2013 Honda Accord Sport [w/video]

By Zach BowmanRSS feed

Posted Sep 10th 2012 11:57AM

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Comments219

Vital Stats

Engine:

2.4L I4

Power:

189 HP / 182 LB-FT

Transmission:

6-Speed Manual

Drivetrain:

Front-Wheel Drive

Curb Weight:

3,192 LBS

Seating:

2+3

Cargo:

15.8 CU-FT

MPG:

24 City / 34 HWY

MSRP:

$23,390 (base)

It's been a rough couple of years for Honda fans. Those of us who filed willingly behind the big H banner in days gone by have found ourselves making excuses for the death of the S2000, the inadequate mileage and compromised driving characteristics of theInsight hybrid, and the unworthy successor to the CRX throne, theCR-Z. But surely we could forgive Honda a few transgressions. After all, this is the manufacturer that my generation cut its driving teeth on. Hordes of us can recite engine, transmission and chassis codes at length and on command the way our fathers knewChevrolet big-block VINs by heart because, after all, this is a manufacturer we love.

But with the addition of ungainly and uninteresting products like theAccord Crosstour, many of us couldn't help but take the company's missteps personally. When the 2012 Civic rolled out, evenConsumer Reports, a publication that routinely hails Honda products as more crucial to living a fulfilled life than a quality washing machine, infamously didn't recommend the compact. Was our favorite automaker intentionally trying to piss us off? If so, it was working.

So when Honda announced the arrival of the 2013 Accord, we approached the reveal with measured skepticism. Like a dog suffering under the feigned throw-the-ball trick, we had no interest in going down the now familiar path of excitement and disappointment. This time around, Honda was going to have to prove it still knew how to build a competitive car.

It doesn't look as portly as its predecessor, and that's a huge step in the right direction.

Competitiveness starts with stylishness, which is something the Honda design department seems to have struggled with of late. Fortunately, the 2013 Accord is a remarkably good looking vehicle. Designers have managed to revitalize the exterior without making the sedan unrecognizable, which is important for a model that's sold 11 million units in the U.S. alone since Honda began manufacturing the Accord here some 30 years ago. Engineers shortened the new generation by 3.6 inches, which has done much to take the heft out of the design. With abbreviated overhangs front and rear, the new Accord doesn't look as portly as its predecessor, and that's a huge step in the right direction.

Up front, the 2013 model can't help but look attractively aggressive thanks to its swept headlamp arrays and inset fog lamps. Of course, the chicken-wire mesh lower grille of our Sport trim tester helps in that department, too. All in all, the front clip seems to have cribbed from the Acura design playbook of 2004, which is by no means meant as a slight. We dig it.



That aforementioned Sport trim is one of two new lines in the Accord stable. Higher up the chain, buyers will now find Touring models available on the order sheet. Snugged between the lowly LX and slightly nicer EX, the Sport trim delivers a range of aesthetic adjustments outside that include the 18-inch wheels you see here, as well as a deck lid spoiler and a whopping four-horsepower nudge in grunt from the direct-injection four-cylinder engine under the hood. Be still our beating hearts. The interior also gets a 10-way power adjustable driver's seat and a leather-wrapped steering wheel with paddle-shifters on CVT-equipped models. Honda says the new trim line is an effort to lower the age of the average Accord buyer.

Honda says the new Sport trim is an effort to lower the age of the average Accord buyer.

Viewed broadside, it's easier to get a glimpse of the sedan's massive passenger cell and expansive greenhouse. Honda managed to maintain the Accord's cavernous cabin and actually expand trunk volume while clipping the vehicle's overall length thanks to some packaging cleverness, and the result is a bit of a bubble roof. Surprisingly enough, the 2013 Accord has managed to maintain its slim A and C pillars even in the face of harder-to-ace roof-crush safety tests by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Given how readily engineers have come to embrace chunky arches, the thin lines are a welcome sight.

Step to the vehicle's rear, however, and the design begins to look awfully familiar. The sedan's stern has more than a little Hyundai Genesis in the mix thanks to a set of sweeping tail lamp arrays that reach around the rear quarters. It's difficult to tell the two machines apart in a quick glance, especially when the Accord is wearing the dark silver paint of our tester. We aren't typically fans of faux chrome, but the bright strip along the trunk deck didn't hurt our feelings as it serves to tie the aft to the side sill treatment and front grille. The Sport trim serves up a set a dual exhaust outlets that deliver a nice burbly note on start up, which is a nice trick for the four-cylinder.

Hit the right turn signal when changing lanes and the eight-inch display immediately switches to the side-view feed.

I'll admit, I actually sighed with relief when I plopped myself into the driver's seat. After wincing my way through the schizophrenic Picasso dash of the ninth-generation Civic, I was prepared for all manner of cabin travesties inside the 2013 Accord. Instead, I was met with a mature and attractive instrument panel without an overabundance of buttons. Snappy faux brushed-metal accents separate control clusters for the climate controls and stereo, though higher trims get a new touch-screen interface for the media system. All models get a huge eight-inch LCD display to handle video from the standard rear-view camera, as well as a new optional blind spot camera system.