The 2017 Accord Hybrid is a real challenger to Toyota hybrid cars

Just to note, Honda's new one motor system uses a double clutch transmission.

 

The two-second pause is similar in cause and effect as the 1st generation Volt hybrid design. It has to switch from a parallel kind of mode to the series generator mode in order to rev up the gas engine to peak HP. Making the switch in mode with the clutch takes a second or two because they try to do clutch changes at roughly matching rpms to minimize the stress on the clutch plates. This delay issue essentially went away with the different hybrid design in the 2nd generation Volt and Malibu.

My daily driver is a 1st gen Volt and this behavior doesn't bother me because I'm not frequently punching the accelerator on the freeway. People with other driving styles or those who frequently drive on rural single lane highways and pass cars regularly might be more bothered. On the other hand, they may get used to punching the accelerator a little earlier in advance of starting the passing operation.

Panasonic supplies the battery for Toyota and Ford hybrids. GM uses Hitachi these days. Honda uses Blue Energy which is a joint deal with another Japanese battery maker named GS Yuasa.

It's hard to know during a limited same-day test drive on a pre-planned route. You can either spend time evaluating the mpg or you can try to evaluate other things like handling and acceleration by pushing boundaries and generally blowing out the mpg. I'm guessing that easygoing drivers can match the EPA numbers but I'm not sure how an Accord would do if paralleled closely on the road with Prius over a 50 mile route.

I don't know. I didn't try to measure it but another driver did and said he measured over 8 seconds using a hand-held stopwatch. It's a little hard to believe that the 2014 got 7.2 and the 2017 is over 8. We will have to wait for more testing.

We got 45.8 mpg driving around roads and hills around 30-50 mph but with some stronger acceleration around curves. That felt like near Prius results for mileage. The 2nd half of the route I was harshing on the accelerator on the freeway testing passing behavior so I don't think that was useful for judging everyday mpg.

Yes, I thought the rpm was noticeably a bit high at higher freeway speeds but the noise was well muffled and largely covered by road noise at that speed. As I noted in the article, the manual Accord would be at around the same rpm in its top 6th gear.

 

Thanks! I honestly don't know much detail about it other than what I was told by a Honda engineer via a translator at the event.

 

as you mentioned, its similar like a switch between parallel and series mode, this must be an inherent defect.
toyota power split system can effectively avoid this condition.
maybe Honda need a power converter with locker instead of the clutch.

 

I hope Honda gets it right. Honestly, their hybrids haven't been bad, but I'm not interested in buying a low volume car....The Civic Hybrid is a well done car. But limited production means difficult, expensive repairs down the road, because nobody knows what to do with them and parts are rare. I mean, anyone who bought a 2015 Accord Plug-in Hybrid has to be feeling like a sucker now. Good luck finding any part for that car out of warranty. The Prius sells in the millions, so it's not exactly a concern for down the road. We have 6 years of the 3rd gen in massive numbers with proven track records, and prices for parts that align with a mass produced car, not a limited production car. .... That's what Honda needs... a consistent, successful model. I gave up long ago being the underdog. I pretty much only look for Honda, Toyota, Ford, & GM very mass produced vehicles, because being rare just means being expensive and inconvenient to fix. At times my Civic Si is frustrating, because it's such a limited production model, but thankfully the sporting nature of the car means a decent aftermarket exists, if not a huge one.

To get there, it would help if our oil prices went up a little. It would also help our economy, especially here in Texas.