With the rising prices, I'm willing to bet Congress will be severly pushed into extending those tax breaks well beyond 06. They were designed to encourage the use of them, which in and of itself is a useful thing. More people buy them, the price goes down. They may not be a deal now, and won't see me buying one because there isn't one on the market I like styling wise (although I'd buy an escape hybrid if I was in the market for a small suv), but soon enough they'll be the norm. Just look at Toyota who has pledged to have a hybrid drivetrain in all model lineups.
BTW, I think the Accord Hybrid is indeed a tad faster than its gas only cousin because the eletric motor has instant max torque at >0 RPMs.
