The evening before I was scheduled to return the 2013 Honda
Accord Sport after a weeklong test, I stopped by the home of my friend and
automotive guru, for his counsel and once-over. He listened to the engine idle,
with the same diligence as a pediatrician and a stethoscope. He stepped inside
and, as is customary, touched every surface, knob, and fabric. When opened the
cubby underneath the radio controls, he noted the slight heft in the
compartment’s open-close action, and smiled.
"You may not realize it now," he said, “but once
you give it back, you’re going to miss the little things about how this car
works."
Generations of Accord owners have been convinced by its
interior quality alone, and the latest model is no exception. All major touch
points are constructed of, or covered in, materials that immediately look and
feel like they will withstand the test of time. The neatly laid-out instrument
panel and center stack are complemented by a multifunction steering wheel with
redundant controls and voice commands. A two-tier display is standard across
the model line, as are dual-zone climate control, a rear-view camera, an
integrated trip computer, and a USB audio input. While many of its competitors
use optional, advanced infotainment systems as a major draw, the exemplar
Accord is perhaps the one with the fewest options.
Inside, the 2013 Honda Accord features a two-tiered
instrumental panel as well as a multifunciton steering wheel with controls and
voice command functionality.
The back seat has room for three adults, making it a
five-seater capable of more than short, local trips. The flat seats, covered in
slippery cloth, are the biggest disappointment, but leather upholstery on
higher-trim models helps to remedy the problem.
It would be easy to argue that its interior is the latest
Accord’s sweet spot, but then you turn the key and feel its harmonious pairing
of engine and transmission. A buttery-smooth 189-hp, 2.4-liter four-cylinder
engine practically sings as it revs higher, and provides more than adequate
power for city and highway driving. My test car was equipped with a
continuously variable transmission (CVT), which mimicked the gearing of a
traditional automatic transmission, despite its gearless nature, without any of
the vacuum-esque hum of less sophisticated transmissions.
Steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters, unique to the CVT
Sport, allow for punchier upshifts and downshifts that do their best
impersonation of a manual gearbox. Should you yearn to row your own gears, a
6-speed manual transmission – one of the best in the business, let alone the
segment – is standard on all four-cylinder Accords.
Over several hundred miles of mixed city and highway
driving, the Accord returned fuel economy as high as 36 mpg, and closer to 30
mpg overall. The CVT also matches and exceeds the fuel economy of the manual
transmission.
Steering and braking performance is another area where the
Accord excels over its competition. Careful chassis tuning helps it avoid the
floaty numbness in the corners that is endemic to most midsize sedans. The
Accord is more eager to play, and less nervous about reaching its limits, than
others of its ilk, as substantiated by several hot track laps earlier in the
year. Off the track, that level of performance rewards city and freeway-bound
drivers in spades, in terms of confidence behind the wheel at any speed.
If this sounds like high praise, it is – but the Accord is
not without subjective shortcomings. Its exterior styling is worth the postage
on a letter home, but that’s about it. Inoffensive lines are reminiscent of the
Hyundai Genesis sedan, albeit one sharper and more squared-off, but owners will
still likely lose theirs in crowded parking lots. A complementary rear exhaust
pipe, as well as 18-inch wheels that fill out the wheel wells, brighten the
Accord’s otherwise plain bodywork, but do not exude much sportiness. Cabin
noise is slightly louder than expected. And the digital screen could benefit
from much more functionality on models not equipped with navigation, given its
prominence in the cabin.
By any estimation, the Accord Sport is one of the best
values for money, among its peers, at approximately $25,000 for the base model.
Compare that against the Ford Fusion, Hyundai Sonata, Nissan Altima, and Toyota
Camry, which tend to offer fewer features, power, and refinement per dollar,
and the Accord makes even more sense.
It is attention paid to the small touches – from the
treatment of the HVAC bezels to the sophisticated hum of the engine – that give
this perennial bestseller a marked edge over its competitors.
It’s interesting calculus for a model that is Honda’s bread
and butter, but part of the formula that makes the Accord proficient and
accomplished from the first look.
