SAN DIEGO — 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.
The hybrid option has accounted for roughly 10% of Accord sales, but Honda is narrowing the choice of drivetrains to meet an ambitious goal of 50% hybrid adoption for its new model and avoid looming federal and California fines coming with 2026 regulations.
Gone is the 2.0-liter, 252-horsepower turbo-4 liter engine beloved by performance enthusiasts. While the sedan's 1.5-liter turbo-4 did volume sales, the beefy 2.0-liter and hybrid offered a fork in the road: an option for performance buyers and one for green customers. Like the hybrid, the 2.0-liter served a passionate niche for about 10%-of-volume with Sport, Sport L, EX-L and Touring models. Now Honda will only offer its 204-horsepower hybrid in upper trims, hoping to keep enthusiasts in the fold with a combination of style, handling, torque and gobsmacking 44 mpg fuel economy.
My crimson, black-trimmed Sport L (L for leather interior) is one saucy sedan.
I was already smitten by the 10th-gen Accord that arrived in my driveway in 2017 like Taylor Swift's "Midnights" album: A blockbuster. The car's athletic stance, fastback and hot wheels — even the sculpted, horizontal interior — rivaled the BMW 3-series that I was also testing.
The last-gen Accord's big black maw was the only dissonant note in the visual symphony. Honda designers have fixed that for the new model. The spare grille is now in sync with the rest of the sculpture, punctuating the thin headlights (different than the last-gen, jewel-like LED peepers). 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. Body by Jake.
As readers of this column know, 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? Mazda CX-5, Kia Stinger and VW Arteon are vehicles that can compete on spec with luxury vehicles in their segment.
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.
Honda's customers are largely unaware of the extreme regulatory pressure automakers are under. So it's up to Honda to make the regulations seem as unobtrusive as possible even as choices dry up for the internal combustion engines customers prefer.
In Honda's favor: governments are forcing ALL brands into similar battery-powered drivetrains. So luxury makers are also fast losing what differentiates them: sophisticated, smooth, inline-6 cylinder and V-8 drivetrains.
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 just like my Tesla Model 3. Assuming moderate temperatures and light right-foot application, Accord will stay in EV mode until about 25 mph, at which point the 2.0-liter, inline-4-banger kicks in. EV MODE text lights up the lovely digital instrument display alongside a battery indicator to emphasize the point.
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 single-speed transmission.
That's right, the Accord Sport Hybrid now has regen paddles like a Chevy Bolt. Cruising the San Diego 'burbs, I managed one-pedal driving like a Bolt or Tesla (though the Honda won't come to a full stop on regen like those pure EVs).
Entering Interstate 5, I matted the accelerator and the Hybrid squirted into traffic like an EV, using the electric motor's substantial 247 pound-feet of low-end torque. The combination of no gearbox, electric torque, ECO mode and whisper-quiet cabin gave a distinctive EV feel.
Exiting I-5, I headed into the mountains toward two of my favorite places: Julian Pie Company (the Traverse City Pie Company of the left coast) and the California 78 twisties that get you there. 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. GRRRRRR.
Like the artificial growl of a BMW i4 EV, but with one big difference: the Accord Hybrid has a massive, 560 miles of range with gas infrastructure that is the bane of electric vehicles. Like forcing Americans back to wired, landline phones from wireless cell phones, the EV transition will be difficult.
Driving the Accord is anything but. The sedan is typically intuitive, now aided by front-wheel torque-vectoring that makes turn-in even sharper. While sister CR-V SUV shares similar drivetrains, the Accord Sport is a reminder of why we love sedans.
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. Check out my favorite cloth-seat Sport model with wireless charger (so you don't drain your battery with wireless navigation) and you're out the door for $33,795.
Miss the 2.0-liter gas engine? It's right next door on the showroom making a steroid-fed 315 horsepower in the roomy Civic Type R. It's good to have choices.
2023 Honda Accord
Vehicle type: Front engine, front-wheel-drive five-passenger sedan
Price: $29,485, including $1,095 destination fee ($35,425 Sport L and $38,985 Touring as tested)
Powerplants: 1.5-liter, turbocharged inline-4 cylinder; gas-electric hybrid with 2.0-liter inline-4 cylinder and electric motor
Power: 181 horsepower, 192 pound-feet torque (turbo-4); 204 horsepower, 247 pound-feet torque (hybrid)
Transmission: Continuously-variable transmission (turbo-4); Single-speed transmission (hybrid)
Performance: 0-60 mph, 7.1 seconds (hybrid, Car and Driver); range, 563 miles (hybrid)
Weight: 3,488 pounds (Sport L Hybrid as tested)
Fuel economy: EPA est. mpg 46 city/41 highway/44 combined (Sport L Hybrid as tested)
Report card
Highs: Lovely inside and out; sharp handling
Lows: Wireless smartphone apps not offered on entry-level trims; fewer engine choices
Overall: 3 stars
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