Not for the Netherlands
Honda pulls the curtain on its new Accord: a car that will not come to the Netherlands, but is still of great importance on the American market. The newest and eleventh generation grew slightly compared to its predecessor and is characterized by a fairly quiet interplay of lines. Inside, it was of course also renewed, so that the sedan is back in line with the rest of the offer in the Honda stable.
The appearance of the new Honda Accord is not really a surprise after retrieving the patent plates and the teasers that the brand has already released. The Japanese chose to draw the car a lot more quietly than the previous generation of the Accord, which came on the market in 2017. For example, the side of the car really only has two lines: one that runs from front to back and above the handles, and one that runs over the lower part of the doors at the level of the wheel hubs. The front and rear of the eleventh generation Accord also have straight, horizontal lines that make the car look wide. On the back we see a light strip, because in 2023 – when the car appears on American roads, among other things – it cannot be missed.
The same goes for the digital instrumentation that we find on the inside of the new Accord, which replaces the analog counters of the previous generation. In addition to the screen in front of the driver’s nose, we also see a 12.3-inch screen on top of the center console. That is part of the richer trim levels, because Honda mounts a smaller copy as standard. Big or small, providing access to Android Auto and Apple Carplay will do. The new Accord is also the first Honda to use Google’s services for the info portion of the infotainment system.
Under the screen placed in the middle is the optically over the entire width of the dashboard running ventilation grille and below that again houses the physical buttons for the climate control. The Accord thus has the same sleek dashboard layout as Honda’s other recently launched products, such as the Integra and the Civic, which is also available here.
The now well-known dashboard layout of the new Honda Accord.
Honda Accord ‘e:HEV’
Honda will supply the new Accord in the United States from next year in six trim levels. The cheapest two of these are paired with a 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbo engine that produces 195 hp and 260 Nm of torque and is mated to a CVT. The more expensive four have a hybrid powertrain on board: a 2-liter four-cylinder with Atkinsonloop that works together with two electric motors. That special power plant is comparable to the e:HEV powertrain that you get in the Civic in the Netherlands. In the Accord it is only good for a bit more power and torque: 207 hp and 335 Nm. Honda expects that about 50 percent of Accords sold in the US market will be hybrids.
For the rest, Honda seizes the generation switch to bring the Accord completely up-to-date in the field of driving assistance systems. Everything you can expect nowadays is there, although that is of course especially true when you talk about the more expensive equipment levels. The infotainment system is one of Honda’s latest kind and controls the optional Bose audio system on request. Furthermore, Honda customers can choose from the usual: different colors of upholstery, wheels with a diameter of 17 to 19 inches and a choice of luxury items such as seat ventilation and a heated rear seat.
The new Honda Accord will be built in Marysville, Ohio, where the brand has been producing Accords for 40 years. More than 12.5 million have already rolled off the line. The American market is therefore by far the most important for the Accord, although the model is also supplied in most other markets. In any case, the new one is not coming to South America, nor to Europe, so it will pass us by.
Honda Accord
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– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl