Electric vehicles have gained attention and popularity recently. They certainly have their strong points such as zero emission and electric motor that doesn’t require any fuel. However, when it comes to purchase price and driving range, hybrid seems to offer the best of both worlds.
I had the opportunity to drive the 2018 Honda Accord Hybrid Touring for a week. Having a 2010 Honda Accord as our family vehicle, I already know this car is a great all-rounder. The improvements on this 2018 Hybrid version are impressive.
Gone is the rather bland people hauler appearance; the 2018 Accord Hybrid has a prominent chrome grille in the front and sloping roofline in the back. The LED headlights resemble the jewel eyes found in Acura. All in all, I think it is a stylish car!
The Touring trim comes with perforated leather seats, driver’s seat with 12-way power adjustment including 4-way power lumbar support, power adjustable front passenger seat, 2 memory settings, heated and ventilated front seats, heated back seats, 7″ colour TFT display, head up display, wireless charging, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, proximity keyless entry and the list goes on and on. Features that you think you can only find in a more premium car, I bet you can find it here.
The seats are comfortable and plush; the leather is nice and smooth. The build quality of the cabin is excellent. I did not find a single piece that feels loose or cheap. The leather-wrapped steering wheel is nice and thick. There are enough buttons on the steering wheel to get you what you need without overwhelming you with buttons. The paddle shifters feel solid but being an E-CVT, I didn’t spend too much time fiddling with the paddle shifters.
The ride is comfortable and quiet, almost as quiet as an all-electric car. The suspension is comfortable with minimal body roll for a full-sized car. However, I wasn’t a big fan of the gear selectors in buttons; I find myself far too often pressing the R button instead of P or vice versa. The steering, while light and not a whole lot of feedback, is precise. The 2.0L Atkinson 212 combined total horsepower engine is rather quick at the starting line and delivers more than sufficient power for my daily commute. Passing power is good too. I didn’t feel like I needed more power at any point during my time with the Accord Hybrid. And even if I did, there’s the Sport button to deliver even better kickdown and sporty handling.
Now comes the most important question for a hybrid car: what’s the real world fuel economy? The listed combined fuel economy from Honda is 5.1L/100km. I did 6.6L/100km and I drove about 300km. I was driving in Sport mode maybe 30% of the time, so perhaps that bumped the number up. To give it some perspective, our 2010 Accord is above 10, so 6.6 is significantly better. If I absolutely want to save on fuel, I can choose between EV (electric) and Eco modes on the 2018 Accord Hybrid.
The 2018 Accord Hybrid comes standard with Adaptive Cruise Control with Low-Speed Follow, Lane Keeping Assist System, Lane Departure Warning, Collision Mitigation Braking System, Forward Collision Warning, Honda LaneWatch blind spot display; while the Touring trim offers Blind Spot Information system with Rear Cross Traffic Monitor system.
There were numerous times the system intervenes and alerts me to correct my steering. Sometimes they were legit and some other times I wasn’t sure why the alerts came on. There were also numerous times that the Brake alert came on. I guess I was following the car in front of me a bit too close.
One thing I really liked about the head up display was being able to see the speed limit. It really deters me from speeding.
Another area that the 2018 Accord impresses me is cabin space. I thought our 2010 Accord was already very spacious, but the 2018 Accord seems to provide even more legroom. Not sure how that’s possible but Honda did it. I installed a rear-facing car seat to drive my toddler around and there is still plenty of space left in the back. The trunk space is more than enough and very easy to store things with 60/40 split. I didn’t find the trunk space being impeded by batteries.
So, what is my verdict on 2018 Honda Accord Hybrid? I would say it is a stylish family car that is great on fuel and feels quick and premium. If you are shopping for a spacious car that offers great fuel economy over a long driving range, you should definitely check out the 2018 Honda Accord Hybrid which is available now starting from $33,090.
