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Hybrid Vehicles Honda Accord Hybrid Honda Accord Hybrid: Driving Tips & Tricks
89 messages, Last post on Jan 29, 2009 at 9:30 AM
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gagrice, where did you get your numbers? Everyone on this forum is reporting high 20's and low 30's with vehicles that are not broken in yet. Are you making them up? Actual mileage posted for the HAH on this thread and greenhybrid.com varies from 19 mpg to 33 mpg. only one poster has averaged over 26.5 mpg calculated at fill up. That person has a 36 mile per day commute. For that long of a commute 33 mpg does not set my world on fire. I'm looking for cars with serious mileage gain. HAH is not getting the mileage of even the Escape hybrid. How is comparing the Accord 4 to the hybrid such a stretch. The EX 4 cylinder has more than enough power for any US highway need. Plus you get the moonroof and a full size trunk. I find this HP race very anti-environmental and dangerous. Most people on the highways have more HP than they can handle. You posted getting 29.7 mpg with the HAH. If I had spent $10k over the exact same car with the only difference is faster 0-60 and worse emissions rating, I'd be mighty upset. In San Diego the difference is even greater as the HAH I sat in was $34k plus without NAV. Honda has a couple cars I have on my list. The Odyssey EX-L W/NAV. If I was forced into commuting I would consider the HCH or Insight. I can tell you from experience the HAH is not that plush to sell for $34k-$36k. The 4 cylinder EX W/NAV is not a bad little car for the money. And it is available as PZEV if you are environmentally concerned. PS Edmund's review says the brakes are still sub-par & the handling tepid. I would add especially for a car that is 0-60 in 6.5 seconds. |
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I have had mine since December. I replaced a 1998 Toyota Corolla (manual) that got about 32 mpg. I have been sorely dissapointed with the mileage so far (on my 3rd tank of gas). I think the best I have seen so far is 30 mpg on the highway (admittedly, cruising at about 75 mph). City driving has run between 23-25. If it is still this low after the 1000 mile mark, I think I may take it to the dealer to see if there is something off with my car, especially after reading this forum. The mileage does appear better if you can keep the eco light on, this is not so easy! I've tried to use rcruise control, but that is not much fun. My other complaint is that the trunk is quite small, especially its side-to-side width. There is no way to fit anything awkward in there. Good things - it's incredibly quite, handles well enough, has all the power I need, and big enough for five. I'm just concerened about my low mileage. |
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Replying to: ankh126 (Jan 13, 2005 12:24 pm) |
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Replying to: ankh126 (Jan 13, 2005 12:24 pm) Thank you for adding to the list of those concerned about mileage, that has not matched the hype. If you got 32 MPG with your old car I would imagine you drove it the same as your new one. Many on here will find fault with your driving. I think it is the design that is at fault. It is like putting someone in a Porsche and telling them not to go over 55 mph. It is not going to happen. There are cars in the HAH class that get better mileage and from all the posts out handle and are more fun to drive. Plus they are not limited to being driven slow for good mileage & some even cost less to buy. PS Welcome the the Edmund's Forum!! |
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Replying to: ankh126 (Jan 13, 2005 12:24 pm) How long do you idle your car after a cold start? How long do you drive after a cold start? How long do you normally drive anyway? What is the kind of traffic do you encounter? And after all is said and done, sometimes it can take 3-5K miles on the odometer for fuel economy to settle down. Don’t worry about it during break-in, and for the first few thousand miles. Even with my 1998 Accord (a non-hybrid, of course), I noticed couple of things after about 7-8K miles: Mileage improved a little The power train was much-much smoother and decisive Answer my questions (above) and let us see if I can try to help you do better than you have so far and before you hit about 5K miles. BTW, don't expect Accord Hybrid to beat Corolla or Civic mileage. Only match it. Also, you were getting 32 mpg with manual transmission. An automatic would have given you a few mpgs less and thats what you've got with HAH.
