Last week’s CR-V and this Accord Sport both have Honda’s new so-called two-motor hybrid system. Two electric motors, that is: one helps drive the wheels and the second is a generator that recharges the batteries of the first. Dividing up these tasks, Honda says, makes for more efficiency and better response.
But these are hybrids, not pure electric vehicles, so there’s also a third engine: a 2-litre inline 4-cylinder that burns petrol. Overall, total system output is 204 horsepower and 247 pound-feet of torque.
Those aren’t big numbers, but when pulling away from a standstill, the electric motor gives this Accord (and the CR-V – all gas-electric hybrids, really) an instant torque boost for extra acceleration. Then, as the speed increases, the combustion engine begins to take over. In order to save fuel, the electric motor drives the car alone if possible, but gas and electric motors usually work together.
The first hybrid car in America was the 2000 Honda Insight. What made this technology possible was an on-board computer powerful enough to handle all the different aspects of driving — acceleration, braking, coasting, coasting, idling — with a number of variables like to match the slope of the road, the weight of the vehicle, etc. driver’s urgency, even the air temperature, the friction of the tires, the road surface, head wind and cross wind and other indirect factors.
Taking all this information into account, the computer decided on a moment-to-moment basis which engine should do how much work, and how and when to divert some energy to recharge the electric batteries. Today, 23 years after that first insight, with orders of magnitude more computing power available, we would expect hybrid cars to be so much smoother, more enjoyable, and maybe even more efficient.
Indeed they are, and there are currently no better examples of this than these two Hondas, where it’s almost impossible to spot any early hybrid hiccups: the gas-to-electric and electric-to-gas transitions are invisible; no more stiff regenerative brakes or incredibly light steering; and they certainly don’t feel like flimsy microlights.
The only way we can see what’s going on under the hood is by bringing up the Power Flow page on the touchscreen, which shows us in a nifty real-time pictogram where the power is coming from and how many kilometers per gallon, as well as the status of the battery pack and when it is charged. Honda expects dual-engine hybrids to account for half of Accord sales.
Both the CR-V and Accord also come with continuously variable CVT automatic transmissions, but the CR-V shifter has a “B” setting that boosts regenerative braking – slowing the vehicle by friction causing the wheels to move Bring spinning the generator – while the Accord driver can use paddle shifters on the steering wheel to select more braking and battery regeneration by “downshifting”. The same system but different approaches to suit each vehicle’s type, utility or sport.
Along with this linear shift control, the hybrid Accord also offers Normal, Sport and Econ driving modes, as well as a custom setting that allows the driver to mix and match steering feel and powertrain and cruise control response. Every Accord, whether leather-lined or cloth-trimmed, hybrid or petrol, is equipped with Honda’s Sensing suite of driver assistance and safety technology.
Each Accord also features Torque Vectoring, which sends extra power to the outside drive wheel in a turn. This, plus the Accord’s inherent stiffness and near-perfect suspension, lets the car hurtle down a twisting back road at amazing speeds.
This is the 11th generation of the Accord, which according to Honda has been the best-selling car (not truck or SUV) in America for the last 50 years; and more than 40 of those years Accords were made in the USA. Five decades of evolution have made the Accord exceptionally driver and passenger friendly; and this one has all the advantages and none of the old shortcomings of hybrid and front-wheel drive. They don’t all have to be SUVs, and the Accord is a brilliant example of that.
The Accord line starts at $28,390 (including destination fees) with the LX trim and moves through five more tiers to the Touring Hybrid, which starts at $38,435. Our mid-pack sport hybrid was $31,895, totaling $33,445 with custom paint and destination fees. Given today’s average new car price of around $48,000, that feels like tremendous value.
Next week: The Honda Pilot Trailsport
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