I went from a 200+ hp turbocharged car, to the HCHII. Yes, there is less punch, but no, I don't miss it much. The HCHII is surprisingly quick below 100 km/h (60 mph), but perhaps a little sluggish above.

 

I really have NO problems getting up to speed on the highway, and gunning it once in a while when necessary. I commute 160 miles per day with two adults in my car and it has completely sufficient power. The battery assist gives it the boost when you need it.

That said, however, someone who is "Worried, really worried" about power probably shouldn't be shopping for hybrids unless they're truly willing to adapt their perspective a little. With the HCH there's no power loss to be "worried" about. If you really love your 182 HP then there might be some power issues to be disappointed by, but it's nothing to worry about for safety.

 

Or I could get a 255hp Accord Hybrid! Woo hoo!

 

The Accord Hybrid will definately give you the pickup you are accustomed to having, and just a little bit more mileage than you are used to. It was designed to perform a bit better and get slightly better mileage (1mpg city) than the normal Accord EX V-6. I figured you wouldn't go for the 4 cyl Accord because the body still weighs the same but you lose about 70 hp, not a good combination for performance, and at that point, the Civic will be very comparable.

just for fun I did a comparison of the two Honda Hybrids and their counterparts from Honda's compare section of the website. I have Accord Hybrid AT, Accord Sedan AT, Civic Hybrid CVT, Civic EX AT(used EX ATs to make it as fair as possible) all info will be in that respective order.

base price with destination
32,090 ----- 27,850 ----- 22,700 ----- 19,810

mileage city/hwy
25/34 ----- 24/34 ----- 49/51 ----- 30/40

peak hp @ rpm, peak torque @ rpm
253@6000 ----- 244@6250 ----- 110@6000 ----- 140@6300
232@5000 ----- 211@5000 ----- 123@2500 ----- 128@4300
Accord Hybrid ---- Sedan EX ---- Civic Hybrid ---- Sedan EX

Vehicle Weight
3589 lbs ----- 3437 lbs ----- 2869 lbs ----- 2804 lbs

Emissions ratings
AT-PZEV ----- ULEV-2 CA & NE ----- AT-PZEV ----- ULEV-2



All have 5 star front driver and front passenger crash ratings, civic ex only one that does not have climate control

I found a site ( www.myproductadvisor.com) that gave some times, it claims the information is from J.D. Power and Associates.
Accord Hybrid 0-60 was 7.54, and the Sedan was 7.5, the 4 cyl EX 9.75 ... the Civic Hybrid 12.32, and Sedan 9.96 ... Insight CVT 12.97, MT 11.84 ... Civic Si 7.72 ... Prius 12.39.

you can find more specific things if you want, but since you were considering performance, I thought these were most relevant.

What those numbers mean to me is that the Accord is faster at higher RPMs, while also being heavier (700 lbs) and drinking more fuel (24 city 17 hwy less miles per gallon) and also costs nearly 50% more in purchase price.

But that is my biased opinion. I will be buying an FD3S RX-7 (93-96) for a little bit of fun with a 0-60 around 5 secs and I used to get around 30 mpg with careful driving before I knew how to hypermile in my FC3S RX-7s (86-91 ... I had 3 already ) then I can get back in my HCH to do my daily grind for the best of both worlds

 

Wow Shaun! Thanks for putting this together. The only other solution I've come up with is a Camry Hybrid, but quite frankly I like the Honda's design and nav system a lot better. Plus, for whatever reason, the Honda dealers around here are more ethical in terms of their price. (i.e. MSRP -vs- $2,000 or more above MSRP)

 

you are welcome, and ...

I'll add a couple more vehicles using the same stats; this time I will use the Toyota Prius CVT, Camry Hybrid CVT, Camry 4 cyl SE AT, and threw in a RX-7 (1995 5-spd) and RX-8 (2006 6-spd) ... of course all info in that respective order.

base price with destination (MSRP)
22,305 ----- 26,480 ----- 22,370 ----- 38,490 ----- 26,995

mileage city/hwy (EPA est.)
60/51 ----- 43/37 ----- 24/33 ----- 17/24 ----- 18/24

peak hp @ rpm; peak torque @ rpm
110@5000 --- 192@6000 --- 158@6000 --- 255@6500 --- 232@8500
82@4200 ---- 138@4400 --- 161@4000 --- 217@5000 --- 159@5500

Engine size in Liters
1.5L I4 Hybrid ----- 2.4L I4 Hybrid ----- 2.4L I4 ----- 1.3L rotary ----- 1.3L rotary

Vehicle Weight
2890 ----- 3637 ----- 3330 ----- 2826 ----- 3045


It would be a lot harder to find emissions ratings for these ... I feel a bit lazy right now.

0-60 times Camry Hybrid 9.52 sec; Camry 4 cyl 10.26 sec; RX-7 5.2 sec; RX8 7.11 sec.
times from same source except RX-7, which I retrieved from searching for stock 0-60 times on a search engine.

 

Great advice gumby! Today I test drove a Camry Hybrid, Civic Hybrid, and Accord Hybrid. Here are my impressions.

Camry Hybrid
Although everyone appears to be raving about the new Camry Hybrid, I wasn't that impressed. Apparently the new Camry is supposed to compete with the Accord, but it seemed much smaller. Plus, the interior quality just didn't seem as good as the Hondas. Performance was okay, but not great and the trunk is very small for a car that size.

Civic Hybrid
This is a really cool car. I love the look. I love the cab forward design. The high-tech instrumentation was the best out of all three of the cars I test drove, and the built-n navigation is amazing. It's too bad that Honda didn't make it DVD capable. That would have been really cool! However, the car is definately pokey (pun intended for gumby) by my standards. I was also surpised with the road noise. Maybe it's just me but it seemed to have a lot more road noise than either of the other vehicles I tested. Of course, it costs less, so I guess that should be expected to some degree.

Accord Hybrid
For me, this is the winner—hands down. The car was quiet, comfortable, and had the get-up-and-go I was looking for. The interior fit and finish are awesome and the trunk is pretty spacious for a hybrid. Plus, I'm realling digging the new LED tail lights.

A big thank you to everyone that helped me with this decision.

Kelly

 

So, you're going to buy it? I had a 2002 Honda Accord and really liked it.

Good luck!

 

It is wonderful you have come to your deciscion. Seat time is always fun

I am glad you like the power, and if you take some tips from around this site, you will be milking well over 40 mpg in no time, or at least during your less 'spirited' driving experiences, but even when you get on it, you will do well

I know driving spirited in the HCH I gets you over 40

Have fun!!! and I am truly happy for you. Let us all know when you get it and share your excitement