2023 Honda Accord Review

The Accord is one of Honda's longest-running nameplates, having come out way back in 1976. It's also consistently been one of Edmunds' most highly rated and recommended midsize sedans. As such, there's some anticipation surrounding the redesigned 2023 Honda Accord. It arrives with more mature-looking styling, a big interior technology upgrade, and a revised engine lineup. These are significant changes for the midsize sedan, which is now in its 11th generation and faces off against its longtime rival, the Toyota Camry, as well as the Hyundai Sonata and Kia K5.

As is often the case with a redesigned model, the Accord has grown in this redesign and adds 2.7 inches of length as it seems to stretch the boundaries of what "midsize" can cover. It also features a new profile that leans heavily into a fastback shape that hints for a moment that the Accord might feature a liftgate, but alas it has just a regular trunk opening. The most significant changes are instead saved for the under the hood and on the inside.

The 2023 Accord is now available with just two powertrains, whereas the last generation offered three. The base trims (LX and EX) are powered by a turbocharged 1.5-liter four-cylinder that kicks out 192 horsepower and that same number in torque. This is pretty much a carryover engine from last year.

The higher trim levels (Sport, EX-L, Sport-L and Touring) all use a revised version of Honda's hybrid system. It pairs a 2.0-liter naturally aspirated four-cylinder engine with two electric motors. As before, the engine is primarily used to power an electric motor-generator that charges the car's hybrid battery. The battery then supplies electricity to a larger motor that primarily drives the front wheels.

This reworked hybrid system can now sustain the Accord at higher speed so the engine won't cut in to assist as frequently. All told, the system puts out 204 horsepower and 247 lb-ft of torque. This is down 8 hp but up 15 lb-ft of torque over last year's Accord Hybrid, but Honda says the new figures are based on a new measurement standard and applying that standard to the prior system would result in a similar horsepower output.

The new system is more fuel-efficient than before, and you can read more about the 2023 Accord's fuel economy down below. Interestingly, Honda isn't marketing this system as the Accord Hybrid anymore. It's just part of the lineup.

Missing from the 2023 Accord is the previous 252-hp turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine. Honda says the purchase rate for the bigger engine wasn't high enough to justify bringing it back for the 11th generation. The engine lineup change is also part of the company's plan to encourage buyers toward the higher-spec hybridized cars as part of Honda's plan for reduced carbon emissions. If you want a Honda with a powerful 2.0-liter, the new Civic Type R is your sole option.

Honda says its goal in developing this new, more grown-up Accord was to create a car that's both engaging and relaxing. Or, put another way, fun when you want it to be and out of your way when you need it to be. But our first drive of the 2023 Accord in the top-spec Touring trim left us thinking that there's still work to be done.

The first head scratcher is the ride. The Accord handles well (more on that later) but the trade-off for the buttoned-down suspension is a choppy ride. This is most apparent in the Touring and Sport models, which have large 19-inch wheels with a slender amount of tire sidewall to soak up impacts. As a result, it's crashy over rough pavement, and thumps and bumps from big potholes and expansion joints make their way through the suspension and directly into your spine. Road noise is also a problem. The Accord's sleek new shape and sound-reducing windshield on the Touring trim help to keep wind noise at a minimum, but tire roar abounds.

Another part of the Accord experience we didn't get on with is the brake pedal. While the stoppers themselves deliver a surprising amount of bite, the pedal is dead and its travel is confounding. The initial pedal travel delivers almost no stopping power, but dig in just a little bit further and you're immediately met with too much braking force. Honda hasn't managed to blend regenerative braking well enough with friction braking here, and though there are paddles on the wheel that add regenerative braking force (with the max regen setting almost mimicking one-pedal driving found in EVs), it doesn't change the fact that using the brake pedal itself leads to abrupt stops.

Thankfully, that's largely the end of the new Accord's woes. The hybrid system, which can feel underpowered in the CR-V, feels just right in the new Accord. It's nowhere near as potent as the previous 2.0-liter, and enthusiasts will definitely miss that engine, but this latest version is a more refined powertrain than the one that came before it. New programming for Honda's Linear Shift Control system mimics traditional transmission shifts instead of raging against its rev limiter like the old car did when you demand full power. The whole system does a good job of delivering enough pep when you need it and excellent fuel economy when you tone things back down.

Although a stiff ride does present compromises on the day-to-day, the new Accord handles every bit as well as its predecessor. It's accurate, and though the steering isn't weighted as naturally as in the previous car, it responds well to inputs and is engaging when the mood for some more spirited driving takes hold of you. The stern nature of the brakes start to make a bit more sense, too, because when you want to stop it stops — it's just difficult to do so comfortably.

To be fair, the new Accord doesn't feel any stiffer or louder than the last one. Honda brought along a 10th-generation Touring Hybrid for the sake of comparison, and whether you're on the highway or puttering around town, they're tough to tell apart. But the brakes are night and day. The last car was more progressive and easier to modulate when slowing down, and in this respect, the new Accord is a step backward. If Honda wanted something truly more comfortable, it should have made concessions in the handling, smoothed out the braking performance, and found a way to quiet the new car's cabin.

The new interior layout is nearly identical to what we've seen in the latest redesigns of the Civic, CR-V, HR-V and Pilot but it's been elevated by nicer materials everywhere you look and touch. There's a long, flat dashboard that's topped by a touchscreen with metal accents on the climate control dials and mesh over the vents. The controls are easy to reach and there's no guessing to do when you're trying to adjust the volume, change the temperature, or even fiddle with the drive modes.

