Texas to Alaska to Texas. 2020 Honda Accord Hybrid driving on the Dalton Highway and the Dempster Highway. July/August 2023.

[PetitFrereArmada]

After my long trip from Texas to Alaska and back to Texas, where it saw me beat up my Accord on the Dalton Highway, it was time for me to do a major maintenance service.

I changed my oil, filter, transmission fluid, air filter, and cabin filter. I also went ahead and bought and installed 4 brand new tires.

I changed my oil 2 days ago after going 2,693 miles over after the MM got to ZERO. So, I changed my oil after driving for a total of 14,569 miles since my last oil change. I took a sample and will send it to Blackstone Laboratory for an oil analysis. I will see what they say.

I went ahead and changed my transmission fluid, and it looked really new when coming out. I changed it way earlier than it is due just because I have more than enough at home.

As for my trip to Alaska, I drove a total of 12,546 miles and my consumption was 43mpg for the whole trip. That was very good. I spent a total of $1,111.33 in gas.


SUMMARY OF MY TRIP:

Miles driven = 12,546 miles
Consumption at end of trip = 43 mpg
Total cost of gas for whole trip = $1,111.33
Final total cost of trip (hotels, gas, food, souvenirs, excursions) = $5,000
Miles on oil before changing oil at end of trip 14,565 miles

 

[Pacific Northwest yetti]

That fuel cost is amazing! I filled up my work truck yesterday and it was $140. Usd

 

[04Ram2500Hemi]

Thank you again for sharing your journey. It was great to follow along!

 

[Johnboyy]

Great thread.

Great trip.

But most of all sounds like you met great people all along the road

 

[sdnative]

How do you like the Accord hybrid? How is it on long road trips? Any issues? Are the seats comfortable and supportive? I assume this is a EX or EX-L?

We are looking to get one just like that but a year or two newer and interested in your experience with it. Thanks!

 

[PetitFrereArmada]

How do you like the Accord hybrid? How is it on long road trips? Any issues? Are the seats comfortable and supportive? I assume this is a EX or EX-L?

We are looking to get one just like that but a year or two newer and interested in your experience with it. Thanks!

How do you like the Accord hybrid? I would say 10/10, but I say 8/10 because the driver seat is not very comfortable for me. But I love this car! It shines in gas savings as mileage. Only another hybrid can compare with it in getting the most mileage out of a tank of gas. I often hypermile and get 50mpg to over 60mpg. My best tank of gas, I got 66mpg and got 810 miles out of the small 12.8 gallons tank. No other non-hybrid vehicle car can come close to that.


How is it on long road trips? 8/10. The car is smooth and stable with not much wind noise on long road trips. Saldy, the driver seat is not very comfortable for me. Many others complain too about it on the Accord forum, but there are some who say the seat is just fine for them. I drive permanently with a tempur pedic pillow on my seat. It improves my sitting position and comfort on long road trips.


Any issues? ZERO. This car is flawless and absolutely perfect for what it is. A gas saving commuter that can haul a family on road trips. Next month would make it 3 years since I bought this car. I have taken it to the dealership only once and that was for its first oil change. My car now has 102,500 miles and has not been to the dealership ever since. I do my own maintenance and keep the car in excellent shape.


Are the seats comfortable and supportive? 8/10. Nope the driver seat is not good at all for me. There are some others on the Accord forum who say the same. But there are also some people who say they have no problems with the driver seat. Maybe mine is because I have the base model. But as for all the passenger seats, I do not think they have any problems at all.


I assume this is a EX or EX-L?
Mine is the base model. It is not EX or EX-L. I bought the base model which is the cheapest one. I bought this car brand new on October 3, 2020 for $25,100 (I took a 5 year loan but paid it off in 14 months) drive out. That includes tax, title and license and asking the dealership to upgrade my seats to leather seats from Katzkin. Best valued brand new car I have ever bought. I owned a 2012 QX56 for 7 years before I bought this Accord. In the first 5 years of ownership, my QX cost me $20,000 in extended warranty cost and out of pocket expenses. Just after 6 months of me buying my QX, I took it offroading in the mountains in Colorado and beat it hard on the trails. I broke parts on the front suspension. I came back and took it for repairs and my bill was $10,000. I am not kidding you. I paid only $1,200 out of pocket. Extended warranty paid for the damages I caused.

