Honda Accord Sport Hybrid 2017 new car review

The first thing to notice, though, is that the 2017 Honda Accord Hybrid is a looker. It’s sport-sleek, if not sporty in its performance. In fact, it doesn’t feel at home at all on twisting, narrow roads, and the brake and steering feel are somewhat artificial. 

What it does do, though, is chew through the kilometres like a gigantic conveyer belt is rapidly passing underneath an armchair.

It’s comfortable and quiet and, best of all, ridiculously economical with quoted fuel consumption being 4.6-litres per 100km. This is a figure that’s good for a small car, let alone a mid-sized saloon with a heap of legroom for rear passengers. In comparison, the petrol automatic Suzuki Swift is quoted at 6.2-litres per 100km!

The Accord is highly fuel-efficient. The 2-litre petrol motor only activates when it’s needed. I saw speeds of 85kmh in EV mode with a slight downhill when it was possible to coast.

While the Accord mostly operates in EV mode at low speeds (if there’s sufficient battery charge), it kicks in the petrol motor for hybrid performance when you need acceleration, and when you’re cruising at high speed it mostly just uses the engine only. These three modes are fluid, with the Accord automatically switching between them to optimise performance.

You get every option that’s come out of Honda’s billions of dollars of research and development spending. In fact, Honda is so confident that it offers a five-year unlimited kilometre warranty with 24-hour, 7-day roadside assistance. 

Owner reviews of overseas equivalent 2017 models are generally fawning, touting its competence as a comfortable, feature-packed, reliable midsize car.

In terms of equipment, the Accord comes with plenty – too much to describe in detail. It’s approaching autonomous driving and has warning lane-keeping assist, making minor corrections to stay within the lines on its own as long as the road is fundamentally straight. Adaptive cruise control and autonomous emergency braking control the brakes to help prevent accidents.

There’s also a camera on the off-side rear-view mirror to help reduce your blind spot when changing lanes, along with every other multimedia bell and whistle you’d ever need.

The Accord Sport Hybrid is an alternative to the Toyota Camry Hybrid in size, but not in dollars as the Toyota is $13,000 cheaper. Ford and Mazda don’t have hybrids for the Mondeo and 6 respectively. So, that leaves you to look to Lexus as an alternative that has similar specifications, and the ES300h is the closest option.

Lexus is renowned for its fit and finish; Honda less so (not that there’s anything wrong with the Accord’s). However, the two feel quite close in terms of performance on the road.