Up front, a new seat design is said to reduce fatigue on longer drives, and though the lumbar adjustment only goes fore and aft, the seats were perfectly pleasant over the course of three hours on the road. Similarly comfortable is the back seat, which possesses a gargantuan 40.8 inches of rear legroom. In that regard it feels like the back seat of a full-size sedan, but in headroom it does not. The Accord's sloping rear profile cuts down into the cabin, and if you're on the taller side, you'll have to slouch down a bit to keep your head from bouncing into the headliner when the car is in motion.

For 2023, Accords with the hybrid powertrain get a new 12.3-inch infotainment display that is crystal-clear and instantly responsive. As an added bonus, the Touring trim has a Google Assistant built right in. Think of it as having the smart speaker sitting on your bookshelf at home integrated into your car, too. That might sound like the start of a dystopian nightmare for some, but you don't have to use it if you don't want to.

Those who do find the feature appealing will find that it can handle navigation requests and can manage functions like the climate controls via voice command. It understands natural speech brilliantly, and it's a big step up for voice-activated in-car assistants. Not even Mercedes and its clever MBUX voice assistant compares to just letting a tech company do what it does best. It can also answer those burning questions you might be pondering on longer journeys. Want to know what the capital of Germany is? No problem. The current weather in Tokyo? You got it. The Google Play store is also there, with the ability to download apps that have been specifically built for use in-car.

This 12.3-inch display is the largest screen that Honda has ever put in a vehicle, and it does a much better job of filling the dashboard and making it feel more modern than the smaller 9-inch screens found in the Civic, CR-V and Pilot (among others). The larger screen also adds standard wireless connectivity for Android Auto and Apple CarPlay smartphone integration. One more thing we like about this screen: It's placed perfectly. Sometimes the larger screens can be hard to reach for the driver, but I was able to easily reach the far edge of the screen from my driving position. There's also a small ledge below the screen for you to stabilize your hand when using the screen, another touch that just makes it all much easier to use.

LX and EX models make do with only a 7-inch touchscreen, but all Accords now have the ability to receive over-the-air software updates that can upgrade the car's functionality.

Driver assist features have also been upgraded. The forward-facing camera and radar that power the automatic emergency braking now have a wider field of view and offer better object detection at intersections, Honda says. The blind-spot warning system can detect other vehicles farther away than before, and the adaptive cruise control system now features Traffic Jam Assist, which allows the system to work in traffic down to a stop.

The EPA says the new Accord should get 44 mpg combined (46 city/41 highway) in Sport, Sport-L and Touring trim, while the EX-L will get 48 mpg combined (51 city/44 highway). Non-hybrid Accords are estimated to get 32 mpg combined (29 city/37 highway).

With fuel prices endlessly rising and falling, the reassurance that you'll be able to eke out more than 500 miles from a single tank is a huge boon for potential buyers, and the most fuel-efficient Accord finally matches up with the competition from Toyota and Hyundai.

The 2023 Accord is available in six different trim levels: LX, EX, Sport, EX-L, Sport-L and Touring. Here's what you can expect from each:

LX
Starts off the Accord lineup with:

• Turbocharged 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine (192 hp, 192 lb-ft)
• Front-wheel drive
• Continuously variable transmission (CVT)
• 17-inch wheels
• LED headlights
• Digital instrument cluster
• 7-inch center touchscreen display
• Four-speaker audio system
• Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone integration
• Wi-Fi hotspot capability
• Two front USB-C ports

Every Accord also comes with Honda Sensing, a collection of driver aids. These include:

• Frontal collision warning with automatic braking (applies the brakes automatically to stop the vehicle to avoid or minimize a collision)
• Adaptive cruise control (adjusts speed to maintain a constant distance between the vehicle and the car in front)
• Lane departure mitigation (warns you of a lane departure when a turn signal isn't used and can automatically steer to maintain lane position)
• Lane keeping assistance (makes minor steering corrections to help keep the vehicle centered in its lane)
• Automatic high-beam headlights

EX
Builds on the LX by way of:

• Heated front seats
• Power-adjustable driver's seat
• Dual-zone climate control
• Eight-speaker sound system
• Sunroof

Sport
The Sport has a similar feature set as the EX but lacks its heated front seats. From there, it adds:

• 2.0-liter engine and hybrid system powertrain (204 hp, 247 lb-ft of torque)
• 19-inch wheels
• 12.3-inch center touchscreen
• Wireless connectivity for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
• Leather-wrapped steering wheel

EX-L
The next step up from the Sport by way of:

• 17-inch wheels
• Front and rear parking sensors
• Heated front seats
• Leather seat surfaces
• Two rear USB ports
• Power-adjustable front passenger seat
• Memory settings for driver's seat
• Auto-dimming rearview mirror

Sport-L
This trim takes everything from the EX-L, adds 19-inch wheels but deletes the parking sensors and the auto-dimming rearview mirror.

Touring
Tops off the Accord lineup with:

• 19-inch wheels
• Parking sensors
• Google built-in voice assistance system
• Wireless smartphone charging pad
• Ventilated front seats
• Heated rear seats
• 12-speaker Bose audio system
• Head-up display
• Auto-dimming rearview mirror
• Rain sensing wipers