Honda Accord Hybrid, Track Test

The Honda Accord Hybrid presents an interesting proposition for those looking for eco-friendly motoring. It also happens to feature some very interesting technology, so it’ll also certainly delight the geek in you. To start with, the Accord features an advanced hybrid two-motor powertrain, which combines a 2-litre Atkinson cycle petrol engine with two electric motors – one powering the wheels and one to charge the Li-ion battery pack. All combined together, the Accord produces 212bhp, which clearly makes it the class-topper when it comes to performance.

And you can easily feel the performance capability of the Accord, while the CVT does create some of that trademark rubber band effect, the throttle response is immediate and pushes the rather large Accord along at quite a quick pace. It also handles exceptionally well for a car of its size. The middle of the field lap time that the Accord clocked reflects this quite accurately. Interestingly, in real world use, the Accord is one of the few cars in our market that actually provides some level of electric-only usage. And, to give credit where it is due, the efficiency numbers of the Accord are quite stellar for a car of its size. When we last tested it on the road, it easily displayed fuel efficiency of between 12-14.5km/l when pushed hard, and over 16km/l when driven normally. Clearly, outstanding numbers for a car of its size. 

On the topic of size, well, if you’re looking for a comfortable sedan to drive around in every day – or be driven around in – it’ll be hard to trump the Accord. It has an excellent combination of interior space and comfort, and literally feels like a sofa on wheels with exemplary ride quality. The legroom is cavernous, the seats ultra-comfortable and the NVH is truly outstanding. And it also has some great technology to play around with, such as Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. But our favourite would have to be the central screen, which switches to a side-view camera whenever the left turn indicator is used – which means that the driver gets a better view of the left lane and has virtually no blind spots whatsoever. Very nifty indeed! 

However, while the Accord scores on technology, comfort and efficiency, its principal bugbear is its price. At a price of well over the `40 lakh mark, it’s difficult to justify the Accord over its cheaper rivals. If assembled in India, and priced lower as a result, the Accord could do much better as far as sales numbers are concerned. At present, there’s certainly not much to find fault with, other than the price. 

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