혼다어코드 하이브리드 영문 소개자료 입니다.

미국에서 소개된 혼다 어코드 하이브리드 자료를 받았습니다. 국내와 다른 각도에서 리뷰한 자료입니다. 영어로 되었지만 어려운 단어는 없으니,  즐겁게 읽어 보면 차를 이해하는데 도움이 될 듯 합니다.
Honda’s Accord, the car that more than any other model identified Japan as theforce to be reckoned with in the U.S., is celebrating its 40th birthday this year. While many Kirins surely were tipped toasting the 12.7 million Accords that have been sold here—not to mention the 30 Car and Driver 10Best trophies the car has earned—Honda didn’t secure its place in the world’s most competitive market by dwelling on the past. The Japanese automaker ruthlessly identified and attacked its next goal, in this instance a 50-mpg hybrid to crown the ninth-generation Accord range.
The 2017 Accord hybrid is a key step in Honda’s move to electrified vehicles with an expanding range of hybrids, plug-in hybrids, fuel-cell models, and battery electrics. By 2030, Honda hopes two-thirds of its global fleet will be electrified, come what may in fuel prices, government edicts, and customer whims.Toward that end, the new 2017 Accord hybrid we recently drove in Napa Valley, California, embodies comprehensive improvements over the previous Accord hybrid that Honda built and sold here in modest volumes in 2014 and 2015.First of all, the new hybrid benefits fromupdates bestowed on the Accord range for 2016, in which the cars were facelifted, lightened, and structurally stiffened. Additionally, hybrid production was moved from Ohio to Japan to expand the global supply and more than double the number of cars available. (The model is sold in all 50 states.)
To create the new, better hybrid, Honda engineers gave it a more powerful 2.0-liter Atkinson-cycle four-cylinder engine; two smaller, lighter, and more energetic AC motor/generators; a more compact lithium-ion battery pack and electronic control unit; significant aerodynamic improvements and reduced friction; and a wealth of driver assists and creature comforts. The one major carryover is the basic powertrain arrangement: What Honda calls a two-motor hybrid-drive system combines combustion and electric-energy conversion with fixed drive ratios.
After a few hundred miles of driving, here’s our assessment: The new Accord hybrid is quiet and comfortable for drivers and passengers alike, and seat-of-the-pants acceleration and braking performances should exceed most expectations. Now for the near misses: Although its EPA estimates are the best of the mid-size hybrid sedans, the new Honda doesn’t top the Toyota Prius’s figures or the 2014–2015 Accord hybrid’scity mpg rating. And while other members of the Accord family equipped with conventional powertrains show true sports-sedan verve, this hybrid wanders off in the science-project direction too often to impress those with enthusiasm for driving.
From a stoplight, it literally motors off with smooth, silent electric torque answering the tap of the accelerator pedal. With gentle pressure and sufficient charge in the 1.3-kWh battery pack, you can sneak past 60 mph in EV Drive mode for a mile or so without rousing the engine. When the engine does fire, it spins a generator to provide AC current to the always-engaged electric motor while concurrently sending juice to the battery pack. This is the Hybrid Drive mode. Lift off the accelerator, and the drive motor becomes a generator to convert unwanted momentum to electricity for recharging the battery.

In the third mode, Engine Drive, a computer gently engages a wet clutch, connecting the engine to the front axle’s differential. In the interests of efficiency, no battery charging is allowed here; the engine runs quietly at low rpm with its computer-operated throttle barely open. On our drive through wine country, we found this third mode elusive and impossible to maintain for more than a few seconds at 65 to 70 mph. We suspect it exists mainly for use in EPA highway-mileage tests.In each of the drive modes described above, the Accord hybrid is your best friend. Unfortunately, its mean side emerges when you smack the accelerator to the floor at any speed. After a momentary delay, the engine roars in anger to accelerate the car with a jolt of juice zapped from the generator to the drive motor. This is annoying-CVT disorder, where engine rpm and car speed are totally out of sync.There are other driving behaviors that diminish the Accord hybrid’s desirability. The electrically assisted steering, while nicely weighted and responsive off-center, provides no hint of road feel or feedback. The Michelin Energy Saver all-season tires would seem to contain Teflon in their tread compound, so readily do they slide when challenged with modest cornering loads; we discovered crippling understeer when negotiating traffic circles and early-onset intervention from the stability-control system in simulated lane-change moves. Although you seldom need to tap the brake pedal when the shift lever is moved to the B (maximum energy regeneration—i.e., engine braking) position, we found the left pedal lacking in feedback midway through its travel and the brakes susceptible to abrupt ABS intrusion.Beyond the fact that this is more the Accord for the gadget geek than the keen driver, the hybrid missed its 50-mpg mileage bogey, with ratings of 49 mpg city, 47 mpg highway, and 48 mpg combined. Chief engineer Koji Ninomiya cites more stringent EPA regulations as the cause. He’s correct that small adjustments have been made to more accurately align the laboratory test results and window-sticker figures with real-world driving. And last year, the EPA warned manufacturers that existing coast-down test procedures would be enforced to the letter.In the greater scheme of things, 1 or 2 mpg doesn’t matter, and this latest Accord has improved its highway fuel-economy rating by 2 mpg. It also betters all mid-size competitors except the Toyota Prius, including the new Chevrolet Malibu hybrid, which is rated at 47/46/46 mpg city/highway/combined. But it’s the principle, Honda missing a crucial goal, that irks us. This is Toyota finishing second at Le Mans five times. We don’t like to think that the Honda that moved to America to manufacture high-quality Accords in volume for world consumption would ever have let this Accord hybrid leave the lab until it exceeded every target with room to spare.Take solace in the fact that Ninomiya and his team did bring more power and acceleration to the hybrid party. While the Chevy Malibu gas-electric is done by 100 mph, the Accord Hybrid is good for another 12 mph beyond that. Friends of the environment will adore the low fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. Driving oh-so-gently for four miles at modest suburban speeds, we coaxed the in-dash mileage meter up to an impressive 43.8 mpg.Consumers also will appreciate the handsome but low-key exterior design, the roomy interior, and the wood-like plastic dash trim. The smaller battery pack compared with the previous Accord hybrid increases trunk space from 13 to 14 cubic feet, though unfortunately the rear seatbacks don’t fold, and no pass-through is provided. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity are on board. The roster of electronic driver aids now includes adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping assist, and automated emergency braking. The new Accord hybrid range encompasses three trim levels. A well-equipped base model is $30,440 ($3075 more than an equivalent nonhybrid Accord EX); the EX-L with leather and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto costs $33,740; and the loaded $36,790 Touring edition boasts navigation, LED headlights, heated front and rear seats, and more. Cars are at dealers now.

Phase two of Honda’s green initiative begins this fall with a fuel-cell vehicle, followed by a plug-in hybrid early next year and a pure electric for 2018, all wearing the Clarity nameplate. Let’s hope that these green machines don’t totally abandon Honda’s sporty-sedan heritage in their quest for maximum efficiency.