2013 Honda Accord

With its most excellent base model, and exceptionally smooth V6 edition, the Accord wows in the same ways it always has, and the latest edition introduced for the 2013 model year is a return to form in many respects. It rivals the likes of 2013 Mazda 6, 2013 Hyundai Sonata, and 2013 Toyota Camry.

The 2013 Honda Accord comes in five trim levels and while the base three are available with the smaller 2.4L engine only, EX-L has both the inline-4 and V6 while the Touring only comes with V6. With a starting price of $21,680 for the LX trim, it gets 16-inch alloy wheels along with the manually adjustable driver and front passenger seat, dual-zone climate control, a rearview camera, and a four-speaker sound system. 

The Sport trim gets a slightly powerful version of the inline-4 with 18-inch alloy wheels, a powered driver seat with lumbar support, and a leather-wrapped steering wheel and gear shifter knob. One step further up the ladder, EX brings 17-inch alloy wheels, heated mirrors, sunroof, blind-spot monitoring, and keyless entry and go.

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The EX-L is going to be our pick as it brings on a taste of luxury, with leather upholstery, a memory driver's seat, heated seats, and a HondaLink system featuring Aha streaming entertainment capability in an upgraded 360-watt sound system. It also comes with the option to choose from the regular inline-4 or the meatier V6 which makes it even more of a sweet deal. 

The 2013 Honda Accord now comes with two engine options as well as a bunch of transmission options for both. The smaller 2.4L inline-4 produces 185hp and 181 lb-ft of torque. With it, you can choose from a six-speed manual or continuously variable automatic transmission. Now, this is not a very eager motor but does pretty much all the day-to-day life jobs with rather ease. It is a comfortable motor that loves to be driven with ease. The CVT though is very efficient and in cities work well as the infinite gear ratios mean you’ll never notice the engine lagging.

But being a CVT, one thing it can’t go away with is the rubber effect. Go on the highways and try to go fast and you’ll notice both the gearbox and engine start to struggle. For highways, the better option is the smooth and creamy 3.5L V6 which makes 278 hp and 252 lb-ft of torque. This engine is coupled with a six-speed automatic transmission. Thanks to this, the 2013 Honda Accord feels a lot more lively to drive and for the purists, there is also an option to have the V6 with a 6-speed manual gearbox but that is only available for the coupe versions.

If considering only the base engines, then the Sonata is the one with the most power producing 190hp; though the advantage is not by a lot. Honda's CVT makes it quite effortless and a jerk-free drive in the city while the others have a conventional automatic transmission. The Accord is also relatively smoother than the others, while the Camry is maybe the most vocal of the lot and is also the quickest in the lot taking 7.4 seconds to the 60mph mark.

The introduction of an all-new powertrain has helped the 2013 Accord to gain some points in terms of fuel efficiency. With the all-new CVT and direct injection, four-cylinder Accord sedans now achieve up to 36 mpg highway and an excellent city rating of 27 mpg. The V6 variant returns 21MPG in the city and 34 MPG on the highway. What is even more impressive is that the V6 comes with active cylinder deactivation technology where it can shut half of the cylinders while cruising to achieve good efficiency figures.

In the current crop of midsize sedans, the Mazda 6 is the most fuel-efficient averaging 29 MPG, while the Accord and Camry are just trailing behind it with a few numbers up and down. However, the Sonata is the one that will take you the farthest for it has the biggest fuel tank that can hold 18.5-gallons and also the most driving range for that matter, managing 629 highway miles.

The interior of the 2013 Honda Accord is a huge departure from the previous model year and certainly feels a lot more modern and luxurious now. It is quite a well-built cabin with a lot of different materials used varying from different types of plastics, wooden inserts, and leather too on the upper trims. The steering wheel gets leather-wrapped treatment and looks better than the last one and also feels quite good to hold on to.

