CARS.COM — It takes a lot of hardware to transform an ordinary family sedan such as the 2017 Honda Accord into a gasoline-electric hybrid, and that equipment takes up trunk space. It’s one of those you-can’t-have-your-cake-and-eat-it-too elements of buying a hybrid sedan and a sore spot that was especially tender after I took a weekend trip in the Accord Hybrid.
Related: 2017 Honda Accord Hybrid Expert Review
The Accord Hybrid’s trunk looks competitive on paper. Its 13.7 cubic feet of cargo space bests the Ford Fusion Hybrid‘s 12.0 cubic feet and Hyundai Sonata Hybrid‘s 13.3 cubic feet. In the real world, however, the Accord’s funkily shaped trunk with small shelf and oddly shaped corners doesn’t leave room for much. I carried a backpack with camera gear and a birthday present in addition to my typical weekend trip luggage of duffel bag, backpack and roller luggage (slightly bigger than a carry-on), which quickly reached the limits of the hybrid trunk space.