The new 2014 Honda Accord Hybrid drive test

After a year of the launch of the refreshed new 2013 Honda Accord, the Japanese luxury car brand has launched the 2014 hybrid version of the midsized sedan to fight it out with the other prominent hybrid rivals in the market. The new 2014 Accord Hybrid is very unlike the not so efficient 2005 version that got lost into oblivion. This one is a very efficient and elegant green sedan that is supposed to return very good mileage keeping with the class leading Toyota Camry and Ford Fusion.

The 2014 Accord Hybrid is going to be sold in the market from 31^st October, 2013 with a starting price tag of $29,155. This hybrid vehicle has a powerful 4-cylinder gasoline engine under its hood along with 2 electric motors that are run by a potential 1.3 KW lithium-ion battery. The electric motors are driven by Honda’s E-CVT system. The gasoline engine pumps in power directly to the front wheels only when the vehicle is in top gear on the highways. The combined power generated by the motors is 196HP.

The new 2014 Honda Accord Hybrid claims the fuel efficiency of an outstanding 47 mpg in a combined driving condition; however we are expecting the car to deliver around 38 mpg on the real road conditions, which is also commendable.

The new 2014 Honda Accord Hybrid is a truly efficient car as it gets very potential mechanical specifications. The entire powertrain system is really powerful and delivers superb torque.  The transition between the car’s electric-only mode and the gasoline-supported mode is also very smooth. The hybrid vehicle also has a very smooth and comfortable regenerative braking system unlike the other hybrids whose braking system is rather jerky. As expected, when we took a production version of the new Accord Hybrid for a test drive, we got an overall mileage of 38 mpg, which makes it a hybrid that can rightly fight it out with the top selling hybrid vehicles such as the Camry.

We found that this hybrid vehicle can comfortably drive through the city roads on its all electric mode only, given that you consciously drive the car below the speed of around 35 miles per hour. The vehicle also offers an EV button that lock in the system in the electric only mode to overrule your decision to speed up the car or when the battery charge is draining out.

As with quality hybrid cars, the new Accord Hybrid’s cabin is very quiet and almost vibration free and gives a better driving experience than that of the regular Accord sedan.

The only drawback of the Accord Hybrid is its big battery pack that eats into the boot space. The rear seats cannot be folded to increase the cargo space.

Keeping with Accord line-up, the Hybrid gets a comfortable and spacious interior that gets good furnishings. The car gives classy and luxurious look and feel both on the inside and the outside. Thus, the very capable Honda Accord gets all the better with the incorporation of a superb Hybrid system.