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Mass market sedans, well they're not quite selling like they used to.
Crossover SUVs have shaken up the market and forced some predictable cars that haven't really changed much in decades to suddenly get a lot sharper and a lot smarter too.
For 2018, it's the Accord's turn.
Honda sells over 300,000 of these every year.
For the 10th generation, they've made it more roomy, more sporty, and giving it all sorts of goodies to keep you safe and keep you connected too.
But will all of that would be enough to maintain its position as one of the top selling cars in the US?
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The 2018 Accord is lower and wider yet shorter despite a longer wheel base, giving it a more purposeful stance.
And while the chrome unibrow look in the front won't be for everybody, the overall design looks modern without going overboard.
A fault that can be applied to many modern Toyotas.
The large cabin and gently sloping rear end create a very different profile for the car, almost making it look like a hatchback.
But don't be fooled by appearances, this is still very much a sedan, and only a sedan.
I'm sorry to report that the Accord Coupe is dead, at least for now.
But the good news is, that extra wheel base means about two inches of extra leg room out back.
And the old car wasn't exactly lacking for leg room back there before.
Now there's acres of space and up here I've got tons of room too.
A lot of shoulder room, plenty of head room and really good visibility too.
Honda actually pushed the A pillars out to the side and made them a little bit more narrow so I've got incredible visibility.
Then they've added [INAUDIBLE] glass, they've given me sound deadening foam in the roof, and even active noise cancellation making this a very quiet and very peaceful place to be.
Now at launch there will be just two available engines for the new Accord.
If you want the hybrid, you're gonna have to wait until next year.
The party starts with a little 1.5 liter turbo charge four cylinder with a nice square 192 horse power and 192 pound feet of torque.
That's up seven horse power from last year.
This motor is available with either a continuously variable transmission or interestingly, a six speed manual.
That will score you a maximum of 39 miles per gallon.
Your other choice is a two liter, four cylinder which means there is no more V6 available, but don't cry too much.
While that four banger's 252 horsepower is slightly down over last year's V6, it's 273 pound feet of tork is a significant boost as is it 34 miles per gallon on the highway.
Honda opted to not saddle the 2 liter motor with the CVT, instead they've got what we have here, which is a 10-speed automatic.
I had the chance to drive all three transmissions and honestly, you kind of can't go wrong.
Okay the CVT isn't really that inspiring to drive, but it does a fair job.
The six speed manual is really nice and that's probably my pick of the bunch.
The shifts are light, precise, just like you'd expect from a Honda.
It does result in a more engaging drive.
But honestly, the ten-speed auto is probably the safe bet.
It's definitely got the best blend of interactivity with power if you want it, but it's also relaxing and comfortable when you don't want it.
It shifts nice and smoothly.
It's happy to skip multiple gears when you need a little bit more power now.
And overall, that's probably the one to go with.
But overall the Accord actually, really nice to drive and it's much sharper than the old outgoing Accord.
You see the lower in the car.
everything feels a little bit more sporty about it.
The steering is very light but with the very low ratio it's actually quite sharp and very precise still over all this is actually, A really fun car to drive.
Adapted suspension is just the beginning of the high tech upgrades that the Accord has received this year.
All Accords come with Honda sensing is standard which gives adaptive cruise and lengthy assist plus automatic emergency braking and Honda's great multi angle rear view camera.
If you're willing to spend a little bit more for safety you can also add on things blind spot monitoring rear cross traffic alerts and awareness package too..
In the dash we have Honda's latest infotainment system lurking behind this 8 inch touch screen.
We've also got wireless charging down here in the center [UNKNOWN], You can just throw you phone in there and have it charge itself and NMC pairing, which is really great.
There's a spot here on the dashboard if you have an Android based phone, just tap your phone on there and it will pair with Bluetooth automatically.
You don't even have to plug it in or go through any menus on your phone at all.
It happens [SOUND] just like that.
If you do wanna plug in your phone though, you've got Android auto and Apple car play support.
So regardless of which side of the fence you're on there, you're covered.
But the most exciting thing about the infotainment system is right there.
Right there.
See that.
So volume knob.
Previous to this, Honda went with like a touch screen slider thing which everybody hated.
Now for this they've brought back the volume knob and that's really, really exciting.
Well I think it's exciting anyway.
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The new Accord isn't a performance car by any means, but the adapted suspension plus that type R6V manual certainly put it at the head of the family sedan pack when it comes to people who want to drive their cars, not just get from A to B.
While the other updates don't exactly break that classic Accord formula, practical, comfortable And presumably reliable.
They also don't break.
Another key part of that equation, which is affordable.
The new Accord starts at $23, 570.
Just a couple hundred bucks more than the outgoing car.
That's a fair price for what seems to be a great car.
One that I think you'll be seeing everywhere Soon enough.
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