Tested: All-New 2023 Honda Accord | Two Steps Forward, One Step Back | Full Review with Test Results

Jul 30, 2023

Tested: All-New 2023 Honda Accord | Two Steps Forward, One Step Back | Full Review with Test Results

The Honda Accord is all-new for 2023, bringing fresh styling, new powertrains, and a redesigned interior with updated technology. But with the last-generation Accord being as excellent as it was, the redesigned 2023 model has a lot to live up to. In this video, Edmunds’ Clint Simone takes you through a full review of the 2023 Honda in Sport L trim, including the test results from our track. Check it all out in the video above!

2023 Honda Accord pricing \u0026 review: https://edmu.in/3WFEEtv

00:00 Intro
00:40 What’s New
03:52 Interior
06:23 Exterior
07:07 The Numbers
08:41 Edmunds’ Take

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Content

0 -> CLINT SIMONE: The Honda Accord has always

1.71 -> been the heart and soul of the company's lineup.

4.11 -> It's a legit successful sedan in an era where SUVs call

7.71 -> the shots and set the trends.

9.54 -> Just look at how shiny and new this thing is.

11.51 -> So we're going to do what we do best here at Edmunds

13.68 -> and put it through our full range of testing procedures.

16.4 -> We're going to tell you about the Accord's fuel

18.36 -> economy in the real world, and we're

19.86 -> going to tell you what we like and what we don't like

22.07 -> about Honda's newest sedan.

23.31 -> That's a lot to get to.

24.46 -> Let's get started.

25.27 -> SPEAKER: Wait!

25.85 -> Wait!

27.19 -> CLINT SIMONE: Oops.

27.98 -> How could I forget?

28.88 -> If you like what you see here on the Edmunds channel,

31.09 -> do us a favor, and Like and Subscribe.

33.06 -> And if you're looking to sell your car,

34.68 -> head over to edmunds.com/sellmycar

37.16 -> for an instant cash offer.

38.53 ->

41.15 -> [MUSIC PLAYING]

44.4 ->

44.9 -> So Honda is leaning more into electrification

47.63 -> than they have in the past.

48.78 -> And that is evident with this change in the Accord lineup.

52.01 -> Gone, bye-bye, is that 2.0-liter turbo from the previous

56.36 -> generation that was totally enthusiast approved.

59.06 -> And in its place is a 4-cylinder hybrid.

61.91 -> Actually, four of the six trim levels on this new Accord

65.09 -> have that hybrid powertrain.

67.13 -> Only the two entry level ones use a gas-only engine.

70.79 -> So that means if you want a mid or top trim Accord,

74.75 -> you're getting a hybrid.

76.04 -> But the question left on the table,

78.02 -> does this thing still put a smile on our face?

80.75 -> This is it.

81.48 -> This is the level of smile that I have.

83.57 -> It's kind of the one that you bust out when you really

85.82 -> want to go out to a restaurant, but then somebody is like, no.

88.4 -> We have food at home.

90.02 -> This new hybrid makes 204 horsepower and 274 pound-feet

94.7 -> of torque.

95.37 -> Now, I know there's at least one of you Honda fanboys out there

98.39 -> keeping score at home.

99.68 -> And you are right.

100.61 -> That is a lot less power than the old 2.0T.

104.84 -> Little bit of salt in the wound too,

106.85 -> that beautiful 10-speed automatic that we used to love

109.43 -> is now replaced by an E-CVT.

112.52 -> That effectively means that one of the electric motors

115.13 -> functions as the transmission.

116.84 -> And it feels slower.

120.59 -> It definitely feels slower.

122.63 -> Our testing numbers will tell you

124.43 -> in a little bit just how much slower it is,

126.23 -> but no doubt, in the real world, it feels less pokey.

129.59 -> However, Honda is on a crusade to make the Accord feel more

133.82 -> grown up, more sophisticated.

136.01 -> And I have to say, stoplight to stoplight,

138.38 -> this new powertrain does feel more

140.21 -> refined than the old turbo.

142.46 -> They have something called Linear Shift Control System.

146.54 -> I think it's LSCSCSCSC if you do it as an acronym.

150.41 -> But that basically means that they've

152.39 -> installed simulated shift points so that this feels more

155.57 -> like an automatic than it does a CVT.

158.63 -> Here's a quick story for you.

159.89 -> I drove the new CR-V just a few weeks ago.

