Head to Head to Head: Prius, Accord and Escape Hybrids, Part 1

Back in November, I went Head to Head: The Ford Escape Hybrid and the Toyota Prius.

After driving both the Toyota Prius and the Ford Escape hybrid I noted that there were many differences between these vehicles, but that the main difference between these vehicles was "simply that the Prius feels different. Not in a bad way, mind you, but in a futuristic way. Sitting in the Prius is like sitting in the future."

Nonetheless, I noted that both were excellent vehicles.

Both significantly reduce fuel consumption and pollution.

Well, the new Honda Accord hybrid also significantly reduces fuel consumption and pollution as well.

Much like the Escape hybrid, the Accord hybrid also feels pretty much like a conventional Accord. Unlike the Escape hybrid; however, the Accord performed at a different level than the Escape. The Accord hybrid performed better than most V6 Accords that I've driven, noticeably different. That was the critical feature that kept grabbing my attention.

Perhaps it's my bias against SUVs, but I couldn't get over the design inefficiency of the hybrid Escape when compared to the Prius. While smaller, the Prius just felt roomier and more relaxing than the Escape, which from the outside at least, seemed so much bigger than the Prius.

People don't like change, typically, they don't want to think differently. That is unfortunate when it comes to automobiles. In the Yin and Yang of life, the automobile is one of the greatest inventions of the modern world, yet it has also become one of its greatest threats.

Hybrid cars like the Toyota Prius truly are a revolutionary step for the automobile. They do cause you to think differently, to change. The Prius proves that compact, efficient Sedans don't have to feel compact. Their intelligent design forces any with an open mind to realize just how inefficient the American automobile culture has become.

This isn't good for American auto corporations, their employees, or their consumers.

According to the Pentagon, global warming is a serious threat to the national security of the United States. The far majority of scientists in the United States and the world have no doubt that decades of automobile emissions have had a serious impact on global warming.

The Toyota Prius demonstrates the we can easily, and in the long term, price-competitively, do something to protect our national security, and we don't have to lose comfort, safety, or performance.

The Accord hybrid has proven, without doubt, that hybrid vehicles are simply better than conventional vehicles. They are significantly more efficient and they can perform better than their conventional cousins.

While the Escape hybrid is my favorite SUV, it doesn't make as strong a statement as do the Accord hybrid and Toyota Prius.

Nonetheless, there still are some notable differences between the Accord hybrid and both the Escape and Prius hybrids. The Prius and the Escape hybrid are full hybrids, meaning that at low speeds, both vehicles can run only on electric power. This significantly reduces fuel consumption and pollution emissions in stop-and-go traffic - the kind of driving conditions which cause the most pollution in conventional vehicles.

The Accord hybrid doesn't make quite as much of an impact in stop-and-go traffic. Though better than the conventional version. The Accord really distinguishes itself from its conventional and hybrid competitors in highway driving.

Stay tuned for Part 2.

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