2018 Honda Accord Hybrid: A great midsize sedan that just happens to get 47 mpg

[MUSIC] The new tenth generation Honda Accord is an excellent, well rounded car. And that extends to its hybrid variant. This Accord hybrid delivers outstanding fuel economy but it doesn't ask you to make too many sacrifices to do so. There are no wierd looks on the outside. No unconventional driving experience behind the while. There isn't even a mass of price premium compared to the regular code. It's just a great [UNKNOWN] size of dam that happens to get 47 miles per gallon. [MUSIC] That's 47 miles per gallon city, highway, and combined, which is pretty much best in class, aside from the Toyota Camry Hybrid. That's thanks to Honda's two motor hybrid system. It uses a 2 liter gas engine with 143 horsepower, and an electric drive motor with 181 horsepower, for a total output that's 212 horsepower. [MUSIC] One thing that is interesting about this powertrain is that most of the time the gasoline engine doesn't actually directly power the front wheels. It drives a generator, which in turn powers the electric drive mode, which then turns the front wheels. What that means is that the Accord drives with sort of a smooth, slick acceleration of an electric car. It's really, really punchy around town and really smooth all of the time. I will say though that sometimes when you're really pushing it like merging onto a highway, the gas engine can sound a little bit thrashy. But it's not that often that it's gonna be a real annoyance for you. [SOUND] As you can see I've got a couple of drive modes to play with. EV forces the car to run only on electric power when the battery is charged up enough, and Eco, and sport are kind of self explanatory. But to be honest the Accord's electronics do such a good job of juggling power out put, and efficiency that for the most part I have haven't been playing with the modes. I just get in throw it in drive and, And start driving. [MUSIC] One feature I have been playing around with, though, is these paddles on the steering wheel. When you pull them, you can activate a high level of regenerative braking when you lift off the throttle. That means that the car slows down more when you lift off, but it is challenging the battery when it does that. So potentially, depending on how How you drive, that could make you more fuel efficiently. Overall, this hybrid feels a lot like a regular accord, and that's a good thing. The steering and brake feeling are really good. It's really quiet in here and the suspension does a great job of absorbing bumps before they get to my ****. All told, this hybrid doesn't make you give up too much in terms of driving satisfaction. Compared to the standard car. And that's not something I can say about every hybrid that's on sale today. Another area in which you don't make a sacrifice with the Accord hybrid is cargo space. For the 2018 model, engineers moved the battery pack under the back seats so you get the same amount of trunk space and same 60-40 folding back seat is in the regular car. That's a roomy 16.7 cubic feet of space. The cabin is plenty spacious for passengers as well, with lots of leg and head room. And the big windows make it bright and airy, whether you're sitting up front driving or riding. In the backseat. In terms of technology, I love the simplicity and responsiveness of this eight inch toughscreen entertainment system. Especially, because it also has a ton of physical shortcut buttons. The digital trip computer on the left hand side of the cluster is great too, letting me scroll through all sorts of information like navigation Info or fuel economy data while behind the wheel. Being Touring model, this Accord is also loaded up with lots of great features things like Remote Start, a sunroof, a 10-speaker sound system, cool front seats, wireless phone charging and leather upholstery It's a really lovely place to spend time. The Accord Hybrid sold in five trim levels ranging from $26,000 up to this loaded Touring model for nearly $36,000. Personally, I'd probably be okay with Accord Hybrid EX. It still gives you a lot of great equipment, but it's only $30,000 which strikes me as a reasonable price to pay for a hybrid mid-size sedan. [MUSIC] No matter which trim level you pick, the Honda Accord Hybrid impresses because it does everything and it does everything well, it's an excellent mid sized sedan and it gets really impressive fuel economy and it doesn't ask you to make any sacrifices to get that gas mileage So I ask you, where's the down side? [MUSIC]