We are looking to get one just like that but a year or two newer and interested in your experience with it.

My experience with my Accord is that I would gladly buy another one if I needed to or wanted to upgrade this one. The car has been flawless to me. I feel as if the car is maintenance free.

If I were you, I would buy the brand new body style which comes with the improved hybrid sytem which makes the Accord drive like an electric vehicle.

I have gone and driven the new body style Accord 2 times now at the dealership and the driver seat is better than in the one I own.

Best things about my Accord;
I hypermile and get excellent gas mileage.
Brakes on this car would not need to be changed until well over 200,000 miles.
It does not have a traditional transmission. This car is compared to the Koenigsegg Regera with no transmission. That means a lot for me to hear that.
Cost of maintenance is very cheap, especially if you do it at home.
I keep it top notch and maintain it very well.
I am on my 3rd set of brand new tires.
I change my own oil at different intervals. I have changed it after 3,000 miles and I recently changed it after 14,000 miles.
The car is not fast but it is peppy.
I found out that the car can hanlde its own too, very well offroad like I just did taking it on the Dalton Highway. I am very proud of that accomplishment because I was very hard on this car on that bad road with all those sharp rocks and stones all the way. I paid for it with a flat tire at the end of the trip when I was getting into Deadhorse, Alaska. I was sad when it happened but to be honest, it made for a great story and a great memory in the end because of the people who came to my rescue. I did not have to lift a finger to fix anything. Amazing truckers appeared immediately from nowhere and offered to fix my flat for me. They did it completely for free and even refused to take anything I offered them as a thank you. I did not do a single thing but watch and fly my drone. It was an amazing experience I will never forget. There are some very good people out there!

 

[sdnative]

Thank you for the detailed response! That is very helpful and re-enforces my already high opinion of this vehicle. Specifically the hybrid with the 2.0 NA motor (I understand the 1.5T is horrible). Very impressive MPGs, hard to believe from a vehicle that has so much room.

We currently a 2015 Accord LX (non-hybrid, base model), which probably has the same or very similar seats to yours. I find them fairly comfortable, but lack of upper leg and lumbar support can cause fatigue on longer trips. That is why on the new one we are looking for be an EX or EX-L that has the 12-way adjustable seats.

To be honest, I can't stand the design of the 23+ Accord. The drivetrain I believe is the same though. So we are looking for the newest, lowest mileage example of the previous design we can find.

 

[molanginaeda]

Just spend some time read the thread. Huge prop to @PetitFrereArmada for using a Hybrid Honda visit deadhorse AK. I saw driving EV reaching Deadhorse already accomplished. I recently switch over to EV and hope to travel using EV.

 

[homeyclaus]

Thank you for the detailed response! That is very helpful and re-enforces my already high opinion of this vehicle. Specifically the hybrid with the 2.0 NA motor (I understand the 1.5T is horrible). Very impressive MPGs, hard to believe from a vehicle that has so much room.

We currently a 2015 Accord LX (non-hybrid, base model), which probably has the same or very similar seats to yours. I find them fairly comfortable, but lack of upper leg and lumbar support can cause fatigue on longer trips. That is why on the new one we are looking for be an EX or EX-L that has the 12-way adjustable seats.

To be honest, I can't stand the design of the 23+ Accord. The drivetrain I believe is the same though. So we are looking for the newest, lowest mileage example of the previous design we can find.

We have a 2020 Hybrid Touring and I found the seats to be better than the EX-L. I do prefer the look of the new Accords though, since I am not a chrome fan. You don't need a turbo on a hybrid - the electric motor delivers torque without needing to spool up.

