2005 Honda Accord Hybrid

Innovative engineering has been a Honda hallmark for decades. The same corporate mindset that gave the world the revolutionary low-emission CVCC (Compound Vortex Controlled Combustion) cylinder head design back in 1977 and will likely have ASIMO turning cartwheels and whistling Beethoven's 5th Symphony by the next Frankfurt auto show has struck again, and most impressively to be sure. This time, the H-Team has taken hybrid technology first seen in its petite two-place Insight to the heart of the midsize sedan market in the form of the new Accord Hybrid.

While the show-stopping changes are all found underhood, the Hybrid boasts variations on the basic Accord theme like ts unique 16-inch alloy wheels and a subtle decklid spoiler.

It's not that the Accord needed much sales bolstering. Perpetually residing at the pointy end of U.S. passenger car sales charts, it continues to impress a legion of loyalists with its practicality, reliability and value. When the 7th generation debuted in 2003, style and performance received a welcome boost. The latter being most notably enhanced by a new 3.0-liter SOHC VTEC V-6 that cranked out a heady 240 hp and 212 lb.-ft. of torque. One-upping that feat, this latest addition to the Accord family has the honor of being the world's first V-6-powered gasoline-electric hybrid. Even more important, the Accord Hybrid transitions the genre into the realm of the midsize family sedan. With total U.S. hybrid sales expected to top 200,000 units in '05, this newest member of the Accord family is projected to grab nearly a 10 percent share of the market. Its chances for achieving that goal were bolstered in early February, when the IRS decreed that Accord Hybrid buyers would be allowed to take a one-time, $2,000 tax deduction for having stepped up to a vehicle that uses an approved low-emission/high-fuel efficiency technology.


The Hybrid's power module combines the latest iteration of VTEC V-6 with the third generation of Honda's Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) hardware. Two key areas differentiate the Hybrid's i-VTEC V-6 from its conventional VTEC counterpart. For openers, i-VTEC incorporates the Variable Cylinder Management (VCM) system introduced on the 2005 Odyssey. VCM allows the engine's computer to shut down one bank of cylinders when the vehicle is cruising under light load or decelerating to help increase fuel efficiency, and to switch it off completely under extended idle conditions. The second main difference is the fitment of Honda's Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) system. Third-generation IMA consists of an amazingly thin (only 68mm) electric motor fitted between the engine and the Hybrid's 5-speed automatic transmission, plus a Nickel-Metal Hydride battery pack located under the rear seat that keeps itself charged up and ready to pump electricity into the motor using regenerative circuitry. The Gen III IMA package adds about 120 pounds to the curb weight (3,384 lbs. for an Accord EX V6 vs. 3,501 for the Hybrid), but it cranks out 10 percent more power (12kW) and 26 percent more torque (100.4 lb.-ft.) than the Gen II unit used in the Civic. Like the Civic Hybrid, the battery pack is covered by an 8-year/80,000 mile warranty.


Pair i-VTEC and IMA, and the Accord Hybrid's output numbers jump from 240 to 255 hp, and from 212 to 232 lb.-ft. of torque. In a seeming paradox, Honda's figures show this added muscle cuts 0-60 mph time from 8.0 to 7.5 seconds compared to a normal Accord V-6 while bumping EPA numbers from 21/30 mpg city/highway to 29/37 mpg and raising cruising range from 513 to 633 miles. Equally laudable, the Hybrid does so while sipping regular unleaded, and is clean enough to qualify for LEV II-ULEV status. Part of this newfound fuelishness is attributable to its bespoke the 5-speed autoshifter that's more compact than the one in the conventional V-6 and uses wider gear splits with a deeper 1st and a taller final drive ratio. It also incorporates a high-response lockup converter that can trim shift response time to 1/3 of the normal automatic, and employs an integrated oil pump that permits quick and smooth restarts when the engine goes into its programmed shutdown mode.

Inside, the Accord Hybrid offers a host of upscale touches, including leather upholstery and XM radio plus nearly all the normal comfort, convenience and safety features you'd find in an EX model.

While the show-stopping changes are all found underhood, the Hybrid incorporates numerous other variations on the basic Accord theme. Visually, it sports unique 16-inch alloy wheels and a subtle decklid spoiler. To help reduce weight, the hood, bumper frames and rear suspension knuckles are made from aluminum. The hood is supported by only one gas-pressure strut, and the space-saver spare departs in favor of a can of tire sealer and a mini air compressor, a.k.a. the Honda Instant Mobility System.