2005 Honda Accord Hybrid User Reviews

Pros

Over 275 HP and over 300 FT LBS of Torque on 38 MPG, Very reliable and comfortable!

I just got my Hybrid yesterday and found out that the Accord has been rated # 1 Family Sedan for 21 years now, and it isnt going to change any time soon! The Accord is quiter than the 2007 Mercedes S class! Wow!
Tons of power, I feel like Im driving an expensive luxury sports sedan, tires smoke so easy, and when you really let it have it, she screams with the awesomest engine pitch Ive ever heard (Because of the VTEC) All while getting 32 MPG City and 38 HWY. The Accord hybrid is a MUST HAVE!...read morehide

Pros

Great mileage, low road noise, excellent acceleration,comfortable interior.

Cons

GPS off about 300' west, no way to compensate. Not most comfortable car for 6'8" person.

Mileage:

Good mileage Denver to Irvine, CA at 70mph, or so - 34mpg
Driving around Denver mostly surface streets - 27mpg
Turn on AC in winter and drive around Denver streets - 24mpg
All on alternating between 85 and 87 Octane.

Interior:

Excellent interior design for most people. I am 6'8" and pushing the level of comfort in this car. If you are this tall then you must check out the seats before buying. Watch the handle on the ceiling as it may be perilously close to your head. I couldn't imagine a sunroof. Leather treatment with Lexol or equivalent highly recommended.

Stereo with Navi option while nice certainly doesn't match that of the Toyota line. Missing much in the mid-range.

Definitely get the all-season floor mats as they keep the car floors like new.

Ride:

Nice relatively quiet ride. Good cornering and excellent braking (except for one time). Once when the car had less than 50 miles on it, I pressed on the brakes hard to slow down for a squirrel and the car brakes were far from their usual responsive self. Sorry, but thankful it was only a squirrel. Road was dry and clean at the time. Problem has never repeated itself. Car was on IMA going down a hill and brakes felt hard to the press as if power assist wasn't there.

IMA:

Ah, the beast that doesn't seem to generate power downhill when the interior fan (no AC) is on. If one drives around with fans off then the IMA charges when decelerating or braking as expected.

Do wish that the 144V battery pack was at least double the capacity as current pack seems to drain way too fast to be effective. Most of the time my 144V battery charge state is from 1/3 to 1/2 on normal driving.

Variable Cylinder Management:

Nice boost to mileage running around on 3 cylinders. Transition is seamless to operation. Is a little sensitive when going up small hills in that it constantly goes in/out of the 3-cylinder mode. The noise reduction in the car works real well to counter the added noise from 3-cylinder operation. If you don’t believe me then while in 3-cylinder mode, place your finger over the microphone up near your head and notice the increase in low-frequency noise.

Engine shutoff at stop:

Minor bother pulling into garage. Stop in driveway waiting for door to open, engine shuts off. Drive slowly into garage and engine stops. Put car into park, engine starts. Turn engine off. Seems like lots of wear/tear. The shutdown of the engine on stop is a nice feature that if better tuned (say shutdown after 5 seconds at a stop) would be even better. Deer crossing a street seem to be very confused by the presence of my car which, while very close to them, suddenly ceases to make any noise while I wait for them to cross.

Quality:

Nice Honda quality is going to make this vehicle a keeper for many years....read morehide

Pros

GPS System, XM radio, feels great

Cons

Dashboard dim switch (dial) is misplaced, engine shut off jerky

I have about 14,000 miles on my Accord. Trouble light came on around 13000. Honda dealer kept the car for a week. Replaced the entire injector system and oxygen sensor. Honda paid for a rental car. I have no complaints. From Olympia to Seattle the car has registered 40 mpg on cruise going no more than 60 mph. This is incredable considering the car rates out a between 247 to 255 hp. Gas prices will hit $4 a gallon this summer and the extra cost for the car will pay for itself over time. I don't care about a moonroof. This car provides comfort, great acceleration, heated seats, A GREAT SOUND SYSTEM with XM, and a nav system that talks to me. I bought the car out of the chute for $30,500 (top of the line). Why would I pay 45,000 for a BMW 3 Series that does less. Status? Don't need it.

Had the windows tinted (not dark) and the car looks beautiful.

Friends, for the money you cannot beat this car. If you don't believe me read CR....read morehide

Pros

Great car

Cons

No Spare No dimming Mirror auto lights and auto locks needed

Buy it it's a Honda i went and bought the mini spare and wheel fits in the trunk 210.00 for the set up and tire mount well worth having in the trunk on a night trip. Should have locking auto doors and dimming compass mirror like otther cheaper cars and why a moon roof in 06 and not o5 did they get lighter ? Did spare tires too become lighter because 2006 Hybrids have them. !...read morehide

Pros

Comfort, performance, ease of controls, Honda reputation for quality

Cons

trunk size, lack of sunroof, no spare tire

I was fortunate enough to wait until the end of the year to purchase my Accord Hybrid. While ther selection was somewhat limited, I was able to purchase the vehicle around $1,500 under the invoice. The price I paid for the Accord Hybrid was much less than the Toyota Avalon or the Infinity G-35. Additionally, the Accord hybrid handles better than the Toyota and is much more fuel efficient than the Infinity. Overall it is great to drive. According to the readings, I am getting over 25 miles per gallon in mixed driving. This is much better than my older model Dodge.
While not as dramatic as other cars, (Hey, lets face it - It is an Accord and not a Benz) it gets you where you want to go more efficiently and comfortably....read morehide

