Although it’s smaller, Accord keeps the optional V6 and fine-tunes pretty much everything else.

2013 ACCORD

Buyers expecting the ninthgeneration Accord to be bigger and bolder will need to adjust their perspective concerning one of North America’s most successful sedan and coupe lines.

The U.S.-built (30 years and counting) Accord maintains a conservative presence, while undergoing a complete metamorphosis in style, features and running gear.

Paraphrasing Honda’s styling director David Marek, the Accord’s makeover started from the inside out to ensure that occupants were treated to as much room and style as possible. Reshaping the exterior included soliciting opinions from current Accord owners who made it clear they wanted a less bulky car that didn’t sacrifice overall spaciousness.

Sounds like a tall order, but Marek’s design team appear to have delivered on virtually all counts. The 2013 Accord sedan is about nine centimetres shorter and loses about 2.5 centimetres between the front and rear wheels while gaining a centimetre in width. At the same time, trunk space has increased by five per cent, thanks in part to a more compact rear suspension.

The latest Accord that’s now on sale appears more svelte, with none of the excessive front overhang that marred the previous generation. The look is more proportionally balanced and shows greater attention to detail in terms of styling execution. The “wow” factor remains lacking, but the sedan is far more pleasing to the eye than past efforts.

The coupe, on the other hand, already deemed a good looker, has undergone a more subtle transformation and remains one of the most appealing models of its type on the road.

Good looking also describes the Accord’s new cabin. The artistically sculpted dashboard is a sensational piece and thankfully devoid of knob and switchgear clutter. Drivers will be particularly enamoured with the clear and crisp whiteon-black centre gauges and the high-definition eight-inch (20centimetre) multi-information display screen. All passengers are treated to more comfortable seating arrangements, with front- seaters enjoying more supportive buckets and an extra inch of valuable legroom for those in back.

Accords remain admirable road performers, with an enhanced feeling of sportiness and ride control. The base 2.4- litre four- cylinder ( labelled “Earth Dreams”) makes 185 horsepower (189 for the Sport model), up from 177. The optional 278-horsepower 3.5-litre V6 gains a mere seven ponies.

Manual-transmission lovers should be pleased that the sixspeed gearbox remains available with four-cylinder Accord sedans and up-level V6 coupes. A new continuously variable transmission (CVT) replaces the five-speed automatic option in all four-cylinder models, but a six-speed automatic is still the only choice for V6 sedans and base V6 coupes.

In explaining its CVT decision, Honda’s stewards deemed it necessary to lower fuel consumption to more competitive levels, as in 7.8 l/100 km city and 5.5 highway. Those numbers are second only to the class-leading Altima’s 7.4/5.0 rating.

In early 2013, Honda will introduce the Accord plug-in hybrid. In this format, a 2.0-litre four-cylinder is mated with a 1 2 4 - kilowatt

electric motor to produce 196 net horsepower. The plug-in travels up to 24 kilometres on electric-only power, can run on grid juice at speeds up to 100 km-h and has a maximum 700-kilometre range. The clincher is it takes three hours — a relatively short time — on standard 120volt house current to replenish the lithium-ion battery (about 10 minutes for a 50-per cent charge), or about an hour using a 240-volt charger.

Honda plans to introduce a non-plug-in hybrid by mid2013, giving the Accord a onetwo punch in the eco-sedan category.

Gasoline Accords fall into LX, Sport (sedan only), EX, EX-L and Touring editions. At $25,600, the base LX is well equipped, including a rearview camera, dual- zone air conditioning and other niceties. From that point pricing heads north to the $ 36,900 Touring.

With plenty of new/ refreshed models populating the sedan class for 2013, the Accord has girded its loins for battle and, armed with good looks and lower fuel consumption, should keep its loyal following solidly in the Honda camp.

The coupe is available with a four-cylinder or V6, although the four-cylinder is now of thedirect-injection variety.

Apparently input from current owners shaped the new Accord. And that shape is smaller and better looking.

The Accord has never been about the “wow factor”, but more the “smart factor.” As such -- despite the smaller overall package -there’s actually more interior volume.

A new Sport model adds bigger wheels, paddle shifters for the CVT and small deck spoiler. The beauty is that you don’t need tobuy the V6 to get the goodies.