162.96 -> And in that car, I did not like this powertrain whatsoever.

167.07 -> It felt stressed out and overworked.

168.8 -> The revs were just climbing and kind of sticking, you know,

171.59 -> that CVT behavior that we don't like.

173.69 -> But here in the Accord, that's really gone away.

176.72 -> This is a lot lighter than the CR-V,

178.88 -> and that weight makes a big difference.

180.78 -> The engine just doesn't have to work as hard.

182.87 -> The steering is surprisingly hefty.

185.87 -> But it's the sort of weightiness where

188.09 -> it feels like they're just masking the fact that there's

190.85 -> not much feedback coming back to the driver.

192.98 -> I rarely say this, but I think Honda went a little overboard

196.58 -> in a quest to make this feel more sporty than it really is.

199.4 -> Those of us on staff that have driven this Accord so far

202.13 -> have given kind of mixed reviews on the ride quality.

204.8 -> But I think this is perfectly fine.

206.79 -> It does everything it needs to do.

208.74 -> And remember, we're rolling on the 19-inch wheels.

211.1 -> If you get one of the trim levels that have 17's, it's

213.68 -> going to be even better.

215.03 -> Of course, this being a family sedan,

216.92 -> we've got to talk safety.

218.42 -> There's smarter airbags, a new wide angle

220.97 -> camera for better object detection, improved blind spot

224.21 -> monitoring, and traffic jam assist.

226.55 -> All good stuff.

227.99 -> Let's pull over real quick so I can show you some

230.06 -> of the updates to the interior.

231.35 ->

235.91 -> Last time I was in a new Honda, it

237.35 -> was actually just a few weeks ago,

238.91 -> driving the new 2023 Honda Pilot.

241.61 -> And I got inside of that car, and I said,

243.53 -> boy, all of these new Hondas are really looking the same inside.

246.38 -> They all look really similar to each other

248.54 -> when it comes to the interior.

250.13 -> So here I am in the Accord, and boy,

252.47 -> are all these new Hondas really looking the same inside.

255.17 -> I'm being a little dramatic.

256.85 -> The Accord does have some things in the interior that

259.49 -> help it feel a little bit more like a flagship.

262.31 -> It's cross metalwork right here.

264.27 -> It's nice.

264.79 -> It feels a little fancier than the mesh pattern

266.75 -> that you get in the Civic.

267.98 -> I also love that you get a full instrument cluster.

270.59 -> But some of the best features are

272.42 -> exclusive to the top of the line Touring trim, which

275.54 -> we don't have today.

276.93 -> You want Bose audio, wireless charging pad.

279.56 -> You've got to shell out to get those.

281.18 -> Be nice if you could add them to the lower trims.

283.22 -> That'd really help things out.

284.47 -> But here's the big news, my friends.

287.85 -> It's a 12.3-inch touch screen display,

290.57 -> the biggest and the bestest that Honda has ever installed

294.17 -> in a car.

294.77 -> Why the Pilot doesn't get this is beyond me.

297.39 -> But at least for now, this is Accord only.

299.87 -> Now, it still gets wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

303.2 -> Really does look fantastic taking up the whole screen,

305.99 -> just like this.

307.37 -> Is also the first Honda product to ever get Google integration,

310.73 -> a new and exciting feature.

312.56 -> And I would love to show you how that works

314.96 -> and what that looks like, but I can't because that is also

318.17 -> exclusive to the Touring trim.

319.97 -> We have the second to highest Sport-L trim.

322.67 -> So close.

323.51 -> So, so, so close.

324.86 -> Welcome to the back seat of the Accord.

326.57 -> Let's start with some good news.

327.9 -> Legroom back here, fantastic.

329.66 -> There's tons and tons of room, 2 inches more

332.54 -> than you get in a Toyota Camry.

334.22 -> Head room also actually pretty good,

336.96 -> even with the sloping roofline.

338.45 -> It's just right on par with the other leaders in this segment.

341.45 -> My towering 5 foot, 8 frame is very comfortable back here.

345.82 -> Little bit of bad news, though.

347.11 -> Womp, womp.

347.75 -> Right here, no rear seat air vents.

350.63 -> There's also no place to plug in your phone.

353.39 -> Stop me if you've heard this before,

355.08 -> but those are both things that you get with the Touring trim.

357.62 -> I know.

358.12 -> I know.