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Replying to: robertsmx (Jan 13, 2005 1:55 pm) How long do you idle your car after a cold start? I live in Chicago, so a cold start is pretty cold. I don't let the car warm up first, I just get in and drive. I figure plenty of gasoline is wasted letting the car set there warming up (although I don't know how much) How long do you drive after a cold start? I have about a 25 minute (+/- 5) commute, around 12 miles on relatively fast city streets (35 -50 mph). I know the timing sequences of most of the lights, so I don't usually race from one to the next. How long do you normally drive anyway? On some days this is my only drive. Sometimes I might go elsewhere requiring 10 -25 highway miles (average speed in Chicago is 75, and it's hard to go that slow in this car!), plus another 5-10 miles fast city driving. Not very many short 1-2 mile drives (I'd rather walk) I know that this is the break-in period, that the weather is cold, etc, etc, but I got this car as a replacement for the 98 Corolla, and had some expectation that I would be running around that mileage with enough room to fit my family (and heck, 255 HP, luxury interior, yadda yadda is nothing to be ashamed of). I am just surprised at how far below the mileage estimate has been compared to actual use - - we're talking 25-30% off!
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Replying to: ankh126 (Jan 14, 2005 9:10 am) Your claim that you don’t resort to excessive idling suggests that it can’t be used an excuse because idling does get you 0 mpg, hybrids or non-hybrids alike. And cars warm up better when moving. My cold start idling is typically 15-20 seconds with light footed driving for an eighth of a mile. With a warmed up car (hybrid or non-hybrid), your regular driving doesn’t seem to be harsh on fuel economy either. So, that sounds good as well. Now, hard to resist going fast is going to play a role in fuel economy, however. I typically get about 32 mpg in my Accord when I average about 70 mph on highway, but 75-80 mpg returns me about 30 mpg (a drop of 6-7%). After all is said and done, I too would expect you to get 28-30 mpg (in mostly city driving), or an additional mpg or two if some highway is involved. By comparison, I get 23-24 mpg in my four cylinder Accord with mostly city driving (and on highway, like you said, it is hard to resist the average speed and I live in Dallas area!). After break-in, you should end up getting mileage similar to your manual transmission Corolla. BTW, I have averaged 28-29 mpg in (rental) Corollas, but of course, they come with automatic transmission, and have managed around 34 mpg or so on couple of pure highway trips. And Corolla is a car I rarely feel like pushing beyond 70 mph (unlike the 1988 Corolla GT-S coupe that I owned... it was a pleasure to drive). |
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I took my HAH with 822 miles on it up to the mountains this weekend. It performed quite well in below freezing temperatures and ice/sludge conditions. I'm still waiting for my mileage boost at 1000, and I'm trying to channel Viet's driving style, which has proved to be difficult. On the trip I averaged 29.5 mpg, but that was in D3 for an hour up the mountain, with the climate control on auto the whole time. 2 interesting things I noticed: Electric steering- While in bumper to bumper traffic coming down the hill in auto stop on a turn, the wheel wanted to stay in the turn until I got the engine going for 5-10 seconds ( I was coasting at less than 5 mph for a while in post ski traffic). Drone effect- My dog was hanging his head out the window in the back seat, and the other 3 windows were up. When the 3 cylinders shut down ( we know they don't really stop, see above posts) it sounded vaguely like a helicopter in the cabin. More observations to come. Still trying to stay in the eco zone, but have a bit of a leadfoot. |
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I'm new to automatic transmission cars, since the only other 2 real cars I've driven a lot were manuals. I know that automatics generally don't coast as well as my manuals would when I would put them in neutral. (That is, I know that for a manual car and an automatic car of the same weight and same speed, the manual in neutral will coast farther than the automatic in drive.) But is the HAH's coast-ability about the same as other automatic cars of similar size? I notice that the downshifting and engine braking really take away a lot of momentum. I also wonder if the charging function (green lights) also contributes to the momentum drain. Comments? |
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As someone asked early on whether 22 was a mistake, no. Unfortunately I really am only getting 22 with calm driving in 40 degree weather. It has been helpful to hear that others are getting better as I have something to take to the dealership shop if it doesn't improve after another tank. I am skeptical, however, as to what, if anything they will do. How do I prove I am not driving in such a way that takes more gas?
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