No alternator, no starter, no serpentine belt, (no timing belt either!) and a fixed-gear transmission ... I love that. And parallel hybrid means that it's like an electric car with a Honda generator built in. There is a clutch that at highway speeds connects the generation part with the output part for efficient cruising with the Atkinson cycle engine though. When you're waiting at a crosswalk with pedestrians in front of you and suddenly the Accord decides to start the engine to charge the battery you get some concerned looks, since it sounds like you stomped on the gas. Having an engine whose actions have little to do with what you're telling the car's gas pedal takes some getting used to.

A friend of mine has the hybrid CR-V and he gets in the low 40's mileage, has all-wheel drive, and somewhat more room. One of those will overland just fine with the right tires.

If you like your car except for the seats, you can get higher trim front seats from a wrecked car. It's not quite the same (you won't have per-driver position memory and stuff) but at least you'll have the comfort. Another option is to get Katskins leather seats and have the upholstery shop re-pad the seats when they do that.

 

[sdnative]

We have a 2020 Hybrid Touring and I found the seats to be better than the EX-L. I do prefer the look of the new Accords though, since I am not a chrome fan. You don't need a turbo on a hybrid - the electric motor delivers torque without needing to spool up.

No alternator, no starter, no serpentine belt, (no timing belt either!) and a fixed-gear transmission ... I love that. And parallel hybrid means that it's like an electric car with a Honda generator built in. There is a clutch that at highway speeds connects the generation part with the output part for efficient cruising with the Atkinson cycle engine though. When you're waiting at a crosswalk with pedestrians in front of you and suddenly the Accord decides to start the engine to charge the battery you get some concerned looks, since it sounds like you stomped on the gas. Having an engine whose actions have little to do with what you're telling the car's gas pedal takes some getting used to.

A friend of mine has the hybrid CR-V and he gets in the low 40's mileage, has all-wheel drive, and somewhat more room. One of those will overland just fine with the right tires.

If you like your car except for the seats, you can get higher trim front seats from a wrecked car. It's not quite the same (you won't have per-driver position memory and stuff) but at least you'll have the comfort. Another option is to get Katskins leather seats and have the upholstery shop re-pad the seats when they do that.

I ended up with a 2024 EX-L for the NA hybrid drivetrain and driver's seat adjustability. Wishing it had cloth seats though. Loving the 45+ MPG and comfortable ride.

We just took a 600 mile round trip and I ended up with some pain in the butt towards the end. Will have to try to find a better seating position or seat support booster.

 

[COAKXterra]

What an awesome trip report and well documented! Glad you had such a great time. AK is a special place for sure (we live just outside of Anchorage…. I’m actually driving up twice from ND in the next 6 weeks. I’ll probably spend your total fuel budget just getting my power wagon up there 😂). But that drive never ceases to show me something new and exciting. And kudos for taking the Accord!



Quick side note since you have so many altitude shots with the drone… in general, recreational drone operations are limited to 400ft above ground outside of controlled airspace/airport vicinities. That is to help deconflict from airplanes and helicopters, which can operate near or below that altitude depending on operation (mostly applies to helicopters), especially in Alaska. I’m actually shocked that yours will get to 0.6mi (3000’) but even 0.2mi (1050’) is really high. I fly helicopters for a living and I’m rarely ever above 500’ while working.

If you aren’t familiar with these resources from the FAA, worth checking out.

https://www.faa.gov/uas/recreational_flyers

https://www.faa.gov/uas

There’s a pretty neat app to help too. https://www.faa.gov/uas/getting_started/b4ufly 🤙🏼

Safe travels sir!

 

[COAKXterra]

😍
Nice shot. Cold foot was an epicenter of helicopter activity last summer due to the Ambler Road project.

 

[Dougnuts]

I changed my oil 2 days ago after going 2,693 miles over after the MM got to ZERO. So, I changed my oil after driving for a total of 14,569 miles since my last oil change. I took a sample and will send it to Blackstone Laboratory for an oil analysis. I will see what they say.

