{"id":27662,"date":"2021-07-22T18:47:41","date_gmt":"2021-07-22T22:47:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/?p=27662"},"modified":"2021-07-22T18:47:41","modified_gmt":"2021-07-22T22:47:41","slug":"payne-honda-accord-is-a-luxe-sedan-in-a-mainstream-wrapper","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/2021\/07\/payne-honda-accord-is-a-luxe-sedan-in-a-mainstream-wrapper","title":{"rendered":"Payne: Honda Accord is a luxe sedan in a mainstream wrapper"},"content":{"rendered":"

Some cars stick with you. The 10th generation Honda Accord is one of those vehicles.<\/p>\n

I remember when it arrived in my driveway in 2017. Coupe-like profile. Tablet infotainment screen astride a clean interior. Smooth\u00a0252-horsepower turbo-4. It was a luxury sedan with a mainstream badge. Slap four rings on the mega-grille and most would think it was an Audi A6.<\/p>\n

The Accord was perhaps the first vehicle that made me realize the gap between mainstream and luxury vehicles was shrinking. Fast. So when the 2021 Accord arrived in my driveway this summer, I was eager to see if one of my favorite dance partners still had it.<\/p>\n

Without a doubt.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n
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Indeed, like \u201cFormula 1: Drive to Survive,\u201d the Accord keeps getting better with each season. For its mid-cycle\u00a02021 model year refresh, Accord gets a few upgrades while my favorite Sport trim (in a lineup that runs from LX to Touring trims, including a hybrid) gained just $640 in price. My Accord Sport tester was dressed in knockout Sonic Gray Pearl wardrobe, 19-inch wheels, black deck spoiler, 8-inch touchscreen tablet, sunroof.<\/p>\n

Pardon me, but I couldn\u2019t help noticing you across the room.<\/em><\/p>\n

All that for just, ahem, $33,500. Which is $23,000 cheaper than, say, a comparably equipped Audi A6. You could buy a brand new 2022 Honda Civic Sport (another Made-in-America all-star from the Japanese brand) with the money you save. Think I\u2019m making this up? Let\u2019s pull the specs.<\/p>\n

Both Audi and Honda sport turbo-4 cylinder engines. Accord\u2019s 252-horsepower mill sprints 0-60 in 5.4 seconds vs. the Audi\u2019s 5.8, despite the German\u2019s all-wheel-drive traction. Both have adaptive cruise control, blind spot assist, auto high beams. Both have digital, configurable instrument displays. Sunroof? Check. My wife\u2019s favorite, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto? Yup.<\/p>\n

\"Detroit<\/p>\n
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Sure, the plush Audi\u2019s all-wheel-drive system will more confidently deliver you home through winter storms. But the Honda has bragging rights, too. For instance, superior ergonomics, console storage\u00a0and rear leg room. Heck, the Accord\u2019s ridiculous 40.4 inches of rear legroom is not only three inches more than the Audi \u2014 it\u2019s just three inches shy of a Ford F-150 Super Crew. At 6\u20195\u201d tall, I sat behind myself in the Accord without my knobby knees reaching the seatback.<\/p>\n

The Accord is more than just specs.<\/p>\n

Powered by Honda engines, Red Bull\u2019s Formula 1 team is neck-and-neck with Mercedes right now. This is a company serious about blending driving performance with everyday practicality, and Accord is engaging to drive despite its big dimensions.<\/p>\n

Accord Sport and I danced through the twisties on M-32 \u2014\u00a0Sonic Gray dress flowing behind. Across sun-soaked and dripping-wet asphalt\u00a0the sedan always felt balanced, its long wheelbase rotating nicely through corners with little push.<\/p>\n

Honda is expert at putting torque to the road in front-wheel-drive cars (see the 292-horse Civic Type R hellion), and Accord\u2019s no different. The front hooves would squeal when I put 252 ponies to cold pavement out of stoplights \u2014 but never with torque-steer. And, you\u2019ll be happy to know, dear reader, the Accord doesn\u2019t do that annoying engine stop\/start\u00a0thing at stoplights.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n
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With the Mazda 6 exiting the midsize sedan segment, Accord may be the new benchmark. The Sport certainly aims to please with a 10-speed transmission that rev-matched on downshifts in Sport mode while delivering crisp, quick shifts when racing through the gears.<\/p>\n

I stopped at Summertime Rentals in East Jordan, where the Accord\u2019s new wardrobe turned my friend (and fellow motorhead) Aaron\u2019s head. He, too, appreciates Honda\u2019s double threat of value\/performance and had owned a previous-gen Accord. This gen adds a third element: looks.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n
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The Sonic Gray color highlights the Honda\u2019s lively lines \u2014 just run your hand along the deep stampings that form Accord\u2019s high shoulders. They\u2019re complemented by subtle scalloping in the quarter panel. A lovely dish, even if I cringe at the Black Hole grille. I know, I know … it\u2019s all the fashion these days.<\/p>\n

