What is the best family car? The 2018 Honda Accord
How often does an unassuming mid-size family sedan feel like a legitimate challenger to established premium brands in terms of performance, fit and finish, and features? The completely redesigned 2018 Honda Accord somehow manages to punch well above its sticker price both on the road and inside its cabin, making it our clear choice for Best Family Car.
Switching to a completely turbocharged engine lineup and laying its venerated, but old-tech, V6 to rest has been a revelation for the Accord. The entry-level 1.5-liter 4-cylinder's 192 horsepower and 192 lb.-ft. of torque feel ready, willing, and able at all times, even when paired with the CVT rather than the available 6-speed manual gearbox.
Step up to the 2.0-liter's 252 horses and 273 lb.-ft. of torque and you'll harbor no nostalgia for the departed V6, regardless of whether you're rowing your own gears (yes, a three-pedal option remains available with the bigger motor) or allowing the 10-speed automatic to do its job.
Moving beyond the new Accord's dual drivetrain attack is a platform that is compliant while cruising yet reasonably athletic when asked to deal with more than just bumper-to-bumper traffic. Honda even supplies the top-ofthe-line Touring with an adaptive damping suspension.
From the well-equipped base LX to the luxurious Touring, the Accord's price span of $24,460 to $34,690 encompasses a broad range of features and comforts. Even better, hightech safety gear including full-range adaptive cruise control, lane keeping assist, and automatic forward braking is standard across the board on all Accords under the Honda Sensing banner.
In fact, it's not a stretch to label the spacious and wellappointed Accord Touring's interior as a genuine competitor to both Honda’s in-house premium brand Acura and rivals like Buick, Infiniti and Lexus. Offering a head-up display, heated
and ventilated leather seats, and a resolutely quiet interior, the Accord Touring is the kind of stealth luxury car that you can park in your driveway without having to shell out extra for the questionable value associated with luxury badge recognition.
At all rungs of the ladder, the impressively roomy 2018 Honda Accord is a family sedan that simply doesn't miss when taking aim at serving the needs of a wide swath of customers, regardless of their budget. You may not agree with our assessment, though, so if you’re looking for an alternative to this Honda, the family cars that received enough votes to land on our recommended list are shown below in alphabetical order.
Other Daily News Autos recommended Family Car models include:
2018 Buick Regal Sportback
2018 Chevrolet Malibu
2018 Kia Optima
2018 Toyota Camry.