In a nod to mpg, most Accords have a standard turbocharged 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine making 192 horsepower at 5,500 rpm and 192 lb-ft of torque between 1,600 rpm and 5,000 rpm. It uses a continuously variable transmission with front-wheel drive. This year will be the last one that Honda offers an optional 6-speed manual gearbox with Sport trim.
While the standard engine is adequate for the task at hand, people seeking maximum fuel economy will love the Accord’s 212-horsepower hybrid powertrain. It’s really impressive and during examination earlier this year it averaged 42.6 mpg during a week of driving.
Speed freaks, however, are going to want the turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine. Paired with a ten-speed automatic transmission, it generates 252 horsepower at 6,500 rpm and 273 lb-ft of torque between 1,500 rpm and 4,000 rpm. Economy and Sport driving modes, as well as a set of paddle shifters on the steering wheel, help to adjust powertrain calibration to personal preferences. And if you hurry, you might still be able to find a Sport 2.0T with a six-speed manual transmission in dealer stock. But once they’re gone, they’re gone.
If we had to summarize the Accord 2.0T’s drivetrain in a single word, it would be “whoosh!” This is a quick car, and it could really use an optional all-wheel-drive system because the front tires have trouble getting all of the power to the ground when you’re really standing on the accelerator pedal. That's often a problem with powerful front-wheel drive cars.
Use the Economy driving mode, and the Accord 2.0T turbo is actually pretty relaxed as it focuses on maximizing mpg. Switching to Sport mode makes a significant difference in terms of powertrain response, making the Accord even more pleasurable to pilot. During testing on the driving loop, we used both modes and wound up getting 27.4 mpg. That’s better than the EPA’s fuel economy estimate of 26 mpg in combined driving.
In addition to being quick, the Honda Accord Touring is plenty of fun to drive. Most Hondas are, even if people don’t buy them primarily for that reason.
Equipped with a segment-exclusive adaptive dampers, the Honda Accord Touring beautifully controls body roll, dive, and squat, and the sticky 19-inch tires bite hard in corners and, with judicious use of the accelerator pedal, pull the car around and out in thrilling fashion.
At the same time, the ride is compliant over pavement undulations, soaking up pavement heaves and dips. This softness, though, forces a driver to limit velocity over speed humps. The Accord could travel no faster than 20 mph over the ones running past a local elementary school.
The steering isn’t fast, but it is accurate and properly weighted if just a tad bit heavy in terms of effort level. It’s easy to place this car exactly where you want it.
Where Honda could improve the Accord is in the braking department. Brakes warmed up a bit and started to grumble as we came down the western slope of the mountains near Carpenteria, California. Otherwise, they were perfect, and they’re so expertly calibrated that, if you’re so inclined, you can actually use them to trail-brake and rotate the car as you enter a curve.
What’s great about the Honda Accord is that it's lots of fun to drive, if that’s the kind of a car you want, but it is also a docile daily driver.