As attractive as the Honda is, it\u2019s indicative of my fellow Americans\u2019 obsession with high-ridin\u2019\u00a0hatchback utes that Accord sales are just 52% of what they were a decade ago before the SUV-nami.<\/p>\n

But for those who still covet sedans, Accord is the total package. When my corner carving is over, the Honda is an effortless, state-of-the-art driving experience.<\/p>\n

For the long trek up I-75, Accord\u2019s huge trunk swallowed two carry-ons, two tennis bags, a box full of iRacing equipment (pedals, steering wheel, etc.) and other odds and ends. Wireless smartphone-connect is one of the great equalizers between luxury and mainstream cars. My wife slipped into the car and the screen quickly recognized her phone \u2014 displaying Google Maps directions for our trip.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n
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On a return journey, the screen did the same for my Android Auto. That\u2019s just the beginning of Honda tech. The Honda Sensing suite (adaptive cruise control, lane keep, lane departure mitigation) provides excellent self-driving assist. With the speedo set at 80 mph, the Accord stayed centered in its lane \u2014 comfortably keeping its distance from other vehicles \u2014 giving up only on extended interstate turns. I reckon it\u2019s on par with a 2016-vintage Tesla Autopilot (before recent over-the-air upgrades).<\/p>\n

The cabin was quiet, which Mrs. Payne loved \u2014 though I frankly yearned for more engine sound penetration so I could hear the 10-speed\u2019s rev-matching downshifts when under the cane. VW\/Audi has long been an engineering benchmark for steering wheel buttons allowing easy feature access \u2014 a lesson Accord has learned with wheel quadrants that let your fingers do the walking for instrument display-menus, cruise control, voice commands\u00a0and so on.<\/p>\n

The console \u201ctrigger shifter\u201d is also an engineering marvel. Long a staple in Acura models (there\u2019s that narrowing of luxe\/mainstream again), the shifter made it easy to negotiate gears as I negotiated beach parking lots up and down Lake Michigan.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n
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Quick. High-tech. Roomy. And better-looking than the homely CR-V SUV (my Accord Sport even came with a family SUV-like backseat reminder in case you left junior behind). But I do have one hesitation in recommending Accord: little brother Civic Sport just unveiled a quick, high-tech, roomy, good-looking hatchback.<\/p>\n

In (yum) Boost Blue Pearl wardrobe. Civic starts at $23,000\u00a0when it arrives later this year. Accord Sport or Civic hatch? If you were budgeting for an Audi A6, you could buy them both.<\/p>\n

2021 Honda Accord<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Vehicle type: Front-engine, front-wheel-drive, five-passenger\u00a0sedan<\/p>\n

Price: $25,765, including $995\u00a0destination fee\u00a0($33,500 Sport as tested)<\/p>\n

Powerplant: 1.5-liter turbo-4 cylinder; 2.0-liter\u00a0turbo-4; hybrid with 4-cylinder engine mated to electric motor<\/p>\n

Power:\u202f192\u00a0horsepower,\u00a0192\u00a0pound-feet of torque (1.5L);\u202f252\u00a0horsepower,\u00a0273\u00a0pound-feet of torque (2.0L);\u00a0 212 combined horsepower (hybrid)<\/p>\n

Transmissions:\u00a0Automatic, continuously variable\u00a0transmission (CVT);\u00a010-speed automatic;\u00a0single-speed auto (hybrid)<\/p>\n

Performance: 0-60 mph\u00a0(5.4 sec., Car and Driver); top speed,\u00a0126\u00a0mph<\/p>\n

Weight:\u00a03,380\u202fpounds\u202f\u00a0(Sport as tested)<\/p>\n

Fuel economy: EPA, 22 mpg city\/32\u00a0highway\/26\u00a0combined\u00a0(2.0L as tested)<\/p>\n

Report card<\/h3>\n

Highs:\u00a0Great bod;\u00a0upscale interior with everything in the right place<\/p>\n

Lows:\u00a0Oh, that face<\/p>\n

Overall:\u00a04\u202fstars<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Some cars stick with you. The 10th generation Honda Accord is one of those vehicles. I remember when it arrived in my driveway in 2017. Coupe-like profile. Tablet infotainment screen astride a clean interior. Smooth\u00a0252-horsepower turbo-4. It was a luxury sedan with a mainstream badge. Slap four rings on the mega-grille and most would think […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,87],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27662"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27662"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27662\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":27663,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27662\/revisions\/27663"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27662"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27662"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27662"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}