The 2023 Honda Accord Benefits from an ‘Evolutionary Redesign,’ Says Consumer Reports
The Honda Accord was redesigned for the 2023 model year. Among the bevy of changes that Honda made, the Accord is most notably larger in size, has more safety equipment, and has a more sophisticated hybrid powertrain. Let’s take a look at what was done to this newly revised midsize sedan.
The 2023 Honda Accord has grown up more and now boasts an “evolutionary design”
Consumer Reports recently reviewed the 2023 Honda Accord and noted that it has an “evolutionary redesign.” We agree with that comment, as the all-new Honda Accord looks more mature and sophisticated than the last iteration. By that, we mean that it looks like the design engineers took out a hot butter knife and smoothed out all four sides of the car.
There’s even a wraparound taillight treatment, which gives the car a more upscale appeal than before. The Accord is bigger, too. Its length was increased by 2.8 inches for a total of 195.7 inches, and its rear track grew by 0.4 Inches. The hood is longer, and it has a “flowing fastback roofline” that, according to Honda, gives the car a “premium silhouette.”
Overall, the Accord is longer, a little wider, and nicer looking than previous iterations.
The new Honda Accord has more safety equipment
In addition to sleeker looks and longer length, Honda equipped the new Accord with updated driver and passenger airbags that are designed to protect occupants from angled frontal collisions. There are also standard knee and rear passenger side-impact airbags, which is a first for the model.
In terms of safety technology, the Accord was updated with a more robust set of Honda Sensing features. There’s a new camera with a 90-degree field of view, as well as a new wide-angle radar with a 120-degree field of view. The wider angle should help the system detect pedestrians, bicyclists, motorcycles, and road signs to protect the car from any possible collisions.
The Blind Spot Information monitors were updated with 82 feet of range, and there’s even a new Traffic Jam Assist feature, which helps the Accord navigate through stop-and-go traffic. Other features like the Adaptive Cruise Control with Low-Speed Follow and Lane-keeping assist were updated to have more natural responses, and Traffic Sign Recognition is now standard.
Lastly, a Rear Seat Reminder is now standard in all Accords to ensure the driver doesn’t leave any precious cargo behind. The 2023 Accord has not been rated by the IIHS or the NHTSA, but we have a good feeling it will likely achieve the same stellar ratings as the 2022 model, given the new updates.
The 2023 Accord’s hybrid powertrain was heavily updated as well
In addition to giving the Accord new styling cues and safety features, Honda made new updates to the car’s hybrid powertrain. The previous optional turbocharged 2.0-liter gas-only engine is gone. However, the new hybrid setup offers more efficiency thanks to a two-motor setup that’s mated to a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine running the Atkinson Cycle.
Like the all-new 2023 CR-V, the new Accord Hybrid uses the internal-combustion engine primarily as a generator to charge the battery – although it is sometimes used to drive the front wheels when needed. Otherwise, an electric motor drives the wheels, and the engine is aided by an electric starter generator.
The new hybrid powertrain produces 204 hp and 247 lb-ft of torque, which is down on power compared to the outgoing turbocharged 2.0-liter mill, but it likely makes up for it in the fuel economy department. The EPA has yet to rate the new Accord’s gas mileage, but we expect it to be in the 50 mpg range in combined driving, if not the high 40s.
With all of these updates, we can stand behind Consumer Reports’ remarks about the 2023 Honda Accord. It is indeed “evolutionary.”