The base LX, Sport, and Sport SE trim get faux leather-wrapped seats while the top-of-the-line EX-L and Touring trims get genuine leather seats. No matter what the trim is, the interior is extremely spacious and practical. The seats are well contoured and the cushioning is also just perfect. They are broad and large and even the rear seats are wide enough to accommodate three adults abreast though you do sit in a bit of a knee-high position in the back.

The Sonata has the most spacious front row seats and while it also has the most creature comforts for the driver, the rear seat space is dominant in Toyota Camry. The 2013 Accord sits somewhere in between them with a very balanced front and rear-seat space. With a 15.5 cu-ft boot, it is not a lot but still will manage to carry luggage for five for a small trip. The Mazda 6 and Camry lead the segment with trunk volumes over 16 cu.-ft. That said, some standout interior features are:

• Leather Wrapped Steering Wheel
• Dual-zone automatic climate control
• 8-way power driver seat with power lumbar support
• Leather upholstery
• Driver-seat memory functions
• 4-way power passenger seat

How intuitive is the 2012 Honda Accord’s infotainment unit?

Flaunting the center space of the dash in the 2013 Accord is an eight-inch i-MID display with Pandora audio streaming and SMS text-messaging capability. There is also a smaller display under the main display which controls some other functions as well. Now, this whole setup is quite a unique one and we loved the way Honda has executed the functionality and divided the functions between two displays and the presence of physical buttons for some important inputs makes this a near-perfect system. Some standout features of the Accord’s infotainment are:

• 8-inch i-MID display
• AM/FM Stereo
• CD Player/MP3 Player
• Satellite Radio
• Premium seven-speaker sound system

The 2013 Honda Accord has been completely redesigned with many elements that seem like they have been taken from the outgoing model. It still retains the classic silhouette of the previous MY and has just made its way to become a more sophisticated-looking sedan. The 2013 Accord certainly looks pure elegant and though the car is a bit shorter in length, it looks stunning. And in the two-door coupe form, it looks even hotter.

At the front, the thick chrome grille adjoining the headlights looks quite good and certainly doesn’t feel overdone. The front is undoubtedly the best angle to look at the sedan while for the two-door coupe versions, the rear profile is the most attractive one with a sloping roofline and slim taillamps. The sedan had a rather boring-looking rear end and though it doesn't excite us a lot, the sheer length of the sedan does provide it immense road presence.

Despite being shorter than the previous Accord, it is still pretty much among the longest cars in the class and is also the widest. Accord certainly has its road presence and that makes it stand out of the crowd. Mazda6 on the other hand has the highest ground clearance and a large wheelbase. That said, the Accord’s design has a very classy appeal to it, which is highlighted by:

• 18-inch wheels
• Rear spoiler
• Heated mirrors
• Sunroof
• Dual exhaust

Honda builds some safe cars and the 2013 Accord is no exception. It has been awarded by IIHS by their “Top Safety Pick +” award which makes it one of the safest cars in the segment. It aced all the tests of IIHS including the highly notorious small front overlap tests. Also, the car scored “5-stars” in all the tests by NHTSA. 

All Accord models come with four-wheel disc brakes, including Electronic Brake Distribution and Brake Assist, plus stability control, and hill start assist. And in addition to all the expected airbags, the 2013 Accord features a new SmartVent technology for its side airbags that eliminates the need for fussy occupant-position detection systems. That said, some standout safety features:

• Brake Assist
• Electronic Stability Control
• Daytime Running Lights
• Integrated Turn Signal Mirrors
• Traction Control
• Emergency Trunk Release
• Blind Spot Monitor
• Lane Departure Warning

With the update in design and all-new drivetrains, the 2013 Honda Accord is now an even better car than it used to be. We have always loved the way the Accord has been and Honda has just made a near-perfect car even better which in itself is a very challenging thing to do. In the current crop of mid-size sedans, the 2013 Accord certainly looks one of the best, is quite engaging to drive, and is quite practical as well. The simple thing being, it is a near-perfect car and we certainly would love to have one in our garage.