2018 Honda Accord Pros and Cons

The 2018 Honda Accord is finally here and it’s sure to be a popular seller in the family sedan segment.

The Accord is all-new and has been rebuilt from the ground up, improving on a car that was already pretty stellar. Make sure to check out our full review of the new Accord, but here is a quick overview of the pros and cons for this fresh family sedan.

Great Engines: Two engines will be available with the new Honda Accord. The base 1.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine outputs 192 horsepower and 192 pound-feet of torque, which is more than the previous model. The upgraded 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine (the same one in the Honda Civic Type R) outputs 252 hp and 273 lb-ft of torque.

“Equipped with the 2.0-liter engine and 10-speed automatic, the new Accord is fast!” wrote Craig Cole, AutoGuide.com‘s Detroit Bureau Editor, in his review. “It’ll squawk the tires from a standstill if you bury the accelerator, yet, amazingly, these juvenile antics do not result in any torque steer. Power comes on strong starting at about 3,000 rpm and sticks around to redline when the transmission grabs the next gear.”

ALSO SEE: Honda Accord vs Honda Civic: Which Sedan is Right For You?

Tons of Tech: All Honda Accords now come standard with the Honda Sensing suite of safety and driver assistance features, which includes like collision mitigation braking, lane departure warning, road departure mitigation, adaptive cruise control with low-speed follow, and traffic sign recognition.

Standard features include multi-angle rearview camera, LED daytime running lights, auto high-beams, dual-zone automatic climate control, capless fuel filler, active noise cancellation, and more.

Other available features include blind spot monitoring, front and rear parking sensors, cross traffic monitoring, driver awareness monitor, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, adaptive damping, automatic tilt-down side mirrors for reversing, ventilated front seats, mobile hotspot capability, wireless phone charging, NFC communication, a head-up display, and more.

Luxurious Interior: “Standing out from rivals, the new Accord’s cabin is exceptionally rich for this vehicle segment,” Cole says. Besides outstanding build quality, higher-end materials are used and there aren’t too many hard plastics to be found. The design is also clean and the trim pieces give it a luxurious look. The back seat is extremely roomy and the trunk is also huge with 16.7 cubic feet of storage, a bit more than the Camry’s 15.1 cu-ft.

Premium Style: The new Accord has a higher-end style with a sportback design, similar to the Audi A7. Honda tried to go with a sportier look with a longer, wider and lower stance. Honda says the Accord’s more premium look is “highlighted by shorter overhangs, a bold front fascia, a long and low hood, and a visual center of gravity moved closer to the rear wheels.”

Reliability: It’s a Honda, and the Japanese automaker has built its empire on robust products that seem to last for ages. Accords are known for this as well and historically get good resale values because of it. They’re also relatively affordable to insure and the dealer network is massive, meaning you shouldn’t have problems finding warranty-approved service centers.

ALSO SEE: 2018 Honda Accord Review and
Pricing and Fuel Economy

No More Coupe or V6: Honda obviously looked at the data and determined that not enough people were buying the coupe model or the V6 to justify including them in this generation of Accord. People seem to be pretty upset that the Accord doesn’t come with a V6 any longer, which is made even worse by the fact that the new Toyota Camry still offers a six-cylinder option. Honda, however, is trying to appease enthusiasts by still offering a manual transmission, and we can’t fault them for that.

Camry Drives a Bit Better: In a strange role reversal, the new 2018 Toyota Camry seems to have slightly better driving dynamics than the Accord. That’s not to say the Accord has poor performance, but Toyota really seems to be getting serious about performance and driving. The Accord’s new 10-speed transmission seems to be less refined than the Camry’s eight-speed unit and the V6 Camry also has the benefit of having more power than Honda’s top trim 2.0L turbo four-cylinder.

Pricing Has Gone Up: Pricing has gone up a bit from last year, but Honda packs the new Accord with more standard features, which helps justify the increase. Pricing for the 2018 Honda Accord starts at $24,445 and tops out at $36,675 (including destination fees). Find full pricing and trim line info here.

It Will Be Ubiquitous: If you want to stand out, the Accord isn’t going to help you do that. As one of the most popular family sedans on the market, there will be many other drivers on the road with the same car as you.