The 2015 Honda Accord Sport Hybrid has been revealed for the Australian market, two years after its world debut. Globally, the car is only on sale in the US, Japan, Thailand and now, Australia. The eco-friendly D-segment sedan premieres an all-new range of ‘Earth Dreams‘ hybrid powertrains.
Externally, the Accord Sport Hybrid differs from its conventionally-powered siblings with the adoption of a blue-tinted front grille and headlamp assemblies. Other differences include unique 18-inch wheels, a smattering of ‘Hybrid’ badges, LED tail lights with blue accents and an exclusive rear diffuser. On the inside, the only glaring difference is a reworked instrument cluster with Eco Assist display.
Under the bonnet, lies a 2.0 litre i-VTEC port-injected petrol engine that’s hooked up to a pair of electric motors, a 1.3 kWh lithium-ion battery and a DC-DC converter, tucked under the floor, behind the fixed rear seats. The powertrain, dubbed Intelligent Multi-Mode Drive (i-MMD), is more or less the same one residing under the Accord Plug-in Hybrid, sans the plug-in element.
The petrol mill itself pumps out a total of 141 hp and 165 Nm of torque. Mated to an e-CVT setup, total power output is rated at 196 hp and 307 Nm of torque. Said transmission is not exactly a CVT in the truest sense but more of a setup comprised of various components that mimic a CVT’s operation.
Three driving modes are available – EV, Hybrid and Engine modes. In EV mode, the car operates purely on electric power but only at low speeds and up to a measly range of 2 km. The minute one puts his/her foot down, the system switches over to Hybrid mode. In Hybrid mode, the petrol engine is used to juice up the second motor in the i-MMD system to create electricity, allowing access to maximum torque from zero rpm.
Finally, in Engine mode, the electric motor gets decoupled while the Atkinson-cycle engine propels the car via the single-speed e-CVT. Said mode kicks in only once the car has reached a speed of 70 km/h, presumably because sufficient momentum would have been gathered by then.
Honda Australia has, understandably, decided to remain mum on performance figures. With that said, the 2015 Honda Accord Sport Hybrid touts a fuel consumption figure of just 21.7 km/l on the Australian-spec combined cycle – bettering the 2.4 and 3.5 Accord’s figure of 12.7 and 10.9 km/l, respectively.
The Accord Sport Hybrid will be available in a single, high-spec trim. As such, it is priced at AU$58,990 (RM170,148) – making this variant the flagship of the Accord range in Australia. To justify its price tag, the car will arrive equipped as standard with a multi-angle reverse camera, front and rear parking sensors, automatic wipers and headlights, keyless entry with start-stop and a 360-watt sound system with six speakers.
Standard safety equipment and tech include six airbags, adaptive cruise control, Collision Mitigation Braking System (CMBS), Lane Keep Assist System (LKAS), blind spot monitoring system and Emergency Stop Signal (ESS) system.
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This Accord is not so popular in Oz. I see more Accord Euro there.
Honda has great RV down under.
The same fate for kimchis in OZ-> ultra low RV
camry’s engine made in China, total output 205hp just about 9hp difference with the accord’s 2.0 litre hybrid engine.
camry’s 19.7km/l vs accord’s 21.7km/l
camry 0-100kmh takes 8secs+ , accord taking less than 8secs
Conclusion here, term of engine/drivetrain effieciency
Accord won it (less FC,less engine displacement 2.0 , less power but still manage to beat the camry).
save fuel,fast,cheaper roadtax.
I just wanna ask, If Toyota is that reliable why they only provide 3years/100k km warranty ?
why not 5years unlimited mileage like the other carmaker did…
The china made engine is the 2.0 6AR series.
The hybrid with 205hp, I think is made in Aussieland.
With regards to warranty, it affects the books. The longer you give, the longer it appears as contingent liablities. So maybe UMW feel that since their brand is well know to be reliable, there is little need to compete on the warranty terms to get sales attention.
Agree with you that this Accord Hybrid is more advance then the Hyrid Synergy thingy. Reliability yet to be proven.
As long as its not a kimchi, it will have RV
If come here, hope it’s under RM200k.
Can fight Camry Hybrid if priced correctly.
I was expecting facelift.
This could be sam lor worst nightmare…
Waiting for accord facelift… hopefully honda will do something on the headlamp, hate the existing daylight… too bright & too simple desgn
honesly i’m also waiting for the honda accord facelift.
the camry even after facelift still cannot be accepted.
If its introduced in Malaysia, less and less sorhais will buy K5 and Sonata.
This will be really bad for the used car market supply situation for used kimchis