Honda Accord goes hybrid

Honda has re-entered the hybrid market in Australia by releasing its first petrol-electric sedan and new brand flagship, the Accord Sport Hybrid, bringing class-leading fuel consumption and a $58,990 starting price.

That makes the first hybrid Accord – and the first Honda to incorporate the full suite of Earth Dreams technologies from the company – $27,500 pricier than the entry-level Accord VTi auto ($31,490 plus ORCs) and $7000 more than the Accord V6L ($51,990) on which it's based.

It also makes it significantly more expensive than the only other mid-size hybrid sedan currently available in Australia, Toyota's Camry Hybrid, which starts at $30,490 and is available in three equipment grades, although Ford is expected to release a hybrid version of its new Mondeo.

However, the Accord hybrid comes with equipment similar to the Accord V6L flagship, making its most direct rival the (rear-wheel drive) Lexus IS 300h ($57,000) rather than the top-shelf Camry Hybrid Atara SL ($40,440 plus ORCs).

Indeed, Honda says the Accord Sport hybrid aims at the premium end of the hybrid market, and will be sold exclusively through five Honda hybrid dealers in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth.

"We're not concerned with mass-market hybrid," said Honda Australia chief Stephen Collins. "Instead we'll focus on the premium end. We see the growth at the top-end of the mid-size hybrid market."

Honda was the first brand to bring hybrid vehicles to Australia, narrowly beating Toyota's Prius here with the original Insight coupe, but the Accord Sport Hybrid is the only Honda hybrid currently available in Australia following the axing of the Insight and CR-Z globally and, most recently, the Jazz and Civic hybrids Down Under.

The NSX hybrid supercar will be the next hybrid Honda model to be sold exclusively through those five metropolitan dealers, by late next year, and Honda Australia is also looking at introducing the new-generation Jazz hybrid here.

Collins said increasing sales of premium hybrid vehicles, as sales of diesel luxury vehicles slow, and the showroom failure of Honda's previous hybrid models led to the company's new premium strategy.

"The hybrid model previously wasn't working for us, so this is a new approach," he said. "Accord Sport Hybrid will sit proudly as the flagship of our range."

Collins said Honda Australia will not import the plug-in hybrid (PHEV) version of the Accord sold in the US because it would be priced even higher.

"Accord plug-in is not currently in the plan. We're still looking at it – never say never. At this point in time this Sport Hybrid is better suited to our market. Cost is an issue. The plug-in is less well suited to our market. It may be in the long-term, but not at the moment."

He added that Honda looked at a less expensive version to rival cut-price Camrys aimed at the taxi and rental fleets, but pricing prevented that.

"We're not in the business of the taxi or even rental market. This Sport Hybrid is better suited to our market and our brand," he said, adding that Honda's sole hybrid model will not be a big seller.

"This is not a volume car for us. We're not even setting a volume target. This is a technology leader. We were the first to bring hybrid, so it's very important for our brand."

Honda claims the Accord Sport Hybrid, which swaps the larger 2.4-litre four-cylinder and 3.5-litre V6 petrol engines of its stablemates for a 2.0-litre petrol-electric powertrain, is the most fuel-efficient mainstream (sub-$60,000) sedan available in Australia.

The combination of a 105kW/165Nm Atkinson-cycle 2.0-litre Intelligent-Multi Mode Drive (i-MMD) inline four-cylinder DOHC i-VTEC petrol engine with a pair of electric motors delivers maximum outputs of 146kW and 307Nm.

That gives it better performance than the Accord 2.4 (129kW/225Nm) but less than the Accord V6 (206kW/339Nm) and Camry Hybrid (151kW/350Nm).

Driving through a continuously variable automatic transmission (E-CVT) incorporating a lock-up clutch and both motors, which are powered by a 1.3kWh lithium-ion battery, it's claimed to consume just 4.6L/100km (ADR Combined) and emit only 107g/km of CO2. The Camry hybrid consumes 5.2L/100km.

Like many hybrids, it consumes less around town, where electricity can provide much of its power, with an official urban figure of just 3.7L/100km (5.2 extra urban).

Like the Camry, the Accord Sport Hybrid is not a plug-in hybrid vehicle (PHEV) and Honda Australia will not import the plug-in version of the Accord hybrid, which is claimed to run purely on electricity for up to 37km.

