The Honda Accord has been on the Car and Driver 10 Best List a record 30 times.
Accord is sophisticated and comfortable, and the Touring model comes with the full suite of Honda Sensing, which includes a whole boatload of active safety and driver-assist technologies.
The cabin is spacious, with polished accents, heated leather front seats and wonderful technology such as the 7.7-inch intelligent Multi-Information Display (i-MID) housing the multi-angle rearview camera with dynamic guidelines. The other dominant piece of technology that is standard on the luxury Touring trim is a 7-inch Display Audio touch screen with Honda Satellite-Linked Navigation System, supporting voice recognition, HondaLink, SiriusXM Satellite Radio, HD Radio, and Pandora Internet Radio.
Touring is the fully-loaded premium trim. However, the entry-level LX had buttons and knobs for changing radio stations and audio volume. The pressure points and icons in the Touring model made it difficult to do most simple tasks. Practicality should trump aesthetic looks every time.
Honda LaneWatch uses a small camera under the passenger side mirror to provide live video on the i-MID screen to help you change lanes. This is definitely one of the best Honda features.
The front seats were just a little too fitted on the seatback and the seat itself.
Honda Accord had a 5-Star overall vehicle safety score from the NHTSA. ACE Body Structure and side impact beams help to keep “bad things” out in the unfortunate event of a collision. At the same time, Honda Sensing active safety technologies like Road Departure Mitigation, Collision Mitigation Braking, Lane Keep Assist, and Adaptive Cruise Control work to keep the “bad things” away.
The Accord Touring is powered by a 278 hp 3.5 L i-VTEC V6 Earth Dream engine with Variable Cylinder Management (VCM), driving a 6-speed automatic transmission with Sport mode.
The literature says Accord Touring should deliver a fuel economy of 26 mpg average for combined highway and city driving, yet my week of driving netted 35 mpg combined city and highway.
Accord has a bold grille that approaches an aggressive attitude. The LED headlights incorporates Auto High-Beam that when enabled and driving at night above 25 mph, it automatically switches to high beam when it senses no other vehicles ahead. Rain-sensing wipers automatically adjust their speed according to rainfall, maintaining driver visibility in heavy rains.
Smart Entry System makes it quick and easy to get in and started, while LED taillights and rear deck lid spoiler allows the excitement to say “Good Bye.”
There are nine exterior colors to choose from, such as Lunar Silver Metallic and San Marino Red. The interior colors are combinations of ivory and black in leather or fabric. All this beauty sits on 19-inch alloy wheels.
The Accord held tight in the curve with crisp responsive handling. While the power at the start was adequate, there appeared to be a slight hesitation for just an instant at the go. Gear change was smooth, and does a good job delivering the engine muscle for passing and merging into traffic.
Road noise was at a minimum, and cool air came quickly and in abundance in the hot Texas afternoons. Turning radius was adequate and the mpg average was superb.
For the Accord lineup, the other models (LX, Sport, EX, and EX-L) are supplemented feature-wise with options packages, but the Touring had everything offered, and is priced at a reasonable manufacturer’s price of $34,580.
Durhl Caussey writes a car column read around the world. He may be reached at this paper or at [email protected]
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