2021 Honda Accord review: As good as it’s ever been

The Honda Accord receives a few minor improvements this year, none of which must hamper the perennial success of this easy-to-like spouse and children sedan. Which is additional critical now than at any time, way too, as the 2021 Accord faces in opposition to ever more rigid opposition. In addition to the Honda’s longstanding archrival, the Toyota Camry, corporations like Hyundai, Kia and Nissan are providing better midsize options than at any time ahead of. Fortunately, the 10th-era Accord was a winner from the get-go.

In point, this Accord was so fantastic out of the gates that its mid-cycle refresh is limited to just a few styling tweaks, slight cabin tech updates and some model positioning/packaging adjustments. Truthfully, the biggest information for the 2021 Accord is an improved hybrid drivetrain, which my buddy Andrew Krok talks about in depth in a different critique.

Visually, the slimmer LED headlights and wider grille of my Activity tester don’t definitely move the needle 1 way or the other, though I have to say the Accord’s new Sonic Gray paint possibility — which initially debuted on the Civic — seems to be entirely sizzling. LX and EX-L types roll on milquetoast seventeen-inch wheels, while Activity, Activity SE and Touring trims get snazzier 19s, wrapped in 235/forty-series tires.

Honda’s one.five-liter turbo I4 is continue to the base motor possibility, putting out 192 horsepower and 192 pound-ft of torque. A additional effective 2.-liter turbocharged inline-4 is available with Activity and Touring types, bringing a nutritious 252 hp and 273 lb-ft to the occasion. Unfortunate trombone time, though: The Accord’s six-velocity guide transmission possibility goes absent this year. The one.5T motor will come regular with a continuously variable transmission and the 2.0T has a ten-velocity automatic. And ahead of you complain, know that only a super-duper-small share of Accord buyers really spec’d the guide gearbox. In other words and phrases, y’all only have yourselves to blame.

An additional issue you cannot get on the Accord? All-wheel generate. I know AWD may well sound like an oddity for a midsize sedan, but additional and additional automakers are embracing this foul-climate friendliness in an endeavor to appease buyers who just don’t want an SUV. No lengthier reserved for the Subaru Legacy, the Kia K5, Nissan Altima and Toyota Camry all provide AWD now. Go to your Honda vendor looking for all-wheel generate and they’ll fortunately clearly show you a CR-V.

The 2.-liter I4 is a complete peach of an motor — as it must be, given that it is proficiently the same device employed in the delightful Civic Variety R. You can ride a sleek wave of torque from just one,five hundred rpm, and the ten-velocity transmission is content to dangle out in the lessen finish of the engine’s rev vary, producing the most of that turbocharged woosh. On the other hand, this signifies the ten-velocity gearbox is generally hesitant to kick down and go-go-go-go-go when speedy highway passes are demanded, though if you operate the Accord in its Activity mode, the transmission is not only snapper to change, but holds on to gears lengthier, way too.

With the 2.-liter motor, the Accord must return an EPA-approximated 22 miles per gallon in the metropolis, 32 mpg on the highway and 26 mpg blended. Which is… wonderful. But equally effective turbocharged opponents like the Nissan Altima and Subaru Legacy are a bit additional frugal. Of system, if gasoline efficiency is a top rated problem, you might be probably better off just sticking with the one.5T, or for that make a difference, an Accord Hybrid.

The Activity 2.0T has mainly the same suspension setup as other Accord types, help you save for the Touring, which provides adaptive dampers. But even with out ’em, the Accord Activity strikes an excellent balance of consolation and composure this car will eat up highway miles with amazing, collected self esteem and it will not likely get all pissy if you toss it into a corner with gusto. The steering is properly weighted and speedy to reply and, commonly talking, the Accord feels additional agile than just about everything else in the class, apart from probably the Mazda6. Perhaps.

Extra than its outright sportiness, though, the Accord has an aura of refinement that is lacking from other midsize sedans. There’s a sensation of high quality solidity that will make this Honda effortless to generate. Combine that with a peaceful cabin and comfortable seats, and extensive stints behind the wheel of the Accord are everything but fatiguing.

This Honda is an easy car to stay with working day to working day, way too. The interior may well deficiency the flashy style of some newer sedans like the Hyundai Sonata, but all of the Accord’s controls are accurately exactly where you be expecting them to be and just about every floor you touch seems to be and feels definitely pleasant. Head- and legroom is generous for each entrance and rear travellers and there are a great deal of minor storage cubbies in the course of the cabin, including 1 underneath the weather controls that houses a wireless charging pad on upper trims.

Every single 2021 Accord now will come with an 8-inch touchscreen jogging Honda’s Screen Audio multimedia process. Apple CarPlay and Android Automobile are regular and can be operated wirelessly on any Accord that has the aforementioned charging pad. These are small tech updates, but thoughtful kinds. That mentioned, the Screen Audio software program definitely lags behind what a ton of other automakers provide in conditions of style and operation and the Accord cannot contend with the larger screens and better-res displays located in rivals like the Sonata and K5. Throughout its whole portfolio, Honda could definitely stand to give its infotainment tech a improve.

At the very least driver-assistance tech is in superior provide. Every single Accord receives adaptive cruise control, lane-retaining help, visitors-signal recognition, forward-collision warning and automatic superior-beam headlights. Sadly, blind-location checking with cross-visitors alert is not available on the lessen trim amounts and you can only get a head-up display on the top rated-finish Touring. It’s all fantastic tech to have, but male, the lane-retaining help and forward-collision warning absolutely sure are sensitive. I find myself turning them off additional generally than not.

Starting up at $25,765 including a $995 location cost, the 2021 Honda Accord remains competitively priced within the midsize sedan class. You cannot get into a 2.-liter model for everything significantly less than $33,a hundred and five and a top rated-of-the-line Touring will operate you just underneath $38,000. Which is a few thousand bucks additional than you can shell out for an equivalent Hyundai Sonata Constrained, though the latter isn’t going to have as significantly electricity and is not quite as pleasant to generate. The Hyundai provides additional placing style, a lengthier warranty and way better cabin tech, though — a few issues that are arguably additional critical for the ordinary spouse and children sedan customer.

Even now, while some opponents may well surpass the Accord in precise areas, none come to feel as wholly effectively-rounded. Perfectly-built, fantastic to generate, refined and handsome, Honda’s midsize sedan continues to be a fantastic get.