Handsome hybrid Honda Accord accelerates toward electrification
My 2023 Honda Accord is a looker. From its smoky headlights to its streamlined shoulders to its fastback roof, it is the most handsome sedan Honda has made.
But like the serene blue of the Pacific Ocean out my side window, the Accord’s smooth red surface belies the turmoil beneath.
In the U.S., state and federal governments are forcing automakers to go electric and Accord, America’s best-selling retail sedan, is on the bleeding edge of what that transition looks like. Now on dealer lots, the Accord has juggled its lineup in order to satisfy government rules, focusing its 11th-generation model on a hybrid-electric powertrain in order to encourage customer adoption.
My crimson, blacktrimmed Sport L is one saucy sedan. The Accord is a front-wheel-driver per tradition, but it looks like the rear-wheel-drive Bimmer with that long hood and fastback settled over its haunches. At a time when the Lucid Air and Tesla Model S are setting industry style with spare, simple lines, the Accord fits right in. The rocker panels have been cleaned up, the door handles stripped of keyholes, the rear taillights integrated seamlessly into the bodywork.
I’ve been writing about the shrinking gap between luxury and mainstream vehicles for some time. Why pay a premium price when a mainstream badge delivers the same style, tech and power for thousands less?
The 252-horse Accord was such a car, its performance on par with a turbo-4-powered Bimmer 5-series costing 20 grand more. No more. The Accord’s 204-horse hybrid and 181-horse turbo-4 are solid mainstream numbers similar to competitors Hyundai Sonata and Toyota Camry.
Accord wants to use the hybrid as a bridge to electric propulsion, and it deploys some cool tech to hook you.
I exited my hotel parking lot north of San Diego on battery power. Honda has stuffed the Accord with insulation so it’s quieter than ever and the transition to gas power is smooth. There are still paddle shifters on my Accord Sport — but they are no longer for shifting gears. Instead, I used electric motor regeneration with the hybrid’s singlespeed transmission.
Entering Interstate 5, I matted the accelerator and the Hybrid squirted into traffic like an EV.
The combination of no gearbox, electric torque, ECO mode and whisper-quiet cabin gave a distinctive EV feel. I toggled SPORT mode — which firmed the steering and provoked a growl from the engine, and plunged in — leaving the REGEN paddle on full for initial brake assist as I charged into corners.
The Accord Hybrid has a massive, 560 miles of range with gas infrastructure that is the bane of electric vehicles. The sedan is typically intuitive, now aided by front-wheel torque-vectoring that makes turn-in even sharper.
The interior is a dead ringer for the CR-V with Honda’s beautiful — and ergonomically efficient — honeycomb-accented dash layout complete with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto (the base, LX and EX models still require wires), crisp adaptive cruise controls, roomy console storage and multi-functional digital instrument and infotainment displays standard at an affordable $29K.