Introduction
High tech at a moderate price
With the enhanced smartphone connectivity of HondaLink, however, the new Accord goes a step further and leaves almost nothing to chance. It will use your smartphone to connect to Yelp to ensure you can avoid a bad meal. It will let your friends know exactly where you're headed so you can meet them there. And if you don't want to take the chance of hearing a song that's anathema to your ears, you can even listen to the same streaming radio station on a cross-country trip.
Our only complaint? An infotainment system is only as good as its interface, and this one is clumsy. For that reason, we really hope Honda has a quick fix up its sleeve, because the tech itself is pretty solid.
Tech & Entertainment
We're all fools sometimes, and that's why Honda made the Accord virtually foolproof.
If you think you've never missed something in your blind spot or drifted out of your lane, you're overestimating your own abilities. That's the reason Honda gave the Accord a whole bunch of systems that protect you – not to mention other motorists – from your own occasional foolishness.
The coolest trick is a blind spot camera called LaneWatch. It captures video of what's in the passenger-side blind spot – a full 80 degrees of coverage – and displays it on the dashboard LCD screen. We found it more useful than a simple alarm, as it gives the driver more information to make his or her own decisions rather than a one-size-fits-all flashing light or loud beep. It especially came in handy while we were driving on urban streets filled with cyclists. Honda's lane departure warning system is a bit overzealous, however, beeping whenever you get even close to a center line, but you can always turn it off. Same goes for the dynamic cruise control, which worked better on clear roads than stop-and-go traffic.
Unfortunately, Honda's infotainment system – though so close to seamlessness – also overestimates its own abilities. Our tester was equipped with the HondaLink suite of connectivity software. So optioned, the new Accord is also the first in-car system to feature Harman's Aha smartphone link, which uses your phone's data plan to run apps developed specifically for in-car use. Cool features include a text-to-speech function that reads text messages, search results and reviews. It's supposed to work as well as having your signifiant other or best friend in the passenger seat, searching on his or her phone while the driver concentrates on the road. In practice, it's a bit less useful.
At best, it tripped over annoying glitches. It told us a coffee shop was on Washington "Saint" instead of Washington Street. It rambled off a list of grocery stores and catering companies in a garbled monotone when we asked it to find a nearby coffee shop. When we wanted to go back just one screen, it instead forced us to start from scratch. At worst, it froze up over a Bluetooth connection. One time, it even got into an argument with the navigation system that would put any backseat teenage sibling rivalry to shame. We caught that on video. Voice recognition was also sub-par. All those are teething issues, and we really hope they'll be sorted out in the near future.
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Design
All-new for 2013, inside and out
The Accord still suffers from Honda's insistence on using two screens, one which responds to touch, the other – called i-MID – that requires the user to turn and click at a jog wheel that wouldn't look out of place on an early-'90s Aiwa boom box. Those two screens often duplicate each other's functionality. For instance, the smaller touchscreen will show radio presets, but it's necessary to use the larger screen to find out what song is playing. Lexus, BMW and others have proved that a wide split-screen is a more elegant solution. It's also a safer one, since such a screen can be programmed to show only relevant options instead of cluttering up multiple LCDs with a myriad of options.
Otherwise, the interior is quite straightforward, with chunky buttons and big fonts placed thoughtfully throughout. The optional heated leather seats were supportive on long drives, and there was plenty of legroom in the back for adults. Fitting a car seat wasn't a problem, though we weren't thrilled with the small pass-through between the front and rear seats. If it's cargo room you're after in a Honda, the Accord is OK, the Crosstour is better, and the CR-V has it in spades.
Oh yeah — there's a totally new exterior design. The car sits a bit lower than the previous model, giving it a more athletic stance, while tasteful chrome trim breaks up the monotony of the car's rear end. Visibility is superb.
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Driving Experience
The Accord's V6 offers more power than you'll likely need
The Accord has always had a reputation as the slightly sportier choice in the family midsize sedan segment — a robust cup of half-caff, if you will. That reputation continues into the 2013 model, along with excellent fuel economy that's EPA rated at 21 city and 34 highway for the car we drove, which was equipped with the 278-hp V6. It was more than capable of any task we gave it, from around-town traffic to heavy acceleration. It has a neat cylinder deactivation trick, too: At cruise, it'll shut down some of the engine's cylinders in order to burn less fuel. We never noticed it in action, which is a good thing.
On the Touring model we drove, the engine is mated to a six-speed automatic that effortlessly acquiesced to the demands of our right foot. Cars equipped with the fuel-saving four-cylinder have a choice of a manual or continuously variable transmission (CVT).
Our sole complaint was with handling. We like to get a little bit of road feel through the suspension and steering wheel, since it helps us stay in touch with road conditions and how well the car is adhering to the pavement. Instead, the Accord gave us too much dampened suspension travel, floating us over bumps. The electric power steering setup feels a bit disconnected, too. It's alright for long highway slogs, but it's not communicative enough for anything more sporting.
Conclusion
Designed for an imperfect world, but its own imperfections are pretty noticeable
We were very excited to see the debut of the 2013 Accord. It finally brought some impressive in-car tech — smartphone connectivity, lane-departure warning, a side-view camera — to a car that wouldn't top $34,000 new if the dealer filled the gas tank and left five hundred bucks in the glovebox.
Our excitement was squelched, however, by Honda's less-than-stellar i-MID interface. It's admirable that the company is bringing technology to the masses, but it's a worthless pursuit unless that tech is easy for the masses to use.
Trim Levels
On the Accord Sedan (there's also a coupe) Honda offers six different trim levels – LX, Sport, EX, EX-L, EX-L V6 and Touring – that range in price from $21,680 to $33,430. Options are few and far between, since they're mostly packaged in with different trim levels.
Powertrain
You can get the Accord sedan with either a four- or six-cylinder engine, though the six is reserved for the EX-L V6 and Touring editions. Honda only offers the car with front-wheel drive. A stick shift comes standard on the LX, Sport and EX models, while a continuously variable transmission (CVT) that acts much like an automatic is optional. The CVT is standard on the EX-L. The V6-equipped Accords come only with traditional six-speed automatics.
Safety
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration gave the 2013 Accord sedan an overall five-star safety rating.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) rated the 2013 Accord a Top Safety Pick+. It was one of only two midsize sedans to earn a "Good" rating in the IIHS' new offset tests, which replicates a crash between the front corner of a vehicle and another object.
Fuel Economy
Mileage varies depending on your choice of engine and transmission. The Accord Touring, which we drove, is EPA rated at 21 city, 34 highway, 25 combined – which is in line with what we observed. A four-cylinder car equipped with a manual transmission can get 24 city, 34 highway and 28 combined, while a four-cylinder car with a CVT is rated 27 city, 36 highway, 30 combined. That's just a bit less than some similarly-sized hybrid and diesel sedans we've driven.
Meet the tester
Keith was the Editor in Chief of Reviewed's appliance and automotive sites. His work has appeared in publications such as Wired, Car & Driver, and CityLab.
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