Two years ago I drove a Honda Accord Touring model and came away pleased with everything about the car. The Accord has been a favourite of owners and journalists for many years, winning numerous awards. Now the newest generation 2018 model is on the streets. And once again, I’m impressed very, very impressed.
Starting at $26,590 the 2018 Accord has sharper styling, a longer wheelbase on a new platform and new engines. Lower and longer, it’s a looker. The V6 is gone, but buyers should be happy with what will be under the hood. Once again, I was given a top-of-the line Touring model starting at $38,890. The interior of this model comes very close to matching the fit and finish of an Audi or BMW. Seriously, the interior is that well executed and there are features galore in the Touring; the latest active and passive safety features, a large trunk supplemented by fold down rear seat backs, comfortable seating, easy to use instrumentation, controls and an equally easy to use entertainment system. The sound quality from the stereo also deserves praise.
Under the hood the 2018 Accord comes standard with a new 1.5 litre, direct-injected four-cylinder turbo with 192 horsepower and 192 lb-ft of torque. That’s more than the old 2.4 litre engine. The new turbocharged 2.0 litre 4 cylinder engine is only available in the Sport and Touring models and is also a smooth and economical powerplant with enough oomph to satisfy most people especially in normal driver or Sport mode. With 252 horsepower on tap, this is most apparent when you press the go pedal to merge onto a highway. A hybrid model will be available several months from now. All engines use regular gasoline which is good as the price of gasoline continues to rise. In a mix of highway and in town driving I averaged 9.4L/100km or just over 30mpg. Exceptionally good I think for a sedan this size. It certainly helped that I kept a light foot on the accelerator pedal.
Even with Michelin snow tires on my Accord, the ride was smooth, comfortable and very quiet at highway speed. Summer tires would have been the icing on the cake. Bravo to the ride and handling engineers who did an excellent job on this model. The overall feel is that of a sedan in a much higher price class. The Touring model also gets an adaptive suspension that can firm up the ride whenever the driver wants.
Inside, the Touring model is the only trim to get Navigation and a brilliant new heads-up display. All models get a sharp-looking seven-inch instrument screen with easy to use menus. All models also get Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a 12-way driver’s seat, sunroof and adaptive cruise, collision warning, lane-keep assist and remote start. Good to see knobs for volume and tuning.
Because the Accord is a little longer, driver and passengers benefit from more interior room. All materials are of a higher grade and the seats are comfortable and accommodating for most body sizes. There is also more sound deadening material used inside, which helps achieve a more quieter passenger cabin.
If you like to travel the open road, a large trunk awaits your luggage and whatever else comes with you. Trunk space measures 473 litres – a little better than the previous Accord. The rear seat backs fold down increasing cargo space dramatically. If you’re not part of the trend to CUVs or SUVs and still prefer a mid-size sedan, The 2018 Honda Accord would certainly be one you should consider buying.
Read more of Garry Melnyk’s Auto Talk at https://www.stalbertgazette.com/st-albert/scene/auto-talk