Pros

navigation, voice commands

Cons

fuel

This is my second review for the 05 Honda Accord Hybrid. It is no hybrid regarding gas milage. It is a good car because the Accord is a good car. However, I am getting 18mpg or less in the city of Houston, even trying to take it easy as possible. We have a lot of stops due to many stop signs, traffic and lights, so the gas milage is horrific. Do not buy this car if you will be doing alot of city driving, or do not buy the hybrid....read morehide

Pros

Great Fuel Economy

Cons

High tecnology deservered design diferentiation

Despite all I have read on the posted mileage vs real; I must have picked the best of the litter for my Accord is giving me 25 - 25 galons average CITY driving with a 255 HP engine. Performance plus great mileage and safety. Much better than hat I expected.

Pros

Performance and Hybrid technology in one. Amazing acceleration. Good handling/steering. Solid car.

Cons

Strange braking sometimes when engine cuts. Needs larger tires. No moonroof or premium stereo.

I have about 6000 miles now and I am more than impressed with this vehicle. I have owned American and German cars my whole life, and it was hard for me to give in and buy a Japanese car. If I had known how good the engineering of this vehicle was, I would not have struggled with the decision. I love this car and it blows my 2001 Turbo Jetta out of the water with performance, maintenance, and the value of using regular gas with the hybrid engine.

First, let's talk about performance. I am a fast driver, just have always been that way. That means 80+ on the highway and manuevering around traffic. I have driven BMW's, VW's, Mercedes, Lexus and the like. This car performs as well, if not better, at higher speed. more than one occassion I have dusted a Bimmer with this car. So you should know this car is a performance vehicle, not your average hybrid that barely gets to 70 mph.

Second, I wanted a hybrid for the gas mileage, and also I am tired of the oil companies sucking us dry. However, I was worried that the way I drive, there would not be one for me. I was wrong!! This car blows away the last car I had, Jetta Turbo, with performance and value. In perspective, it has more hp and zip, but I can use regular gas instead of 93 octane and with the hybrid engine I average about 30 mpg. My Jetta was 18-20 mpg. With the same gas tank size, I have cut my gas bill in half. My average mpg goes like this with this car:

Stop and go - about 25-26 mpg.
Routine driving w/ some stop and go - 29-30 mpg.
Highway, I get anywhere from 35-41 mpg depending upon how aggressive I drive i.e. more acceleration. Still most of the time I am around 80 mph. 35-40 mpg at 80 mph rocks.

People that complain about their mpg with this car, must have driving problems. When I am careful and don't over accelerate and coast to stops, etc. The car easily gets me around 30 mpg, no problem. For some people they want Prius/Insight gas mileage. It isn't going to happen with this car since the engine doesn't cut below 35 mph like others do. But what do I get in return? A car that can handle any condition, still gets way better mileage other performance vehicles.
It is a large car (big back seats, wide and roomy inside), bigger than other hybrids...except the Ford Escape, which I drove and was a junker BTW (the AC doesn't even work below 30 mph. Try that in rush hour during a humid summer in Maryland)....bottom-line. This car is a compromise when it comes to a hybrid, but at least you are not sacrificing performance.

Negatives: When I come to a stop, when the engine switches to auto-stop it does this funky thing with the brakes where it feels like it slides a little. But you get used to it, and the auto-stop is saving you money, so I don't mind. I am sure this quirk will get worked out later. I really do wish for the money I spent got an awesome radio and moonroof. The moonroof is available on the 2006 I guess. Not sure about the radio situaiton on the 2006. I should also say it isn't that the radio is bad. It is solid 6 CD front-changer, XM ready, I think 8 speakers, but songs with heavy bass...gets tweaky on me and wish it had an iPod/MP3 hookup.

Bottom-line: I can live with these minor negatives for the way the car performs and for amount of gas I save. Of course, I should also say I have no problems maintenance wise besides two oil changes. My old VW already had problems at 6500 miles so I am enjoying the thought of no headaches as well. Keep you informed at later mileage points....read morehide

Pros

Good smooth ride

Cons

Don't got any

This car is really nice and makes me feel like a pro on the streets when I buy it. I love it cuz it has such a smotth ride. I feel like a superstar when I ride in it. I Love it. It ROCKS!

Pros

thrilling pickup, luxurious look ,great comfort & handling , I love to drive this car

Cons

bit smaller trunk space , cost is little bit higher

You can say it as our DREAM-CAR . We both ( me & my wife) love everything about this car . This is one of the best looking family cars . We never thought about to buy any other car since we saw it (especially in graphite pearl).It has luxuriou interior with lots of room and comfort .We are really thankful to Honda for making this environmental friendly along with gas saving technology that also gives you a thrill in terms of power and pick-up , that is ALL IN ONE / or GREAT COMBINATION.
We bought this car on 10- 30- 2005 and till now it has 2000 miles & and around 29 miles /gallon overall gas millage and also it has given us about 34 miles/gallon on a 400 miles trip. We hope the overall gas millage will also improve with time as the engine will get more smoother . It doesn't have automatic headlights , a little bit smaller trunk space and somewhat higher cost, but you can ignore all these with over all feeling of comfort with this car.
We feel great to have this car as we get lots of compliments from our family and friends ....read morehide