359.03 -> Hi, there.

359.63 -> We fact checked this video and in the process

362.15 -> discovered that the EX-L trim also has rear seat air vents.

366.08 -> That car costs less money than this one.

369.02 -> Oh, you're confused too?

371.25 -> Good.

371.75 -> Glad I'm not the only one.

373.13 -> One more redeeming factor, though.

374.75 -> When it comes to cargo space, the Accord is an absolute hero.

377.96 -> 16.7 cubic feet of space.

380.43 -> It's the best in the class.

381.58 ->

386.25 -> Sometimes I like to scour the internet for its hot

390.48 -> takes on car design.

391.98 -> And it seems like everybody thinks

394.05 -> this thing looks pretty boring.

396.75 -> I mean, there's nothing wrong with it necessarily,

399.21 -> but if you were to rip the badges

400.86 -> off the front and the back and tell me

402.54 -> that this is a Ford Taurus from the future

404.7 -> in some alternate universe, I would totally believe you.

407.25 -> I have exactly one fun fact about the exterior design

410.55 -> on this car.

411.66 -> This one is a Sport, which means you get 19-inch wheels.

414.96 -> If you bump over to the EX-L, you get down to 17-inch wheels.

418.8 -> But, but you get four more mpg.

422.04 -> Four.

422.94 -> That's fun, right?

424.02 -> That's fun.

424.65 -> With all that out of the way, let's get to the numbers.

427.32 -> So the whole point in switching from a powerful turbocharged

430.53 -> engine to a hybrid one was to sway the new Accord

433.35 -> in the direction of efficiency.

435.51 -> Well, mission accomplished.

437.34 -> On our Edmunds real-world testing loop,

439.68 -> the Accord Sport-L achieved 41.5 mpg.

443.61 -> This not only beats the 2.0T, but it's also better than

447 -> the old Accord hybrid on the same loop.

449.55 -> Our only disappointment is that the new Accord's numbers

452.37 -> fall short of its EPA estimated 44 combined.

455.94 -> And that's a trend we've noticed over the last few years

458.61 -> when testing Honda hybrids.

460.38 -> It's also worse than one of its main competitors, the Hyundai

463.44 -> Sonata hybrid, which earned 47.1 on our loop.

467.52 -> I promised you acceleration numbers, so here we go.

470.19 -> And there's good news and bad news.

472.12 -> The 2023 Accord Sport-L hit 60 in 7.3 seconds

476.52 -> during our testing.

477.87 -> That's 0.3 seconds quicker than the old Accord hybrid.

481.68 -> But like I said, behind the wheel,

483.9 -> it's quite a bit slower than the old 2.0T's 5.9-second run

488.52 -> to 60.

489.54 -> Yeah, we're still going to miss that engine.

491.94 -> Now, you're probably wondering about this new Accord's Edmunds

495 -> rating.

495.54 -> We crunched the numbers, and it comes out to a 7.9 out of 10.

499.65 -> We appreciate the hybrid's added efficiency and the better

502.95 -> infotainment, but some of the old Accord's driving fun

505.8 -> has been lost in the process.

507.39 -> That 7.9 score is actually lower than the outgoing Accord, which

511.71 -> finished second in our midsize sedan rankings with an 8.3,

515.82 -> right behind the Kia K5.

518.19 -> This new Accord ranks fourth in the class.

520.66 ->

525.32 -> Anyway, here's the big picture.

527.72 -> The new Accord is a fine car to live with day-to-day.

530.66 -> It's more relaxing to drive, albeit less exciting,

533.48 -> and has some optional tech features

535.58 -> that make it feel more premium.

537.38 -> I just wish those features could be

539.12 -> added to some of the more affordable trim levels.

541.73 -> Once upon a time, the Accord was the heart of Honda's brand

545.15 -> and a major point of innovation.

547.25 -> While that's still somewhat true,

549.09 -> still feels like they held back this time around.

551.46 -> Thanks to SUVs, the family sedan segment isn't nearly as popular

555.05 -> as it used to be.

556.07 -> With fewer rivals out there, Honda's reserved approach

559.01 -> still feels like it could be a recipe for success.

562.44 -> And that is the story with the new Honda Accord.

565.34 -> You can check out more car reviews just

567.14 -> like this one right here on the Edmunds channel.

569.67 -> Thanks for watching.

571.63 ->

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XGZy6SO92bI