Honda expands hybrids, adds new pickup

Honda expands the range of its gas-electric hybrid vehicles with the 2005 introduction of the Accord Hybrid, which promises to deliver fully on the promise of exceptional fuel economy with the power of a larger, gasoline-only V6 in a package that operates in a manner undetectable by the driver.

It joins the Civic hybrid, which was spawned by the two-seat Insight hybrid. Priced at about $30,000, the Accord hybrid is one of Bankrate's 10 mopst exciting cars of 2005. Read our full road test.

Elsewhere at Honda, the Odyssey minivan is revised for 2005, but most of the changes are incremental rather than revolutionary. Buyers familiar with the previous model may notice a quieter interior and some slight fuel economy improvements.

The next big news at Honda: The March arrival as a 2006 model of the Ridgeline, the company's first modern pickup truck. The Ridgeline will be a mid-size pickup that will come with Honda's full-time all-wheel drive, four doors and a five-foot pickup bed.

-- Posted: Feb. 15, 2005