What did your oil analysis say? High in silicon?

I paid for it with a flat tire at the end of the trip when I was getting into Deadhorse, Alaska. I was sad when it happened but to be honest, it made for a great story and a great memory in the end because of the people who came to my rescue. I did not have to lift a finger to fix anything. Amazing truckers appeared immediately from nowhere and offered to fix my flat for me. They did it completely for free and even refused to take anything I offered them as a thank you. I did not do a single thing but watch and fly my drone. It was an amazing experience I will never forget. There are some very good people out there!

No matter what the media tries to say about people, there are nice, kind folks all over this world!

 

[PetitFrereArmada]

What did your oil analysis say? High in silicon?

No matter what the media tries to say about people, there are nice, kind folks all over this world!

Unfortunately, I took the oil sample but I never shipped it out to Blackstone for a UOA. Just before I shipped it out, I went to the dealership and oh well, I left with a brand new car. I traded in my 2020 Honda Accord Hybrid base model for a 2024 Honda Accord Hybrid EX-L. They gave me a good deal and I just decided to retire my 3 years old Accord Hybrid with 107,173 miles on it for a 2024 Accord Hybrid with zero miles on it.

Honestly, I felt bad trading in my 2020 Accord because it was paid for, in great shape and I have had amazing memories with it. But I bought this just because I felt it was a very good deal and it was a chance for me to dial back my odometer to zero. I plan to pay it off in 2 years or less. Also, the driver seat in this car is a lot more comfortable than my last one. The hybrid system in this one is also a bit more refined. So, I took the deal.

If you want to see the details of my purchase and how much I paid for it, you can click on the link below to read the first post on my blog on the Honda Accord forum.

PetitFrereAccord's 2024 Accord Hybrid...

www.driveaccord.net

The good thing about this 2024 over the 2020 hybrid system is that with the 2024, when you are on the freeway doing speeds of 70 to 75 mph, the car cycles to EV mode saving you gas. The 2020 Honda Accord cannot get into EV mode with speeds of 70 to 75 mph. That helps on road trips where the speed limit is 70 or 75 mph.

I do like to hypermile and I must say that in city driving, this new car is showing a slight advantage over the last car in getting a bit more mpg. But they are honestly pretty close.

I am easily getting over 55mpg in the 2024 Accord Hybrid. Well, I could get that too with my 2020 Accord Hybrid.

I have compared both vehicles in a certain situation. In mixed city/highway driving, after 500 miles, I would be getting about 53 mpg with my 2020 Accord, but with my 2024 Accord so far, after the same mileage in city/highway driving, I am getting 60 mpg.

I do like my new 2024 Accord, and just like my 2020, I plan for my Accord to not have a reason to go to the dealership for any service for the next 3 to 5 years. I will do all my maintenance myself. This car is honestly almost maintenance free, so I will do all the regular maintenance and it will not see the dealership for the next 3 to 5 years for nothing whatsoever.

 

[PetitFrereArmada]

FREE: America the Beautiful Park Pass. Expires 12/23

FREE: America The Beautiful Park Pass. Expires 12/23

My pass expires 12/23. That is the end of this month. I am offering it COMPLETELY FREE to anybody who will genuinely use it. Please, take it only if you will honestly use it. I guess you can post some pics from your trip if you use it. That would be nice, but not a requirement to get the free...

forum.expeditionportal.com

My pass expires 12/23. That is the end of this month. I am offering it COMPLETELY FREE to anybody who will genuinely use it. Please, take it only if you will honestly use it. I guess you can post some pics from your trip if you use it. That would be nice, but not a requirement to get the free park pass from me.

It is FREE to anybody who wants it. Just PM me. Send me your number so I can text you for your address.

I will pay for the shipping. It is totally free to you. You do not have to spend a dime to get it. My next day off from work is on Thursday. That is when I can ship it out to you. I hope it gets to you in time to use it.

I have never signed on it.