It does, however, debut a number of new technologies for Honda in Australia, including the company's two-motor Intelligent Multi-Mode Drive (i-MMD) hybrid system incorporating what Honda claims is the world's first electric-servo regenerative braking system and three drive modes: all-electric, hybrid (engine and motors) and engine-only.

A 124kW AC synchronous permanent-magnet propulsion motor provides primary motive power for the vehicle. When in regenerative mode, it converts kinetic energy into electrical energy to recharge the battery. A separate generator motor is driven by the petrol engine to generate electric energy to drive the propulsion motor when the vehicle is operating in Hybrid Drive Mode.

Operated by a console-mounted straight-gate shifter, the E-CVT comes with two automatic modes: D and B, the latter of which offers substantially increased regenerative braking, when driving downhill for example.

There's also an EV button behind the shifter, allowing drivers to select pure-electric operation until battery charge is depleted, when EV Mode is automatically cancelled and the petrol engine will restart. The air-conditioning compressor and water pump are both powered by the electrical system.

Based on the ninth-generation Accord released Down Under two years ago in June 2013, the hybrid Accord measures a similar 4870mm long and weighs 1642kg – just 25kg less than the Accord V6.

Honda says its roomy interior is "worthy of a premium sedan" and its key interior addition is an Intuitive Gauge Cluster ahead of the driver, dominated by a large central analogue speedo housing a high-contrast colour Multi-Information Display (MID).

The latter shows trip computer functions, hybrid energy flow, Eco Guide and Eco Score information, and is flanked by illuminated Eco Assist arcs, a digital real-time battery usage/regeneration level indicator and digital battery charge and fuel level indicator.

On the outside, specific Accord Sport Hybrid design elements include a blue-accented upper grille, headlights and LED tail-lights, LED daytime running lights, unique 18-inch alloy wheels with 235/45 R18 tyres, a revised rear bumper diffuser and special Hybrid badges on the front guards and bootlid.

Apart from these features and the powertrain, hardware exclusive to the hybrid include Amplitude Reactive Dampers, an aluminium front subframe, which replaces the steel-and-aluminium subframe used on the conventional Accord, and an aluminium rear bumper beam to help offset the extra weight of the rear-mounted battery pack.

The air/fan-cooled battery pack resides behind the rear seatback, which unlike in the standard Accord is fixed, and comes with an eight-year warranty. Boot space is reduced to 415s – 381 litres in the main section and 34 litres under the boot floor. A tyre repair kit is fitted instead of a full-size spare.

Key chassis components include electric power-assisted rack-and-pinion steering (EPS) and MacPherson strut and independent multi-link rear suspension.

In the hybrid they are accompanied by Amplitude Reactive Dampers, beefier 19mm front and 16mm rear stabiliser bars and the electric servo brake system instead of the petrol Accord's 10-inch vacuum booster. Honda says the new electric servo brake system yields an eight per cent improvement in regenerative braking effect compared to its Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) hybrid system.

Honda's Advanced Driver Assist System (ADAS) carries over, including Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC), Collision Mitigation Braking System (CMBS) and Lane Keep Assist System (LKAS), which produces up to 80 per cent of corrective force required to keep the car in its lane on dual-carriageways.

Other standard safety equipment includes LaneWatch blind-spot monitoring, a reversing camera with three modes (normal, top down and wide), whiplash-mitigating front head restraints, Active Cornering Lights (ACL), Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA), Traction Control System (TCS), Brake Assist (BA), Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD), anti-lock braking system (ABS), Emergency Stop Signal (ESS), Hill Start Assist (HSA), front/rear parking sensors, Acoustic Vehicle Alerting System (AVAS), six airbags and an auto-dimming rear-view mirror.

Inside what Honda claims is class-leading interior space, the Accord Sport Hybrid is distinguished by a black steering wheel garnish and unique hybrid instrumentation in the full-colour 8.0-inch Intelligent Multi-Information Display (i-MID), which serves as the control centre for its electronic functions and displays the multi-angle reversing camera views plus LaneWatch, fuel economy and audio functions.

Also standard is a powered sunroof, satellite-navigation, Bluetooth hands-free phone and audio connectivity, 360-Watt six-speaker sound with 5.8-inch colour touch-screen display, keyless start/entry, leather-appointed seat trim, steering wheel and gearshifter, trip computer, dual-zone climate-control with rear ventilation, auto projector-beam LED headlights, auto wipers, mirror-mounted LED turn indicators, eight-way powered front seats, driver's seat memory and foot-operated parking brake.