It doesn't matter what generation you belong to; Honda's core values have been set from the start. This is the company that bailed every open-minded motorist out of the 1973 oil crisis, and today, it's behind the stingiest car on sale, the Insight. All the obsessive extremities of that car - missing back seat, teardrop shape, pricey aluminum construction, missing fourth cylinder - have kept Honda ten car lengths ahead in the fuel economy race.
Forget all that. Figuring it now has enough misers in the lineup, Honda decided to use that same technology for a more traditional race. Honda calls this newest Accord variant a "performance hybrid," and considering current company, that's not a hard claim to justify. Its closest competitor (if it has one) would be the attention-hogging Toyota Prius - a car on which this V6-powered Honda has a 132% horsepower leg-up. Hmm, looks like someone's been digging for a little competitive advantage. It's a time-honored strategy: if you can't beat em, smoke em.
If you're among the alleged 50% of consumers who are aware that hybrids don't come with power cords, you may be familiar with Honda's system. Dubbed "Integrated Motor Assist," this Accord's powertrain team consists of a conventional gas engine helped out by a battery-powered electric motor that, under certain conditions, takes some of the workload off the gas engine's back. IMA also serves as a generator to capture free kinetic energy under braking or coasting for recharging the battery pack. (Well, it's free in the sense that you already paid for it via burning gas to accelerate up to speed.) IMA's last job is to be an instant starter.
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