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I applaud any reduction in pollution, that's great for everyone. But I would really like to see them offer the Accord hybrid with a more fuel efficient drivetrain than the 3L V6, I mean they probably wouldn't sell as many but there are people who do choose the Accord and still want high mileage even if it's not as quick, especially families whom are rarely concerned with ultimate performance and much more concerned with fuel economy, functionality and quality, amongst the practical benefits of the Accord.

 

Wow! This is great news. Thanks for sharing this xcel.

 

I'm with ya Schwa!
I used to think that any hybrid out there is a great thing and advances the state of hybrid art, as well as hybrid acceptance by the masses. However, I'm increasingly changing my mind, and am becoming more sceptical of what I call 'power-hybrids' (as opposed to 'efficiency hybrids').
PZEV is great, but the real problem is plain and simple: mileage, and CO2 production per miles. Ok, other pollutants also act as greenhouse gases, but the less gas you use, the less you pollute and the less you contribute to global warming.
The problem with power hybrids is that they use this technology marvel to increase power, and not mileage. What if in 15 years everyone drives a hybrid, but the corporate fleet economy has not increased at all? Then one could argue that all those hybrids out there have not contributed to solving the problem.
Just today there was an article in the NY Times about the new fuel economy standards for trucks (a separate topic...) and they list the average fule economy of vehicle having gone down from 22.1 mpg in 1987 to 21 mpg in 2005. What a sad state of affairs!
So, I'm basically saying: PZEV - big deal..., and admittedly the mileage of the HAH at somewhere around 30+ mpg is not bad, but we need to do better than that to solve our oil dependency, pollution and climate change problems.
What we need is efficiency hybrids and an increase in average corporate fleet mileage.

 

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If they aren't going to sell them, why should they make them?

 

From what I just read over on Yahoo group honda-hybrid, just this year the definition of PZEV was changed. Possibly that contributed to the new rating for the '06 AH.

Rich

 

As Honda put it, they did not have their sights on saving the earth or reducing our dependence on foreign oil when they designed the HAH...they were "just trying to build a better car". And I think they suceeded. If you want ultra high MPG (in exchange for a 4-banger engine with limited power and interior that's cramped for a family of four), buy a Prius or a Civic. If you want the effortless power and smoothness of a near V-8 engine with the economy of a 4 cylinder engine and the interior room and fit/finish of a luxury sedan, then go for the HAH. It's great to get 30 mpg around town and 45 mpg on the freeway, knowing that you can still smoke that Beemer off the line when the light goes green if you want to. Let's face it, automobiles are for transportation, but they're also have traditionally been "fun" as well. I'm glad that Honda has kept the fun in motoring while also saving fuel/reducing emissions with the design of the HAH.

 

Kaymack I agree with you. I love my HAH (and I also have taffeta white by the way, great color!) and I love that I've got the perfect combination of fuel economy, power, roominess and comfort all in one package. I could have gotten the Civic Hybrid but I've owned 2 Civics in the past and I just wanted a bigger car this time. And the Prius was just not roomy enough and didn't have the power I wanted.

The HAH is perfect!!

 

I saw an '06 HAH brochure yesterday and saw a couple nice features that I liked. Moonroof, LED tail lights, turn signal lights on the rear view mirrors. Wish I could report on more, but I don't remember what else was in the brochure.