ACCORD REMAINS KING OF THE FAMILY SEDANS
Here’s what we like and don’t like about the Canadian Car of the Year
When it comes to bread-and-butter family sedans, there’s a good reason Honda doesn’t mess around. For more than four decades, the Accord has been a staple, earning a near-unbeatable reputation for the right blend of reliability, driving dynamics, interior space — and just a tiny dash of boring.
For 2018, the story is hardly different. The outgoing Accord was good, so it’s almost unfathomable how Honda could make it even better. Yet somehow it did, so much so that it just won the Canadian Car of the Year award at this year’s Canadian International Auto Show.
The latest, 10th-generation family sedan isn’t perfect, but it’s in a completely different league than the model it replaces, and any model that came before it, really. Here are five things we like — and five we don’t like — about the latest and greatest Accord.
WHAT WE LIKE
The interior: Until now, the Mazda6 was arguably the segment benchmark, and to be fair, it’s still an impressive environment. But the 2018 Accord has it beat. The materials and craftsmanship make a base BMW 3 Series blush, the layout is smart, the back seat, while tight on headroom for taller passengers, offers plenty of space to stretch your legs, and the trunk is properly roomy. One of the more satisfying bits of the Accord’s cabin is, curiously, the buttons and dials. It’s a small detail that will go unnoticed by many, but the click-click feedback, whenever you press a button or turn a dial, is very Audi-like. The engine: For 2018, the Accord goes all-turbo. Base cars do away with the normally aspirated 2.4litre four-cylinder engine and now come with Honda’s 1.5-L turbofour, shared with the Civic and CR-V. In the Accord, it puts out 192 horsepower and 192 pound-feet of torque, and can be paired to either a continuously variable automatic or a six-speed manual transmission. Normally aspirated engines are known for their throttle response, but you’ll quickly forget about the two-four; the 1.5-L turbo is surprisingly peppy, quite frugal and exceptionally smooth.
The variety of models and trims: You’re spoiled for choice. Stick with the base 1.5-L turbo, and you could spend as little as $26,490 for the base LX, or up to $35,790 for the top dog Touring, depending on how many bells, whistles and gizmos you want. The 2.0-L turbo models offer a little less choice: you’re limited to the base-ish, $32,790 Sport or the loaded Touring for an extra $4,000. But at least Honda gives you the choice of manual or automatic transmissions with both engines. If you want a 1.5-L Accord with a conventional automatic, you’re out of luck.
The styling: There are two caveats here. The outgoing Accord was already a sharp-looking car, and of course, styling is purely subjective. But adapting a sweeping, almost coupe-like roofline, no doubt inspired by the Civic, the 2018 Accord is certainly a looker. The front end is a touch polarizing, the 19inch wheels on certain trims fill the fenders nicely, and the LED lights up front and out back are sharp. Shame it has a trunk, however roomy, rather than a Kia Stinger-style liftback.
The infotainment: Following the Odyssey, the Accord is Honda’s second model to receive its all-new infotainment system. To call this an improvement is an understatement; while the previous system got the job done, it was hardly remarkable. The new system blows it out of the water. The inputs are snappy, graphics are crisp, it functions like a cellphone and best of all, there’s a volume knob! Hot diggity.
WHAT WE DON’T LIKE
The overly sensitive safety nannies: Goodies that include adaptive cruise control, lane-departure warning and a litany of sensors are practically par for the course in this day and age. The Accord even offers these bits as standard across the lineup. In about 90 per cent of driving situations, they work well. But once in a while, you’ll be waiting at a stoplight and the instrument cluster will flash an “OBJECT APPROACHING!” alert, followed by a few quick beeps, only for you to look around and find, well, nothing approaching. Ditto the adaptive cruise control system. Perhaps this was a fluke, but on one occasion, when rounding a corner on a highway, the Accord’s adaptive cruise control decided to apply the brakes at 110 km/h, with nobody immediately up front. Perhaps it couldn’t see the lane markings and thought the cars in the adjacent lane were in front of the car. Go figure.
The engine: The 1.5T is commendable, but the up-rated 2.0-L turbofour is a mixed bag. On one hand, it’s good for 252 hp and 273 lb-ft of torque, can be hooked up to a 10-speed automatic or a six-speed stick, and even shares some of its bones with the absolutely unreal Civic Type R. On the other hand, it replaces Honda’s sweet, smooth and throaty 3.5-L V6. The six will be missed.
The reduced variety of body styles: Like the V6, this one’s bittersweet. On one hand, we definitely understand why Honda pulled the plug on the two-door Accord. It was the last of its kind, and we can’t imagine the coupe was a particularly strong seller. On the other hand, Honda deserved props for sticking to its guns for so long. The Accord coupe — particularly in V6-and-manual form — will be missed.
No available AWD: As remarkable as the Accord’s powertrain is, the car has an Achilles heel. Much like its predecessors, the Accord is still a front-wheel-drive car. While 192 lb-ft of torque isn’t enough to break the front wheels loose with torque steer, four-wheel traction would be the proverbial icing on the cake and would surely win over even more buyers in the Great White North.
The instrument cluster: Look closely at the Accord’s instrumentation and you’ll notice something ... different. The instrument cluster is made up of two main components: a traditional analog gauge serves as a speedometer, while the rest of the area is dominated by a configurable display. It’s a neat concept, but misses the mark for a couple of reasons. When navigation is selected, only the direction prompts are displayed, rather than a full map. Not only that, it comes across as a half-baked attempt at offering something along the lines of Volkswagen’s Discover Pro (and, to an extent, Audi’s Virtual Cockpit) digital display. If you’re going digital, Honda, go all-out or go home.