After taking a year off for 2016, Honda has announced that the midsize Accord Hybrid will be back for 2017. The big news for the revised Hybrid model is 212 hp (an increase of 16) and NRCan fuel economy ratings of 4.9/5.1/5.0 L/100 km (city/highway/combined). This makes the revised Accord Hybrid the mid-size class leader for fuel economy, and is a 4% improvement over the previous model.
In addition to getting the extensive changes the regular Accord received for 2016, the 2017 Hybrid model gets new electric motors and a revised 2.0L Atkinson-cycle gas engine. The lithuim-ion battery pack takes up 56 L of trunk space (about 12% of the standard sedan's 447 L). The Accord uses a pair of electric motors. One works conventionally, giving power to the wheels when requested. The other is used primarily for recharging the battery, but sends more power to the wheels when hard acceleration is called for. The Accord hybrid also gains an aluminum hood to save weight along with blue accents and unique wheels.
The new car gains Honda Sensing as well, Honda's package of electronic safety aids including features like lane-keep assist, adaptive cruise, emergency braking and blind spot warnings. Inside, the Accord Hybrid is mostly the same as the conventional Accord. The differences are hybrid-specific gauges and an "EV Mode" button which will allow for short drive on electric power only. Honda did not specify an all-electric range, so expect it to be very short.
Look for the 2017 Accord Hybrid in dealers later this year available in two trim levels, Hybrid and Hybrid Touring.
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