This is a serious comeback effort from what was once a company noted for its efficiency, as it will be again if the new Accord is the signal that Honda has regained its way.
It looks good. It feels good. It sounds good. A day of test-driving the all-new Honda Accord shows that for the 2013 model year, Toyota Camry will once again face strong competition from one of the all-time best-selling family sedans in the U.S. So strong is the Accord brand that the outdated old model is still the second best seller in the family car segment behind an all-new Camry that debuted a year ago. This was no mean feat, and was accomplished with Accord’s 5-speed automatic transmission and an old four-cylinder engine that hurt fuel economy ratings. No more, the fight is on.
Honda plans on selling 350,000 Accords annually in the U.S., with about 20% of them coupes, so the race for the number one spot next year when all models are finally on sale is underway. This includes sedan and coupe versions powered by 4-cylinder, V6 and hybrid powertrains, with manual, automatic and continuously variable transmission (CVT) choices – a formidable and perhaps overly complicated lineup. (See First Look 2014 Honda Accord Plug-In Hybrid Sedan)
The 2013 Honda Accord Sedan goes on sale 19 September 2012, with the Coupe following in October. An all-new, two-motor 2014 Accord Plug-in Hybrid (PHEV) Sedan is scheduled to debut in early 2013, followed by a conventional hybrid based on the same powertrain during the summer of 2013.
The manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) ranges from $21,680 for a reasonably equipped Accord LX to $33,430 for the Accord Touring model, plus a destination and handling charge of $790 per vehicle. As usual, Honda will force you into the more expensive upper trim models if you want a navigation system. The Accord Coupe has a manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) starting at $23,350 for the sporty LX-S model plus a destination and handling charge. How these price hold up after the pipeline is filled and competitors reply remains to be seen. Without doubt it’s a good time to be a buyer, but maybe not a stockholder.
Honda’s ninth generation Accord is a technological tour de force that convincingly ends the debate about whether you need a V6 engine any longer given the significant advancements in power, fuel economy and overall smoothness that the latest generation Honda four-cylinder provides. With 185 horsepower, and 181 lb. ft. of torque the 2.4-liter direct-injected 4-cylinder engine is smooth and creates a pleasant exhaust rush at full throttle. Unlike many Honda engines, which are high revving motorcycle mills at heart, this four-cylinder is among the best car engines available.
Also surprisingly good is Honda’s first-ever application of a continuously variable transmission (CVT) on 4-cylinder models (the unneeded V6 gets a 6-speed automatic finally) where firm shifts are simulated. It is crisp, and if you got in a CVT Accord and did not look at the transmission indicator, which only has a “D,” I will bet few people would realize it is a CVT.
The combination means that fuel efficiency is the best ever for an Accord in the EPA Midsize class, with 4-cylinder models earning up to an EPA rating of 27 mpg city, 36 mpg highway and 30 combined. Driven moderately hard on secondary roads and Interstates, the trip computer showed I was getting on average 30 mpg.
This is a strong car, and the only “buts” revolve around Honda’s recent quality problems, something that none of the cars in this class is immune too starting with Toyota’s forced safety recalls and record NHTSA fines. Last year Honda recalled more vehicles in the U.S. than any other automaker did for a bewildering array of design, manufacturing and component parts defects.
Nonetheless, this is a serious comeback effort from what was once a company noted for its efficiency, as it will once again be if the new Accord is the signal that Honda has regained its way. The difference – and challenge – this time around is that virtually every automaker is pursuing the same technologies in a quest for the same goal – the most efficient car in its given class.
The latest Accord also category faces unprecedented competition from the Toyota Camry – the best selling car in the U.S. and all new last year – a revised Nissan Altima, and the Hyundai Sonata, as well as the Ford Fusion and Chevrolet Malibu, among others. The category is important for its size – almost 20% of the cars sold in the U.S., and as a result, its bragging rights.
See Reality versus Concept as Production Accord Photos Released
