Thoughts on Accord Hybrid

[payne171]

I currently own a 2001 Saturn L300 with a v6. I have taken good care of the mechanicals and have managed 27 mpg (29 summer, 25 winter), I am starting to get the sneaking suspicion that the transmission will be the first major breakdown, nothing concrete, but I would like to trade it in before it dies on me.
I like the size of the car, but my commute puts about 25000 miles on a car per year. If I want to stay about that size and save money on fuel and maintenance, I figure that leaves me the Accord Hybrid, a Passat Tdi, or a four cylinder. I don't mind a manual transmission, but I prefer being able to pass someone without raising my blood pressure.
My preliminary favorite, as you might have guessed, is the Accord Hybrid. I feel like it offers what I want, and I think I could stay in 3 cyl mode a lot with disciplined driving and the right mods.
Thoughts?

PS-Aero is a good mod. Do you think a slightly lower profile tire would help keep in 3 cylinder mode or fail and hurt mileage due to functionally shorter gearing? (Yes I know the speedo would be a little off. Might help me avoid tickets)

[Domman56]

Shoot as ha hotrod guy i love the accord hybrid around 20 MORE horsepower than the regular V6 accord and they're actually pretty well built cars too I love all the TDi's too just cause i'm a huge diesel fan but i think the accord hybrid would be a Great upgrade from your saturn Good luck with findin one

[Daox]

I'd consider the Fusion hybrid waaay before the Accord hybrid. Its leaps and bounds better in epa ratings, and everyone has good things to say about it. We're talking almost 100% better mileage in the city, and 16% on the highway. The TDI would be my 2nd choice, but the Fusion hybrid will eat it alive at anything but highway speeds.

[tjts1]

I drove my friend's accord hybrid a few times. Its fast. Like way faster than you would expect from the V6.

[poonamt93]

Hybrid Technology is one of the best technology develop now a days in automobile world & doing great.
Hybrid cars are considered to be alternatives to standard fuels because they can run on either a gas engine or be powered by the rechargeable energy storage system.
I would like to stay upgrade with this technology, so keep posting…..!!

[jkp1187]

It's funny...I seemed to recall the Accord Hybrid getting ~ same MPG as the 4-cyl Accord, but when I went to check on Fueleconomy.gov, the difference was:

(2005 model year)
engine: city/hwy/ttl

4cyl: 21/31/24
6cyl Hybrid: 25/33/28

I'd say go for it. It would be neat to have a car that's somewhat rare....the only thing I'd be worried about, though, is that because it is somewhat rare AND a hybrid, you probably won't be able to service it at anyplace other than the dealership. (And since the last model year was 2007, and since Honda had 3/36 warranties, I believe, you probably won't be able to find one still under warranty.)

Obviously a newer hybrid would be 'better', but if you're looking to save money by buying a car several years older, that doesn't necessarily help you.

You might also be interested in a used Accord 4-cyl or an Acura TSX 4-cyl...I've driven both, and they really don't lack for power...the TSX had 200 HP despte being a 4-cyl anyway. (Obviously they don't have as good fuel economy as a hybrid or diesel, though.)

[payne171]

Loooooove the Fusion, but it's almost twice what I want to spend. Camry Hybrid is a little high too. If you look hard enough the accord sneaks in though. As for the post calling hybrid tech the greatest thing since sliced bread, I'm not drinking the kool-aid (yet). I really believe their greatest value is as an intermediary step to EV's in that they will advance automotive battery and electric motor tech to a large extent. As a used car, though, they are value added economically. Truth be told, my ex brother-in-law is a ford engineer seemingly on the fast track. I keep trying to convince him that a 500cc two-stroke direct injection, turbo two cylinder is capable of 150hp and capable of at least hybrid economy without all of those toxic batteries, and DI two strokes are pretty clean. Until then, an accord hybrid is pretty appealing.

[cfg83]

payne171 -

Originally Posted by payne171

...

PS-Aero is a good mod. Do you think a slightly lower profile tire would help keep in 3 cylinder mode or fail and hurt mileage due to functionally shorter gearing? (Yes I know the speedo would be a little off. Might help me avoid tickets)

I always like the idea of a different drivetrain on Ecomodder. Because I lost my cruise-control when I went "one-size-up" on my tires [EDIT:] with a taller 5th gear, I wonder if a(n even small) change in gearing would screw with the programming logic of the "3-cylinder-mode". I just don't know. I think that's a Honda mechanic question.

CarloSW2

[jkp1187]

Originally Posted by cfg83

payne171 -



I always like the idea of a different drivetrain on Ecomodder. Because I lost my cruise-control when I went "one-size-up" on my tires, I wonder if a(n even small) change in gearing would screw with the programming logic of the "3-cylinder-mode". I just don't know. I think that's a Honda mechanic question.

CarloSW2

You lost your cruise control just by plus-sizing the tires? I've never heard of that before. What happened?

[cfg83]

jkp1187 -

Originally Posted by jkp1187

You lost your cruise control just by plus-sizing the tires? I've never heard of that before. What happened?

[EDIT: I mistyped in my above post. I meant when I changed my gearing, not my tires. This response is about changing *gears*]

(This is only intelligent speculation on my part, because I don't have the source code)

The OEM Saturn Cruise Control will only engage in the top gear. The ECU/PCM looks for a 5th gear MPH/RPM combination (or ratio?) that is above 25 MPH. Because I reduced my 5th gear RPMs, the ECU/PCM never sees an MPH/RPM combo that "qualifies" for CC. The end result is that the ECU/PCM ignores my CC request.

There was never an aftermarket for reprogramming Saturn S-Series ECU/PCMs, so it's not easy to fix.

CarloSW2