Until the recent gas price crisis, consumers have tended to view gasoline-electric hybrid vehicles — like the Toyota Prius and Honda Insight in particular — as geekmobiles. These were cars for tree huggers and slide-rule types mostly.

But as gas prices continue to escalate and more gas-electric hybrids appear on the highway, buyers are also becoming more educated, finding that hybrids can boast more horsepower and torque than their gasoline-only counterparts.

The 2005 Ford Escape hybrid proved that a sport utility vehicle (SUV) with a four-cylinder hybrid powertrain was nearly as peppy as a V6 when coupled with an electric motor. Another hybrid SUV, the Lexus RX 400h, blew away all misconceptions about hybrid power working in only small, geeky vehicles.

I’ve maintained for years if manufacturers simply installed hybrid powertrains in their regular style bodies, given the choice, many more buyers would opt for them. Not everyone wants to be viewed as a geek or wear their political sentiments vis-à-vis the environment, on their sleeve.

After successfully marketing its hybrid Civic, now Honda has dropped the latest generation of its Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) — Honda’s hybrid powertrain system — into the venerable Accord, one of the absolute best-selling cars on the planet. The 2005 Honda Accord Hybrid marries a 12-kilowatt electric motor to its V6, resulting in more horsepower, torque, and fuel economy than its gasoline-only sibling — 30 MPG/City and 37/Highway, vs. 21/30 for the gasoline-only Accord V6.

Part of the fuel economy improvement isn’t just from the hybrid system, but from computerized deactivation of three of the six cylinders when they’re not needed. As a result, the 2005 Accord Hybrid boasts roughly a 600-mile cruising range, plus the second-highest fuel economy in the midsize segment. It’s bested only by the four-cylinder Prius, which has less horsepower, torque and noticeably fewer luxury features.

Walkaround: The exterior of my Accord Hybrid test car looked exactly like every other regular five-passenger, gasoline-powered Accord — right down to its subdued, but pleasing styling. The only difference is the chrome “Hybrid” badge under the taillight and the words “Integrated Motor Assist” in bright blue in the center of the speedometer.

Interior: All interior dimensions, features amenities and options mirror the regular Accord, except the trunk — 11.2 vs. 14 cubic feet. The traditional spare tire is also missing. Replacing it is a repair kit for fixing flats. While the kit may not be familiar to drivers, eliminating the spare helps reduce the extra weight created by the nickel metal hydride battery pack, which runs the electric motor and stores energy from the regenerative braking system, as well as that created by the engine. The batteries utilize the trunk and spare tire space, keeping extra weight down to about 175 pounds more than a gasoline-powered V6 Accord.

There is some modest, special instrumentation helping the driver understand what the powertrain is doing at any given moment. But it isn’t nearly as computer game graphic looking as the Prius, which displays the workings of the vehicle’s power grid on a seven-inch screen in the center of the dashboard.

Except for the Lexus RX 400h, the Accord Hybrid offers perhaps the most standard luxury features of any hybrid in the U.S. market — especially at this price point. These include leather-trimmed seats, heated front seats, driver’s seat with eight-way power adjustment, leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob, dual-zone, automatic climate control, XM satellite radio, plus a 5-speed automatic transmission, 16-inch alloy wheels, front-seat side airbags as well as side-curtain airbags for both rows of seats.

By comparison, leather seats are the most requested amenity among Prius buyers. Toyota has had a lengthy internal debate over the political correctness of offering animal hides in a vehicle marketed as environmentally friendly. Leather also adds weight, so Toyota doesn’t offer factory leather-trimmed seats, but they are available as a dealer-installed option.

 Behind The Wheel: Putting the pedal to the metal of the 255-horse, front-wheel-drive Accord Hybrid engages all cylinders of the V6 — plus the electric motor — delivering noticeably better acceleration than the standard, 240-horse gasoline-only powerplant. Maximum torque in the Accord Hybrid is also higher — 232 lb-ft vs. 212 at 5000 rpm — than the regular Accord V6.

Unlike the gasoline-only Accord, the V6 in the hybrid may turn itself off when the car is stopped at a traffic light — saving fuel and reducing emissions. Pressing the accelerator seamlessly restarts it. However, while stopped, a bright green, “auto stop” light blinks in the instrument panel alerting the driver the car hasn’t stalled or broken down.

Whines: The hybrid’s fuel economy display in the instrument cluster didn’t agree with the one on the dashboard, often contradicting it by more than 0.3 mpg. Honda officials blame the discrepancy on the two displays reflecting input from different electronic sources. It’s a minor annoyance in a car reflecting technological perfection everywhere else.

 Bottom Line: Priced in the $30,000 neighborhood, the Honda Accord Hybrid is the most expensive Accord ever. However, Honda officials justify the price of the technology by positioning it as a car with a “new level of performance.” Some buyers also feel it’s a small price to pay to preserving our environment. The Accord Hybrid delivers noticeably better performance and fuel economy than traditional Accords, while offering Honda’s reputation for quality and dependability. The fact my Accord test car drove so quietly and smoothly that I gave up keeping track of any of the sophisticated power technology, just says it all for me right there.