PZEV based non-hybrid Accord LX or EX instead? They will not achieve quite the same FE as that of the AH but are pretty close (29/37 vs. 24/34 w/ Auto). These Accord’s in PZEV format are also cleaner (SMOG emissions wise) then your Escape HEV, the AH, and even a Prius II! Given these lesser trimmed Accord’s come equipped with cloth as standard and can be purchased for what I consider to be a song in today’s hyper-competitive new car sales market (< $18K / < $20K respectively), it might be just the thing you are looking for to round out your clean car purchases? The 06 Accord refresh is just a few months away and it is supposed to be an extensive update from what I have been reading?

___If a non-leather equipped hybrid is a minimum requirement; do not forget that the 06/07 Camry will be hybridized and available by mid 06 or thereabouts supposedly?

___Good Luck

___Wayne R. Gerdes
___Waynegerdes@earthlink.net

Re: Any plans to ditch the leather?
 

Hi Fireup,

I hope you would be also a vegeterian. I prefer a leather interior for easy maintenance and elegance. Sorry, you missed a great chance to buy an excellent (HAH) hybrid. I love my HAH every single nano-second. The Escape hybrid cannot be compared to the HAH as I do not want to say it is inferior to the HAH.

Re: Any plans to ditch the leather?
 

You are correct, I choose to eat virtually no meat and if I do eat any, I am careful to choose free range and non-artificially injected products.

As for looking to discuss which car is superior, I have no intent - it would be like comparing apples and oranges. One is a truck and one is a car. My point is that I'm proud to have gone Hybrid, no matter what the vehicle is and that I too am sorry that I have missed out on the opportunity to love the Accord. A family member of mine has a 2001 Accord Coupe and has had a wonderful experience with the car. I would really have liked to have considered it.

I do hope that your message was simply to express your happiness with your car and not to criticize those who are not among the HAH famliy.

Re: Any plans to ditch the leather?
 

How available are PZEV cars in the midwest? I've heard how much better that Civic is than even it's Hybrid equivalent. I shelled out enough on my recent purchase that I'm not in the market again anytime soon, but I'm always looking to spread the good news on alternative vehicles! Thanks again for your post. I appreciate your thoughts.

Re: Any plans to ditch the leather?
 

Hi Fired_up:

___If you have read any of Viet’s AH or Accord posts here or over in the Edmunds Accord Hybrid forums in the past, you will find he is the epitome of the Honda and especially Accord enthusiast. He would not mean harm to anyone, anywhere, at anytime from what I have seen of his posts in the last 3 to 6 months.

___And on to the PZEV automobiles. The non-hybrid Civic is not available in a PZEV format other then the NG (Natural Gas) version. The HCH is, although only in the 5 + clean states. As you have surmised, the PZEV based HCH and/or Accord are not available in the Midwest so you would have to travel some distance to pick one or the other up. If you think like an environmentalist (it sounds as if you do?), the trip out to CA., MA., ME., NY., or VT. for either PZEV is definitely worth the trip. The 1,000 miles out to MA. and the 1,000 miles back for my PZEV brought me at least 2,000 miles of smiles if that helps :)

___Good Luck

___Wayne R. Gerdes
___Waynegerdes@earthlink.net

Re: Any plans to ditch the leather?
 

Hi FireUp:

URL below contains testimonials by Honda' fans around the globe. I am not so insane about my beloved fleet of Accord. Just for your quick info. my 95 EX Accord with over 200K miles has been "Hondamatic reborn". Now it purs proudly again on every way I drive. This car is very fast. It seems I do not need the power of my other V6 Accord or the HAH. I am sorry for your quick decision to buy a Ford Escape hybrid. A Honda truck Ridgeline may be your much better alternative. It just got 5 stars safety rating.

http://www.hondabeat.com/highmiles.php?intStart=125

Re: Any plans to ditch the leather?
 

Hmmmm....let's see. Honda Ridgeline: 16city/21hwy. AWD Ford Escape Hybrid: 33city/29hwy. One is a full-size truck. The other is a compact SUV.

For those of us that need AWD traction and some utility(above the standard 4dr sedan), but still want good fuel economy...the FEH fits nicely.

At least this time you're comparing grapefruits to oranges.:)

I'm so glad you enjoy your Honda. FWIW, I just bought an FEH and am very pleased with my purchase.;)

Nate

Re: Any plans to ditch the leather?
 

Hi Fired_Up

Honda truck Ridgeline has two layers of storage compartment so owner can have double storage. I bet female owners would love it to store their shopping stuff. It looks like a solid rock. You may want to test your FEH on 45% sloping hills to see how it performs. Congratulations on your new FEH.