The Accord Has Lost Its Sporty Edge but Gained Style and Tech
- Trim Tested: Accord Touring Hybrid
- Price as Tested: $38,985 (including destination charge)
- What We Like: Great mpg; spacious seating; appealing design and build quality
- What We Don’t: The most powerful Accord doesn’t feel all that powerful
Honda has redesigned their legendary Accord midsize sedan this year. It’s the first time since 2018 that the Accord is all-new.
Count me a fan. The new Accord retains all of the elements that have made it one of America’s favorite sedans: build quality, driving manners, practicality, and space. And its new fastback looks and cool dashboard give it a luxury flair that buyers normally pay a pretty penny for.
We tested the top-of-the-line Touring trim, which retails for $38,985. Maybe I’m getting too used to $40K+ compact SUVs, but $39K doesn’t seem bad for the nicest Accord. (We tested a $43,000 Nissan Rogue the other week, and it had a tiny 3-cylinder engine with worse fuel economy than the Accord.)
The ‘23 Accord looks nice and seems to have ownership potential. We test drove it for a week to make sure.
How It Drives
I went down a rabbit hole learning how the Honda Accord’s hybrid powertrain works. I won’t regurgitate all of my findings here but suffice it to say, it’s unique. There’s no transmission – the gas engine is directly connected to the wheels at highway speeds. Around town, an electric motor is the sole source of power, while the gas engine hums away, charging a lithium-ion battery through a second motor/generator. At very low speeds, the engine can shut off completely. (If you’d like to learn more, check out this article from Honda.)
So, what does that all mean? Well, despite the claims of many reviewers (and Honda) that the Accord Hybrid feels sporty, it doesn’t. There is just too much going on between the gas pedal and the road. On paper, acceleration is decent, but in practice, it isn’t, even with Sport Mode engaged. I miss the old 2.0-liter turbocharged engine, which was noticeably faster.
On the other hand, the fuel economy is phenomenal. According to the EPA, our Accord Touring test car gets 44 mpg in combined city and highway driving, which we could get close to in actual driving.
The Accord Hybrid is also a smooth cruiser. Whatever alchemy is at work under the hood is only obvious if you know it’s happening. Otherwise, it’s like any other car.
Handling is a highlight in the Accord. The 4-wheel independent suspension offers a perfectly tuned mix of control and ride comfort. I took entrance and exit ramps at fairly high speeds, and the eco-oriented all-season Michelins held onto the road impressively.
Interior Comfort & Quality
Huge front and rear seating areas have been a calling card of the Accord for over a decade. Its cabin offers near-full-size space despite its official categorization as a midsize car. Legroom is particularly generous. The front seats are heated and cooled, and it is easy to find a comfortable position in the 10-way power-adjustable driver’s chair.
The cabin’s sharp design is both simple and attractive. A mesh strip runs the width of the dashboard and hides the air vents. The styling looks and feels high-quality without being too fussy.
Technology & Usability
The Honda Accord Hybrid comes standard with a 7-inch touchscreen, but our Touring model had the upgraded 12.3-inch version. The big screen has Google built-in. It mostly worked well, although the system got confused when I plugged in my Google phone. Having a Google phone and a Google native OS meant two versions of Google Maps, two versions of Spotify, and two Google Assistants.
Some of the buttons, switches, and knobs on the dashboard seem unnecessarily small, especially the volume knob on the dash and the volume toggle on the steering wheel. There is a nice roller on the steering wheel that would make a better volume control. The climate system has big knobs for the temperature, and the transmission shifter is a simple handle, so Honda knows how to make things straightforward when they want to.
Read our full Honda Accord review for more specs and information about the entire Accord lineup.
Carfax vehicle reviews let shoppers compare a vehicle’s specs against its competitors. However, some aspects of a vehicle – performance, comfort, usability – can only be evaluated through actual driving. That’s why we evaluate as many vehicles as we can, so you’ll know what to expect.
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