How Does A 2023 Honda Accord Hybrid Compare To The First Edition Released In 2005?
The 2023 Honda Accord Hybrid vastly differs from the first Accord Hybrid that debuted in 2005. The 2023 Accord Hybrid marks the eleventh-gen model of one of the most popular four-door family sedans worldwide. On the other hand, the 2005 Honda Accord Hybrid is part of the seventh-gen variant that debuted in 2002. 2005 was also the first time the Accord received a hybrid powertrain.
With four generations between them, the 2023 Accord Hybrid has a size advantage over the 2005 Accord Hybrid. It measures 195.7 inches long and has a 111.4-inch wheelbase, while the 2005 model is 189.5 inches long and has a 107.9-inch wheelbase. The size difference means the 2023 Accord Hybrid offers more room to stretch your legs, while also having 16.7 cubic feet of trunk space. The 2005 Accord Hybrid only provides 102.7 cubic feet of storage room.
Style-wise, the seventh-generation Accord has evolved into one of the most desirable iterations of the model. The eleventh-gen Accord that debuted in 2023 has inherited the basic silhouette of the tenth-gen Accord, but with more dignified, minimalistic curves and lines.
The 2005 Honda Accord Hybrid has more usable power
What's under the hood is the main difference between a 2023 and 2005 Honda Accord. Despite being the first Accord to sport a hybrid powertrain, the 2005 model comes with Honda's third-generation IMA (Integrated Motor Assist) system. The hybrid system has two electric motors and a nickel-metal hybrid (Ni-MH) battery, capable of churning 16.1 horsepower and 100 lb-ft of torque.
Moreover, the 2005 Accord Hybrid has a 3.0-liter gasoline V6 engine with single overhead camshafts (SOHC) and Honda's i-VTEC valvetrain. Combined with the hybrid components, the powertrain could produce 255 horsepower and 232 lb-ft of torque, while returning an impressive 29/37 mpg in city and highway driving. The system sends power to the front wheels using a five-speed automatic transmission.
Meanwhile, the 2023 Honda Accord Hybrid has an all-new, fourth-gen hybrid system with two electric motors, a 1.1 kWh lithium-ion battery, and a 2.0-liter Atkinson cycle four-cylinder engine to produce a combined 204 horsepower and 247 lb-ft of torque. The 2.0-liter four-banger is the first Honda engine in North America to have multistage and direct fuel injection. It turns the front wheels using a continuously variable automatic (CVT) transmission to deliver an EPA-rated 51/44 mpg in city and highway driving.
The 2023 Accord Hybrid has more safety technology
The 2005 and 2023 Honda Accord Hybrid both feature regenerative braking to recapture kinetic energy and store the power in their batteries. However, the 2023 Accord Hybrid has a safety advantage: It comes standard with Honda Sensing advanced driving assistance and includes forward collision warning, lane departure warning, collision mitigation braking, lane keeping assist, adaptive cruise control, automatic high beams, and more.
2023's Honda Accord Hybrid is a better car on paper. It may have less power than the 2005 Accord Hybrid, but it has more torque despite not having a V6 gas engine. The 2023 Accord Hybrid's smaller 2.0-liter four-cylinder gas engine is also responsible for its remarkable fuel economy.
Lastly, the 2023 Accord Hybrid has more comfort features and convenience technologies. Not everyone loves touchscreens, but the newer Accord Hybrid has a 12.3-inch infotainment screen and a 10.2-inch digital instrument cluster. It also has Apple CarPlay & Android Auto, USB-C charging ports, and over-the-air (OTA) wireless updates. Modern safety and convenient tech, compared with improving hybrid technology, means the Accord Hybrid is just as good today as it was when it debuted.