The Car Connection Expert Review
Likes
- Hybrid power and efficiency
- Winning design gets better
- Roomy cabin
- Updated tech
- Good standard safety features
Dislikes
- Dinky standard touchscreen
- New interface?
- Price?
- Hybrid mpg?
Buying tip
The 2023 Honda Accord upgrades its tech and cabin to maintain its lead over other sedans.
What kind of vehicle is the 2023 Honda Accord? What does it compare to?
With seats for five and an excellent hybrid option, the Honda Accord stands out in a small but strong class of mid-size sedans that includes the Toyota Camry, Hyundai Sonata, and Nissan Altima.
Is the 2023 Honda Accord a good car?
Redesigned this year to mark the 11th generation, Honda’s bestselling car in the U.S. over the past 40 years promises to stay fresh and compelling for another generation. Powertrain options are trimmed down to two, but the tech and cabin upgrades promise to keep this top-rated sedan at the head of the class. We’ll withhold our TCC Rating until we drive it late this year. (Read more about .)
What’s new for the 2023 Honda Accord?
New ends and a longer profile mark the exterior changes of the new Accord, and a low front end with a broad grille aligns with the Honda Civic compact sedan that was redesigned last year.
Honda pulled the edges to stretch the 2023 Accord by nearly three inches, so it now measures 195.7 inches but the 111.4-inch wheelbase and most other exterior dimensions remain the same.
Most of the added length appears in the nose, giving the already attractive sedan a sportier profile punctuated by a fastback roofline and available 19-inch black wheels. The hood dips down into a wide but squat black mesh grille flanked by new LED headlights framed in black. New this year, available side air intakes bracket a lower grille that stretches ends to end. In back, the wide and low theme carries over with horizontal taillights stitched across the trunk, and a wider track by 0.4 inches.
Inside, it most closely resembles the Civic and other new Hondas with a metallic mesh vent panel, a low dash, and familiar buttons and dials for the climate control panel. A 7.0-inch touchscreen mounted on the dash carries over, but with a new interface layout and audio system. Now Honda equips the Hybrid models with a 12.3-inch touchscreen, horizontally aligned with the rest of the dash, and, yes, it has a volume knob.
A revised hybrid system masks the discontinuation of the 252-hp turbo-4. The standard 192-hp 1.5-liter turbo-4 mostly carries over for base LX and EX trims, and a smooth CVT continues to send power to the front wheels. Honda says enhancements to the direct-injection system and crankshaft, as well as to updates to the CVT, should reduce engine noise, and emissions performance has been improved, but EPA ratings for the base engine and the revised two-motor hybrid system have not been certified. Expect those 19-inch wheels to take a bite out of fuel economy.
The Accord Hybrid, which Honda estimates will account for more than half of Accord sales, uses a new iteration of Honda’s two-motor hybrid system. The motors are mounted beside each other now, enabling a larger propulsion motor to fit, and a 2.0-liter inline-4 running on the efficient Atkinson cycle has direct fuel injection this year. Power drops to 204 hp from 212 hp, but the larger motor makes more torque, from 232 lb-ft in the outgoing model to 247 lb-ft of torque in the 2023 Hybrid.
Honda says the new system should be more responsive to different driving conditions and more refined at highway speeds. It remains to be seen how the changes will affect the 48-mpg combined rating of the outgoing model.
Both models benefit from increased body rigidity and new front brace bars, and revised front struts and damper mounts that complement the multilink rear suspension.
While all five passengers may benefit from a smoother ride, rear passengers get a bit more leg room to 40.8 inches, which is more than many crossovers. New front seats utilize a new seat frame with more support, Honda promises, while it says the thin front pillars provide good outward vision. The Accord’s 16.7 cubic feet of trunk space carries over as one of the roomiest in the sedan class, and 60/40-split rear seats fold down for more flexibility.
Accord passengers should also be comforted by the sedan’s emphasis on safety, as Honda aims to continue the Accord’s five-star crash rating from the NHTSA and a Top Safety Pick+ from the IIHS. Its updated suite of safety tech now has wider angle cameras and radars that cast a wider net of detection. Standard safety technology includes automatic emergency braking, blind-spot monitors, active lane control, adaptive cruise control, traffic jam assist, and a rear seat reminder.
How much does the 2023 Honda Accord cost?
Expect the 2023 Accord to cost more than the $28,000 base price of the current model. The turbo-4 comes in LX and EX grades, with standard features such as 17-inch wheels, cloth seats, a 7.0-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility, and two USB-C ports.
The Accord Hybrid should cost more than $30,000, but pricing won’t be announced until nearer the January sale date. It comes well equipped, and sold in Sport, EX-L, Sport-L, and Touring trims. It has a 10.2-inch digital instrument cluster, a 12.3-inch touchscreen with wireless smartphone compatibility and available charging, and the top Touring trim features Google built-in infotainment operating system and a 6.0-inch head-up display.
Where is the 2023 Honda Accord made?
In Marysville, Ohio, as it has been since 1982.
The Car Connection Consumer Review