SPEAKER 1: We are here with the 2023 Honda Accord, which
has been redesigned and kicks off the 11th generation
of the mid-size sedan.
11 generations, that's nearly 50 years of Honda Accords,
and part of the reason that it's been around for so long
is that it's pretty darn good.
Even the old Accord, which was starting
to feel very long in the tooth by automotive standards,
sits second in our midsize sedan rankings,
just behind the Kia K5.
So does the 2023 Accord with its improvements
have enough to take it over the top
and take over that top spot?
Let's find out.
But first, if you're enjoying our videos, please hit those
like and subscribe buttons.
And if you want more information on the 2023 Accord,
hit the link in the description.
And finally, if you want to get into a new set of wheels,
head over to edmunds.com/sellmycar to get
an instant cash offer.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
The redesign comes, of course, with updated exterior styling.
And even though there are changes,
this is still pretty instantly recognizable as an Accord.
It starts up front here with a brand new grille and a lowered
kind of hood opening, which gives the front a much more
planted feel.
Heading around the side here, we get a view of these 19 inch
two-tone wheels.
These come on the Touring model, like the one
that we're looking at, and also these kind of gloss black lower
accents, exclusive to the Touring and the higher trims.
One thing that all Tourings do get
is this nice chrome strip that kind of comes across the roof
here to the back and accentuates the fastback profile.
And even though I'm not a big fan of chrome,
you kind of need this here otherwise
it would look a little bit flat.
As we get to the back here, the fastback profile
might hint that you get a lift gate,
but you don't, just a traditional trunk opening,
though it is very large and it gives the sedan plenty
of utility.
My favorite styling feature, though, that's brand new,
it's on the back.
I love what Honda has done with the rear of the Accord.
They've taken this gloss black panel
and stretched it all the way across the trunk.
And they've even taken the Honda badge
and shrunk it into the panel, so it looks
very flat and very cohesive.
This is going to give the Accord a very cool, sort
of visual signature, especially at night.
Honda has taken the Accord and the Accord Hybrid
and kind of mash them together into one big model.
That means that the bottom two trim levels, the LX and EX,
come with a turbocharged 1.5 liter gas engine,
but the four other trim levels all
come with this, a fourth generation Honda dual motor
hybrid system.
The new system makes a little bit less horsepower,
but more torque, which Honda says
should make for a smoother driving experience.
Although we tested, what's fundamentally,
the same system in the CR-V hybrid recently,
we didn't really like it.
We found it to be a bit noisy on the highway
and to be a bit strained under acceleration.
So will that ring true in the Accord?
We'll have to get behind the wheel to find out.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
Redesigned Accord interior, it's going to feel pretty familiar.
What Honda has kind of done is they've
taken the interior that they introduced in the redesigned
Civic and sort of stretched it out over their whole lineup.
So that means whether you climb in the Civic, the CR-V,
the HR-V, or even now the Accord,
they're all going to kind of look and feel the same.
Although we do admit that here in the Accord,
there are a few premium touches that do give it
a bit more class than the other vehicles,
starting with these gunmetal black dials
here for the climate control that
have really nice illumination behind them,
a nice mesh grille covering here over all the vents,
gives it a very cohesive look, and there
is a lot of piano black around this interior
that would normally kind of bother me,
but it seems to sort of fit in with a light and dark motif
that Honda is going forward with this interior overall.
One thing to be careful, though, these things
are going to be fingerprint magnets,
so keep a cloth in the car to keep everything looking fresh.
One of the Accord's selling points
has always been its huge backseat.
And that is in tact, still over 40 inches of rear legroom.
It practically feels like a full size backseat,
except for in one way, the new Accord's profile
kind of cuts into headroom.
So if you're over six feet tall, you
may have to slouch down a bit to be really comfortable,
otherwise tons of legroom.
Real easy to get in and install things
like car seats with these large door openings as well.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
Now for the big change, right here,
a 12.3 inch touchscreen, that is the largest touchscreen
that Honda has ever made.
And this is actually standard on all four of the hybrid models.
So whether you go Sport, EX-L, Sport L, or Touring,
like the one we're in, you're going
to get this nice big touch screen.
And it's well placed.
So from the driving position, I can actually
reach the opposite side of the screen
without leaning forward, even though it's
placed kind of high, really good ergonomics.
And Honda has a nice ledge here, so
that if you're using it while driving, you
can use this to stabilize your hand,
makes it just much easier to use overall.
In addition to the big screen, Honda
has also included a big multimedia update.
Now, this only comes on Touring models, unfortunately.
And what it does is, it integrates Google built-in
with Honda's existing multimedia system.
So that means that you get things
like the Google Assistant, Google Maps,
and even the Google Play store built natively
into the multimedia system.
And that means that you can do a few cool things like this,
so we click right over to the maps here,
this allows us to actually mirror the map view from here
onto the standard digital display.
And so I can actually see the turn by turn directions
without having to look over to the screen.
Or I can use the screen for something else
and still get those directions.
Also, in the Play Store, you have a selection
of apps that have been specifically designed
to work well in the car.
So a lot of the apps will be familiar for podcasts
and things like that, but there's
great potential here for expansion in the Play Store.
And you also get built in Google Assistant, which is faster
and works better than most of the voice recognition
technology.
OK Google, turn on the ventilated seats up front.
SPEAKER 2: OK, turning on seat fans for the front.
SPEAKER 1: Integrating this experience natively
into the multimedia system gives you
added functionality and graphically,
and otherwise, the system just feels much better and cleaner
than it did before.
And for you iPhone users, don't feel left out.
Wireless Apple CarPlay and wireless Android Auto
connectivity comes standard with the larger screen,
although, again, only Touring models
get the wireless charging pad.
So that means that if you go for one of the other models,
and you want to charge your phone,
you're still going to need a wire of some kind.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
Honda didn't really change up the accord's formula
with this redesign because it didn't really need to.
It's still offers a ton of back seat space
and a comfortable interior.
And it's just added on new layers of technology
that make it feel more modern.
The 12.3 inch touchscreen is a great addition.
And it's also placed perfectly, which
we can't say about a lot of the other large touch
screens in this class if we did have one wish,
it was that the Google built-in integration
wasn't just limited to Touring models
because that means that you're going
to have to pay a lot more to get the best multimedia experience.
How much more you'll have to pay, we don't quite know, yet,
but pricing and fuel economy estimates
should be available closer to the Accords
on sale date in January 2023.
Thanks for watching.
And for all the latest car news and reviews,
be sure to head over to edmunds.com/sellmycar.
[MUSIC PLAYING]