Honda Accord PHEV: 115 MPGe for $39,780

[matt]

This morning, Honda announced a bunch of impressive numbers for the upcoming 2014 Accord Plug-In Hybrid at the Los Angeles Auto Show. To wit: 115 MPGe, estimated 49 city/45 highway/47 combined fuel economy and an MSRP of $39,780. During the announcement, the Accord PHEV was called the "highest fuel economy of any plug-in vehicle, period."

While for this may hold true for some customers, the fundamental nature of PHEVs means that actual mileage will vary widely, depending on the number of miles one can travel on the energy stored in the battery and the owners driving cycle.

For instance, the Accord with a cord can go about 13 miles before it starts burning gasoline, while the 2013 Chevy Volt – which is rated at "only" 98 MPGe and sports a similar $39,145 price tag – eschews running its internal combustion engine for around 38 miles. Of course, the Volt can only seat four, so perhaps a closer competitor might be the Ford Fusion Energi. It is rated at 100 MPGe, is said to be good for 20 initial gasoline-free miles and has a base price of $39,495.

The Accord plug-in will become the first production vehicle in America to meet the SULEV 20 requirements. The Accord Plug-In Hybrid goes on sale January 15, 2013 in California and New York. We recently got to drive the PHEV, and you can read all about that here.

 

[damon]

Alright, I am convinced. 115 MPGe for $39780, its pretty good deal if you ask me. Besides the Accord Plug in has some awesome features. Do you think there is any downfall of the car?

 

[daddywags]

I've always been a Honda man. I've been buying them since 1974 when I bought a new Civic for $2700 out the door. I was planning on buying the new Accord plug-in but the price seems a little on the high side. As has been noted the Volt will go three times as far on electric for less money. It also gets a $7500 tax credit while the Accord is only $3334. I've driven the Volt and it's a blast to drive. I would never buy one because I don't trust GM's reliability. One of the things that would prevent me from buying the Accord is the lack of a spare tire. My 2005 Accord hybrid didn't come with a spare either, but there was a place for one so it wasn't a problem. If there is no space for a spare in the plug-in hybrid, I probably wouldn't purchase it. I am very anxious to take a test drive.

 

[klaus]

I agree with the spare tire concerns - I spend too much time out of the city to not have a spare tire.

Has the pure-electric range of the Accord Plug-in been officially released, or is it just here-say? I would think that Honda would have tried to match the Volt's electric range...

 

[daddywags]

Honda has stated it will get 10 to 15 miles on battery. The Ford Fusion Energi is supposed to go 20 miles on battery and is also about the same price. And of course the Volt at 38 miles. So we have at least 3 cars all selling for a few hundred dollars of each other with very different electric ranges. However the Volt gets 37 to 40 mpg running on just the gasoline engine. And I have seen reviews of the Honda where the driver was easily getting 45 mpg with a mix of city and highway. I'm not sure what the Energi will get. And none of them have spare tires.