Honda New Accord Full Review

Honda New Accord Full Review

The 2012 Honda Accord ranks 2 out of 19 Affordable Midsize Cars. Honda desperately needs to

The 2012 Honda Accord ranks 2 out of 19 Affordable Midsize Cars. Honda desperately needs to hit a home run with its all-new 2013 Accord, a car that's perennially on the best-seller list in the United States. The 2013 Accord includes a new, bold grille leading to styling lines on the hood, a side character line that passes upward through the door handles, deeply contoured rocker panels, and body sides that taper into the trunk.

Honda hasn’t released many details but says the new model will have a sportier driving character than the current Accord.

A new four-cylinder engine should boost fuel economy above the current Accord, which now gets 34 miles per gallon on the highway.

Safety and reliability aside, the Accord isn’t the go-to choice it used to be in the midsize car class. The automotive press says that newer entries like the Hyundai Sonata and Kia Optima offer turbocharged four-cylinder engines that produce more horsepower and have better fuel economy than the Accord’s optional V6 engine. This car is the most sculpted and the most dynamic Accord yet, said Vicki Poponi, assistant vice president of product planning for American Honda. Following Honda's long-held philosophy of 'man maximum, machine minimum,' the beautiful exterior evolved from a focus on interior space and the needs of the people inside it.

On the road, an overall aerodynamic shape combined with low-drag exterior surfaces including nearly flush windshield glass, flush-mounted windshield wipers and careful under-body tailoring promise enhanced fuel efficiency. Premium details like available LED daytime running lights, headlights and taillights hint at the sophisticated technology and luxury available inside.

Compared with other family cars like the Ford Mondeo, the Accord looks very expensive indeed. In fact, prices are closer to compact executive cars like the Audi A4. Granted, resale values are more Audi-like than Ford-like, but it’s still too pricey to recommend. Also, fuel economy and emissions are nowhere near as good as those of rivals, making the Accord expensive to run. This Accord is also being introduced with strong fuel economy boasts. To challenge the lead position in this tough segment (remember: an all-new Ford Fusion is coming and the redesigned Nissan Altima is already out), Honda will offer improved four- and six-cylinder engines.

The four-cylinder is an all-new 2.4-liter direct-injected, double-overhead cam unit producing 181 hp; the V6 is a revised 3.5-liter single-cam i-VTEC design. Automatic-transmission versions of the new four-cylinder get a new continuously variable transmission (CVT) to boost fuel economy; the V6 uses a conventional six-speed automatic. Both engines are available with a six-speed manual transmission, although only the automatic-equipped V6 includes Honda's Variable Cylinder Management technology.

There will also be a plug-in hybrid variant using two electric motors and an electronic CVT. A 120-kW electric motor will be capable of powering the car alone for 10 to 15 miles, fed by a 6-kWh lithium-ion battery. Honda says the battery can be recharged from a standard wall outlet in less than four hours, or by a 240-volt charger in an hour and a half. The electric powertrain will be teamed with a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine with a CVT.