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Words: 622 including resource box Copyright: 2004 Marilyn Pokorney

Please leave resource box intact with an active link, and send a courtesy copy of publication in which article appears to: marilynp@nctc.net --------------------------------------------------------- Many of gas saving devices being advertised do not work and can actually damage your vehicle.

After evaluating and testing more than 100 alleged gas- saving devices, Environmental Protection Agency has found only a few that improve mileage and none that do so significantly.

The gas-saving products on market seem to fall into clearly defined categories. These include, but are not limited to: air-bleed devices, vapor-bleed devices, liquid injection devices, ignition devices, fuel line devices, mixture enhancers, internal engine modification devices, fuels and fuel additives, oils and oil additives, and driving habit modifiers.

The EPA evaluates or tests products to determine whether their use will result in any measurable improvement to fuel economy. However, EPA cannot say what effect gas-saving products will have on a vehicle over a long period of time. It is possible that some products may harm car or adversely affect its performance.

But what it does is have is plenty of high marks in nearly every ranked category – comfort to acceleration, instrument control efficiency to ride quality. And what it will likely earn via public is its overwhelming best-buy status in many consumer guides.

The 240-horsepower, automatic V6 EX sedan was my weekly test vehicle. The 350 miles I drove car included a 200-mile trip to San Francisco. The outbound ride was smooth, particularly considering Honda's surprisingly easy-to-use navigation system.

The return trip, unfortunately, began at peak of rush-hour traffic. It took nearly an hour to drive only a few miles out of middle of financial district and onto freeway.

Gridlock is never a good thing, with perhaps only one exception - fodder for a car review. During my hour in bumper-to-bumper traffic, a few drivers lost their temper. A few bicyclists maneuvered through slow-moving maze a little too close to my car. A few pedestrians' patience levels were tested in hustle-bustle of a big city at 4:30 p.m. And a guy even got out of his car, walked across two lanes of standstill traffic, tapped on my window and asked if I could move back slightly so he could enter a parking lot.

As a testament to new Accord's comfort, with windows rolled up, stereo on and no place to go, all was fine. Even a stranger knocking on window – a potential road rage scenario – wasn't a problem. The guy asked nicely and I cordially obliged.

Since Accord was introduced in 1976, Honda has refined model nearly every year, with this year's offering no different.