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.