{"id":26589,"date":"2021-01-07T14:29:16","date_gmt":"2021-01-07T18:29:16","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/henrypayne.com\/?p=26589"},"modified":"2021-01-07T14:29:22","modified_gmt":"2021-01-07T18:29:22","slug":"payne-two-good-to-be-true-vw-arteon-and-honda-accord-hybrid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/2021\/01\/payne-two-good-to-be-true-vw-arteon-and-honda-accord-hybrid","title":{"rendered":"Payne: Two good to be true, VW Arteon and Honda Accord Hybrid"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"The<\/p>\n

It\u2019s just gorgeous.<\/p>\n

Sleek sedan lines. Clamshell hood. Black, 20-inch turbine wheels. Coupe-like roof tapering to a huge, utilitarian hatchback. No, I\u2019m not talking about the Audi A7. I\u2019m ogling the Volkswagen Arteon, the prettiest midsize car in the U.S. market.<\/p>\n

This week\u2019s $49,100 Arteon tester is a prime example of a wave of mainstream cars in the market that are as good as their luxury peers \u2014 but for thousands of dollars less.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n
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You want beauty and power in a big sedan? You don\u2019t have to pay the comparably equipped Audi A7\u2019s $72,340 price tag. The VW will do nicely, thank you very much. And it upends the brand hierarchy since the two\u00a0all-wheel drive lookers come from the same VW Group stable.<\/p>\n

Another example is the $36,795 Honda Accord Hybrid I just flogged all over Washtenaw County. Is your idea of luxury a sippy 44-mpg Lexus ES 400e hybrid with a mega front grille? Save $10,000 and buy a loaded, 43-mpg Honda Accord Hybrid with a kisser you can see coming a mile away.<\/p>\n

Credit the electronics revolution or manufacturing advancements or feng shui, but my twin testers have all but shrunk the mainstream\/luxury gap to nothing. I\u2019ll get to the gaps that remain in a moment.<\/p>\n

But first, let\u2019s take another lap around the Arteon.<\/p>\n

Audi A7 designer Sebastiano Russo is a genius,\u00a0and his prot\u00e9g\u00e9s appear to have designed the Arteon. The symmetry of the car is perfection. Once upon a time, it was the wheels that separated luxury from mainstream, but my VW\u00a0R-line\u2019s turbine pinwheels are the most stunning thing this side of a Tesla Model S.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n
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The Arteon\u2019s fastback is not only lovely, but it\u2019s a hatchback just like the Audi, bringing SUV-like utility to a sedan. That\u2019s crucial in my book. SUVs have eaten sedans for lunch thanks to their easy hatch-storage and high seating position. But that utility has come at the sacrifice of appearance. Boxy, five-door ute profiles are hard to distinguish.<\/p>\n

I recently drove a refined, athletic Audi SQ8 \u2014 its profile virtually indistinguishable from every other SUV in the parking lot despite its $95,495 price tag. Sedan designers have been quick to take advantage. There\u2019s no mistaking the Arteon.<\/p>\n

Or the Accord. Introduced in the 2018 model year, the Accord wowed with its stunning interior, dramatic sportback and chiseled physique. Its cheaper price compared to the Arteon owes in part to the car\u2019s normal boot opening, as Honda avoided the considerable expense of fortifying the rear end for a hatchback. Additionally, the Accord does not offer all-wheel drive like Arteon.<\/p>\n

But when compared to a $47,635 Lexus ES 300h, the bargain Honda is superior in every way. Its exterior is more elegant and its huge maw nearly as intimidating as the Lexus (if that\u2019s your kind of thing).<\/p>\n

\"With<\/p>\n
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The interior is a tour de force with digital instrument display, tablet display\u00a0and acres of room (roomier than Lexus and on par with the Arteon, with palatial 40.4 inches of rear legroom) that allowed a giraffe like me more space than a living room Barcalounger.<\/p>\n

Under its sunroof, it goes toe-to-toe with the Lexus on 12-way memory leather seats, heated steering wheel and trigger shifter.\u00a0Then it pulls away with Honda\u2019s typical, obsessive attention to interior ergonomics: better infotainment controls, head-up display\u00a0and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone compatibility.<\/p>\n

A word on those last items.<\/p>\n

General Motors pioneered head-up displays a couple decades ago in high-end vehicles like Cadillac and Corvette, and Honda is the only automaker to my knowledge to match Caddy in enabling head-up adjustment on the dash \u2014 a detail (remember that obsessive ergonomics?) consumers will appreciate.<\/p>\n