StelZ, They did and it's getting great reviews.
The little hybrid engine that could
By Royal Ford, Globe Columnist | February 19, 2005
In building cleaner, more fuel-efficient vehicles -- from somewhat quirky small cars to bigger trucks and sport utility vehicles -- the auto industry is engineering, among other technologies, hybrid gasoline/ electric power plants and gasoline engines that shut off half their cylinders when demand for pull or speed is low.
Drive the 2005 Honda Accord Hybrid and you get both: Honda's Integrated Motor Assist system and the cylinder-deletion feature that turns its V-6 into an Inline-3.
It's a lot of technology packed into what is a most subtle hybrid car: no big badges proclaiming the owner's green intent; no large, integrated screen on the dash that shows wheels turning, gears churning, or energy being shipped from battery to motor.
Inside, the hybrid electronic wizardry has been simplified. Small, horizontal lines beneath the major gauges show the flow of energy. A vertical bar graph tracks the battery pack's charge. And a green flashing light lets you know when the displacement-on- demand feature shuts off half the cylinders.
Drive the new Honda hybrid and you are surprised by two things. First, it is remarkably powerful at launch, during passing, and climbing steep grades. At 255 horsepower with the electric boost, it is more powerful than the standard Accord with the same gasoline engine. Second, other than the eerie quiet that comes when braking at intersections as the gasoline engine shuts off, there is no sense this is a "different" sort of auto.
It's powered by a 3.0-liter, V-6 engine, an Accord standard. But total output is boosted by 15 horsepower, thanks to an electric motor between the gasoline power plant and the five-speed automatic transmission. There was a sense of torque steer (pulling to one side in heavy acceleration) common to front-wheel-drive cars with plenty of power.
Car and Driver magazine tests showed the car could go from 0 to 60 miles per hour in 6.7 seconds. That's fast. And who would have thought we would ever be contemplating 0-to-60 turns from a hybrid?
It is priced about $30,000, which is $3,000 to $3,500 more than the regular Accord. And no, it's not likely the extra cost will be quickly recouped by savings on fuel.
EPA ratings (always suspect in this space) peg an overall mileage figure of about 33 miles per gallon. I got 27.3 in around 800 miles of driving, although that may be because I drove it in very cold weather, which causes hybrids to lose efficiency.
Now, $30,000 may sound like a lot, but consider all the standard features on what is a comfortable, roomy, five-occupant sedan.
The leather seats are heated. The driver has eight-way power adjustments. Power moves windows, mirrors, locks. You get a CD changer, XM satellite radio link, cruise control, dual-zone climate adjustments. The car rides atop lightweight, 16-inch alloy wheels.
You ride surrounded by standard safety features that include, besides ABS and traction control, a cocoon of front and rear air bags for front, side, and head.
To counter the weight that the battery pack adds, aluminum and magnesium are used in key areas, and the sunroof has been eliminated. Lost to the space of the battery pack are a couple of cubic feet of trunk space and the ability to fold flat the rear seat back.
Honda plans to build about 20,000 Accord Hybrids each year in the United States -- probably not enough. Hybrids are bursting out all over, and shopping means a cruise among cars that vary widely, for now.
US companies admit they did not catch the first wave; they never paddled out to try. But as hybridization spreads to cars, trucks, minivans, and SUVs, a new breed of buyer may be emerging: folks who like the quiet, smooth power of electric assist packaged in a car that everyone will recognize -- even if it doesn't scream "I'm green with intent, you should be green with envy."
$8.00 a gallon YIKES.. That would have everyone driving those GIANT SUV'S trading them in big time here. :wah: