2005 Honda Accord Hybrid Test Drive
This was a hard test drive to go into with an open mind. I loved Hondas until my sister bought a used 1989 Prelude and the timing chain went out and destroyed the engine. Granted, the car had obviously missed some regular maintenance, but it still didn’t leave a good taste in our mouths. The dealer was even worse. I’m pretty sure the car was wrecked at some point before we bought it used from them, but they of course didn’t disclose that. When the timing chain went out I had it towed to a closer Honda dealer and they were so awful that I ended up calling AAA and having it towed AWAY from the Honda dealer (mechanic had to scramble up on the trailer to get his tools out of it before we took it). Something like $2000 later, the car was up and running again. Very little of that had to do with the Honda car corporation, but it still soured me on their cars. |
Hybrid DriverOn the exterior the Hybrid Accord looks just like the regular Accords except for three things: the small hybrid label on the back, the uglified XM antenna, and the tasteful spoiler. On the regular Accords the XM antenna is just a body-colored bump on the back of the roof. On the hybrid the bump has grown Pinnochio’s nose and is pretty awful looking, although I didn’t actually notice it until the saleswoman pointed it out. On the regular Accords the optional spoiler is a giant ricer looking thing, but on the Hybrid it’s just a small, tasteful lip. It really breaks up the bloated curves, so and as silly as this sounds, it’s one reason I wanted to drive the hybrid.
The model I drove was lacking a navigation system, which I think is the only interior option anyway on the hybrid (I’m having a hard time getting used to Honda’s trim levels). The driver seat had power adjustments, but the passenger seat was all manual, and getting power wasn’t an option for the passenger side seat. The stereo had a nice sound and the enormous volume button made it easy to control. The window switches were in a nice location, even for my short arms and overall everything felt really well laid out. The saleswoman turned on both heated seats and adjusted her climate control button to be 80 degrees while mine was set at a more reasonable 72. I was wearing a Goretex raincoat and soon was sweating like a pig, so I’d say the heat worked pretty well.
I didn’t care for the skinny steering wheel rim, but I did appreciate the radio and cruise control placement on the wheel. Fit and finish of the Accord interior was amazing. I’d say it almost matches that of my Audi A4. The A-pillars had fabric coverings and there were no visible seams or screw-covers anywhere.
The backseat was very large with lots of legroom. There are cupholders in the middle armrest which folds up to sit a 5 th passenger. Because the hybrid has batteries in the trunk, it does not have a pass through into the trunk. Just something to keep in mind if you like to take your Accord to Lowe’s.
The trunk is also smaller on the hybrid – I think by about 3 cubic feet. It was much larger than I expected. It wouldn’t hold a boxed up mitre saw, but it’d hold quite a bit of groceries.
Driving the hybrid was quite an experience. The first time I came to a full stop, I thought I’d killed the engine. I had read that they turn off, but I still wasn’t expecting the complete silence – it truly felt like I’d stalled the engine. When you hit the gas it gives a tiny shudder and then takes off with no other noticeable lag. There are various lights in the instrument dial that tell you when you’re recharging your battery and when you’re running on 3 cylinders. They’re big enough to be legible but aren’t distracting at all. Other than the engine behaving a bit differently, which wouldn’t take much time to get used to, the Accord steered well and was very quiet and smooth over our bumpy roads.
I never got the AC system working properly. The saleswoman let me take the car home to pick up Chris and by the time I got there (about 5 miles) I felt cabin sick like I feel in airplanes because the airflow just wasn’t cold or strong enough. I’d cranked it down to 66 degrees and set it at auto, but it just wasn’t blowing. Chris made some adjustments and got it working better, but by then I just wanted out of the car. It’s funny, because my A4 has one of the most complicated A/C control systems I’ve ever seen – but at least I can get it to blow cold air (admittedly I had to read the manual to figure out how, though). Some time with the Accord’s manual would probably fix the A/C problems.
Picking up Chris brought out an interesting point – seated in the passenger seat he looked like a giant because his knees hung off by about 6 inches (he’s about 5’9”). It put a lot of pressure on the back of his thighs. He fooled around with the seat controls a bit, but because that seat only adjusts forward and backward he couldn’t get comfortable. He declared it unbearably uncomfortable before we’d even made it back to the dealer. We switched seats once we got back to see if I had any problems and I did, although it was a different one. The front of the seat bottom angles up, so your rear is downhill from your knees. The seat is also tall, so while the seat bottom is plenty long enough for my legs, it rubbed uncomfortably on the backs of my knees. Meanwhile, Chris had managed to get comfortable in the driver’s seat by lowering it. So if the passenger seat had power adjustments, we could have adjusted it to be comfortable. Instead, we’re striking the Accord off our list of possible A4 replacements.