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2014 Accord Plug-In Hybrid
We've been teased by various prototypes at auto shows and in spy shots, but Honda will finally start selling the 2014 Honda Accord Plug-In Hybrid in January 2013. Part of the overhauled ninth-generation Accord lineup, which will also include four-cylinder and V6 models and a non-plug-in hybrid (completely different than the first-gen Accord Hybrid that was sold from MY 2005-2007) later in 2013, this PHEV is a slightly confounding creature. Everything works well, the car behaves exactly how you'd expect an Accord plug-in to work and the included LaneWatch display is incredibly well done, but there is more going on under the hood than will make sense to the average driver.
To differentiate the exterior of the plug-in model, the Accord PHEV gets a unique front end with blue accents in the headlights, a model-specific grille and lower fascia. The back end has a different rear bumper cap for improved aero. Special badges and shuriken shapes in the exclusive wheels are also part of the program. This all comes across somewhat poorly in photos, though. We dug the design in person, but it's not everyone's cup of tea. The PHEV also gets LED headlights that are only otherwise available on the V6 and Touring trims in the gas-only version. There is only one trim line for the PHEV and it comes in three colors: White Orchid Pearl, Crystal Black Pearl or Burnished Silver Metallic.
The interior is well thought out and functional for the most part. It's mostly the same inside as the sedan, but with an exclusive hybrid cluster and grey biofabric. Looking at the dash information area, the battery's state of charge is on the upper right, above the fuel tank gauge. On the left, the expected energy meter displays if you're draining electrons from the pack or putting them back in. Every Accord PHEV has adaptive cruise control but, as we said, the new star of the show here is LaneWatch.
The cabin's thin pillars provide excellent visibility, but Honda is going one better. In every Accord PHEV – and on some of the higher-level trims levels of the standard car – Honda is including its new LaneWatch system. This is a small camera built into the passenger side mirror that shows you the scene in the driver's blind spot on the upper central info screen. The driver can select whether this view is constant (annoying), off (then what's the point?) or only turns on when you signal you're going to turn right (the way we used it). Even though the side view will displace navigation information, it's still an incredibly effective safety device and we suspect it won't take long for side view features like this to become as common as backup cameras are today. It's intuitive and you can see both the video screen and the actual mirror with one glance.
The Accord is the first to use Honda's Earth Dreams two-motor hybrid system that employs a 2.0-liter iVTEC Atkinson cycle engine electrically coupled to a Continuously Variable Transmission. The engine does 10-percent better on fuel economy than Honda's last 2.0-liter and provides an overall power output of 196 horsepower and 226 lb-ft of torque.
We've been teased by various prototypes at auto shows and in spy shots, but Honda will finally start selling the 2014 Honda Accord Plug-In Hybrid in January 2013. Part of the overhauled ninth-generation Accord lineup, which will also include four-cylinder and V6 models and a non-plug-in hybrid (completely different than the first-gen Accord Hybrid that was sold from MY 2005-2007) later in 2013, this PHEV is a slightly confounding creature. Everything works well, the car behaves exactly how you'd expect an Accord plug-in to work and the included LaneWatch display is incredibly well done, but there is more going on under the hood than will make sense to the average driver.
To differentiate the exterior of the plug-in model, the Accord PHEV gets a unique front end with blue accents in the headlights, a model-specific grille and lower fascia. The back end has a different rear bumper cap for improved aero. Special badges and shuriken shapes in the exclusive wheels are also part of the program. This all comes across somewhat poorly in photos, though. We dug the design in person, but it's not everyone's cup of tea. The PHEV also gets LED headlights that are only otherwise available on the V6 and Touring trims in the gas-only version. There is only one trim line for the PHEV and it comes in three colors: White Orchid Pearl, Crystal Black Pearl or Burnished Silver Metallic.
The interior is well thought out and functional for the most part. It's mostly the same inside as the sedan, but with an exclusive hybrid cluster and grey biofabric. Looking at the dash information area, the battery's state of charge is on the upper right, above the fuel tank gauge. On the left, the expected energy meter displays if you're draining electrons from the pack or putting them back in. Every Accord PHEV has adaptive cruise control but, as we said, the new star of the show here is LaneWatch.
The cabin's thin pillars provide excellent visibility, but Honda is going one better. In every Accord PHEV – and on some of the higher-level trims levels of the standard car – Honda is including its new LaneWatch system. This is a small camera built into the passenger side mirror that shows you the scene in the driver's blind spot on the upper central info screen. The driver can select whether this view is constant (annoying), off (then what's the point?) or only turns on when you signal you're going to turn right (the way we used it). Even though the side view will displace navigation information, it's still an incredibly effective safety device and we suspect it won't take long for side view features like this to become as common as backup cameras are today. It's intuitive and you can see both the video screen and the actual mirror with one glance.
The Accord is the first to use Honda's Earth Dreams two-motor hybrid system that employs a 2.0-liter iVTEC Atkinson cycle engine electrically coupled to a Continuously Variable Transmission. The engine does 10-percent better on fuel economy than Honda's last 2.0-liter and provides an overall power output of 196 horsepower and 226 lb-ft of torque.
- EV Drive. Here, the only energy moving the car comes mostly from the battery. When starting with a full battery pack, the engine will not kick in under normal city driving until the pack is depleted, which should take 10-15 miles. When the driver requests "higher speeds or under high demand for acceleration," the gasoline engine will turn on "to provide additional power." This drive operation automatically comes on during deceleration. The official top speed in EV Drive is around 80 miles per hour and an
electric A/C compressor and water heater allow the car to stay in EV mode longer.
- Hybrid Drive: This is where the Accord PHEV does its best Chevrolet Volt impression. The battery is still used, when there's juice, but mostly, Hybrid Drive only gets the engine running in order to send electricity straight to the 124-kW electric traction motor. The engine does not turn the wheels directly.
- Engine Drive: Now we're in standard internal combustion territory, because this is when the gasoline engine provides direct drive of the wheels.
