USA Today on PI Accord

[SolarExec]

USA seems to love this "Best driving feel of any electrified vehicle." but it does make your wonder if Healy has ever driven a Volt: "will be rated for 10 to 15 miles on battery power before the gas engine has to kick in. That's a lot for a plug-in, which uses much smaller battery packs than full-electric cars."

Still good that we are seeing another plug-in getting positive press.

http://beta.usatoday.com/story/money...ccord/1570363/

[Ron C]

Sorry, couldn't resist commenting. That whole "that's a lot for a plug-in" thing just pushed one of my buttons.

My nicer, more attractive alter ego posted (I don't generally do FB, but I have to for work right now so I've created a persona for that purpose)

[Eric]

Honda hasn't been very successful with its hybrids, so it will be interesting to see how this new one is received. We seldom drive more than 40 miles per day, but we often drive more than 15 miles. Thus our Volt is a much better fit for us. And no matter whether an article praises or slams the Volt, it always looks so cool in the photo that accompanies the article. Contrast that with the photo of the PI Accord. That is one ugly beast (which seems par for the course for Honda/Acura these days).

[ghostgs1]

Though I would not buy the Accord plug in, I'm glad they are doing this. I'm sure many Hondaphiles will be interested and probably would not be looking for a Volt in the alternative. This will only help further the acceptance of electric vehicles, which is a good thing.

[VikAiRious]

Yes, the more the merrier especially inferior EREV's that only get 10-15 miles EV! When these plug-ins get more generally accepted - the Volt will shine above them until someone makes a plug-in with more EV range - which will likely be the Gen2 Volt!

[Prohidium]

Honda hasn't been very successful with its hybrids, so it will be interesting to see how this new one is received. We seldom drive more than 40 miles per day, but we often drive more than 15 miles. Thus our Volt is a much better fit for us. And no matter whether an article praises or slams the Volt, it always looks so cool in the photo that accompanies the article. Contrast that with the photo of the PI Accord. That is one ugly beast (which seems par for the course for Honda/Acura these days).

It is interesting that most of us, myself included, are driving almost 100% everyday on battery and using only limited gasoline. My average daily driving is between 35 and 40 miles so my Volt is close to depleted everyday but it is very rare for me to hit ICE mode. For me, this car nails my driving perfectly right now and in the winter it will likely still be fine as I do less daily driving in the winter ( too cold to go out for lunch for example ) and if I burn a little more fuel in the winter then it is really no different compared to an ICE mobile as they burn more in winter too.

The Volt is very well designed to fit the average daily city driver. So suited in fact that they probably do not need to extend the range much more than it goes now. In other words, it would be a shame to never use gas with all of that range extending technology! Of course, I have an ICE machine for longer trips where it makes sense for comfort and luggage room and the cost of gas becomes part of your vacation as opposed to your regular household budget.

Eventually, the Volt or its replacement 10 years out will do me fine when I revert back to single vehicle retirement mode.

[justindal]

James Healey, USA Today's auto reviewer, doesn't like the Volt. He has said as much in a chat he has every Friday. So it's not surprising to me that he ranks the Accord over the Volt or any other plug-in or electric. He tested the Electric Ford Focus last week. He liked it, but didn't think it was practical.

However, I really like most of his reviews. He will not hesitate to talk about a car's failings as much as its strengths, unlike almost all the car magazines. And he admits he likes big engines and fast cars (I do too). I just think he's a little old fashioned and the Volt is too much for him. I respect his opinion on the Volt. I just strongly disagree with it.

[cnicholson]

The reality is that, on an unsubsidized basis, simpler/cheaper plug-in hybrid designs are the better path toward reducing total cost of ownership for most drivers. The Volt is a great economic proposition for many (as presented to the consumer), but Honda is making money on their cars, given the much lower bespoke R&D going into to these "parts-bin" Hybrids.....

[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

Honda hasn't been very successful with its hybrids, so it will be interesting to see how this new one is received. We seldom drive more than 40 miles per day, but we often drive more than 15 miles. Thus our Volt is a much better fit for us. And no matter whether an article praises or slams the Volt, it always looks so cool in the photo that accompanies the article. Contrast that with the photo of the PI Accord. That is one ugly beast (which seems par for the course for Honda/Acura these days).

It should be noted that the Accord Hybrid isn't an IMA hybrid. I think they've joined the ranks of the power splits.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and the market shows that enough of the beholders like Hondas.

[Ladogaboy]

Honda does have, in my opinion, an unwarranted following. I hear people speak day in and day out about Honda reliability, but every person I know with a Honda that is over 10 years old has major issues with it. It just seems that they are too proud to admit it, or they make an excuse such as, "Well, this isn't a mechanical issue." Sometimes, sure, but sometimes it is. Somehow Honda and Toyota have manufactured a mystic about reliability that people have bought into, but from my experience, Honda and Toyota cars are no more or less reliable than most cars on the market. It just seems like other owners are more willing to voice their criticism. That's just my experience, anyway.

And Honda also tends to always take the cheap way out. I'm not saying that the IMA system is bad, because it is elegant in its own way and certainly better than a non-hybrid ICE in terms of mileage. The main advantage that it has is that it is cheaper to implement than non-parallel-hybrid designs. And this smaller battery on the plug-in smacks of that as well. We'll save money because we spend less on the battery, and our customers will still buy it (even though it doesn't qualify for a $7,500 rebate) because it has "Honda reliability." Just like Toyota, which could have made a plug-in Prius years ago, they are shortchanging their customers. But, hey, if they're willing to buy it, good for them.

This is just one more car to make the top 10 list of "Traded in for a Volt."