2015 Honda Accord

The 2015 Honda Accord is available in 5 main trims, and its competition is very close against rivals like Toyota Camry, Nissan Maxima, and Hyundai Sonata - all of which are no less capable than the Accord in being a family favorite for many while also enjoying a lot of popularity in the market. That said, let’s see how these cars perform when pitted against each other. 

The 2015 Honda Accord comes in 5 main trim levels, why main trim levels you may ask. Honda has made this as tricky as possible. Who keeps a whole trim level dedicated just for the navigation option, Honda certainly does. The base trim LX gets dual-zone climate control and a reasonably big infotainment screen, while the Sport trim adds low-profile 18-inch wheels and a better-tuned engine. The convenience features are also upgraded in the Sport trim.

The EX-trim is aimed towards the comfort-seeking buyer, and so the wheels get a downgrade but it adds a sunroof, keyless entry & ignition, and active safety come standard. The EX-L adds luxury features like leather upholstery and a 360-watt audio system. Moreover, the EX-L can be had with a V-6 engine as well. The top trim comes with that V6 engine as standard and sports nicer LED headlights and taillights.

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The EX-L trim should be the ideal choice here as it offers everything from safety to entertainment to convenience. It is not really expensive compared to the base trim, and you will only miss the LED projector headlights and Adaptive cruise control. And if you crave more power from your vehicle, you also get the option of having a V6 under the hood of your sedan. 

Even though the Honda Accord is a fuel-conscious family sedan, Honda has kept various engine options available for its buyers. The base engine choice on all the trims except for the Touring is a 2.4L natural Inline-4 engine that produces 185 hp & 181 lb-ft of torque and comes mated to a 6-speed manual or CVT transmission. For more power-hungry buyers, Honda lets you have a 3.5L V6 engine with 278 hp and 253 lb-ft of torque. The transmission choices are a little diverse on this one. On coupes, this engine comes with a 6-speed manual, while the sedans have a 6-speed auto with sports mode.

The engine capacity of all the cars is very similar, but the difference lies in overall tuning and transmission setups. The 2015 Accord is the fastest and most powerful car in the group today, but the rivals aren’t far behind. The Camry and the Maxima are just behind by fractions of seconds in the 60 MPH run. When comparing the price range, Honda Accord turns out to be the most expensive option in its base configuration. 

The Honda Accord is a fuel-efficient vehicle overall, but as we said earlier, this segment has cut-throat competition, and the rivals are doing much better in this section. While the 4-cylinder engine will return a good city & highway mileage, the Hybrid variants will steal the show. The 50 MPG city & 45 MPG on the highway economy that comes with the hybrid is mind-blowing. You won’t miss the low torque after seeing your monthly fuel expenses.

The Nissan Maxima has off-the-charts fuel economy and a decently sized fuel tank gives it a whopping 684 miles of highway range. However, the Hyundai Sonata isn’t far behind either in terms of efficiency. Even Toyota Camry manages to get past the figures of Honda by offering 25 mpg in the city, 35 mpg on the highway, and 28 mpg combined, which is 1 mpg more than Accord in every scenario.

The 2015 Honda Accord has a decent interior which could’ve been made more premium by implementing some chrome trims or fake metal trims, but they haven’t, and we are more than happy. The dashboard is different than we see on most cars as the standard 8-inch screen is permanently installed into the dashboard. The way Honda has highlighted the infotainment screen looks nice, and this is the only highlight piece in the entire cabin, rest is all dulled down, or in other words, it blends well with the cabin. The cloth seats on the base trim are good with power adjustments for the driver's seat. Moreover, the headroom and legroom is ample in the first row, and the second row on the Accord is just as spacious as it has one of the best legroom in the segment.

The boot capacity of the Accord is on par with our expectations at 15.8 cubic feet, which also remains the second-biggest in the class. The seats do fold down on this car to create more cargo space overall. Inside the cabin, there are cup holders and small storage cubbies to keep stuff. The rival cars have similar cargo capacity, only the Sonata has a bit more space. Moreover, the Hyundai Sonata & Honda Accord both have the best second-row legroom in the segment. That said, key interior features are:

• Dual-zone choice activated climate control
• Dual-screen infotainment setup
• Driver memory seats 
• 365-watt audio system 

How intuitive is the 2015 Honda Accord’s infotainment unit?

The Honda Accord comes with an 8-inch screen and a 4 speakers sound setup with Bluetooth and AUX. The EX trim will get you a 365-watt sound system with a 6 speakers setup. The EX-L trim gets another 6-inch touchscreen below the main display and more speakers. Basically, you get more speakers in each trim as you go higher. These 2 screens can be utilized efficiently, the bigger one for navigation and the touchscreen for infotainment. The system is well-equipped and is very intuitive to use. That said, some of the most highlighting features are: 

• 8-inch display / 6-inch touchscreen
• Aux input
• Bluetooth
• Navigation (trim exclusive)
• Satellite radio
• Hands-free text messaging
• Pandora support 

The 2015 Honda Accord has carried over the previous year’s design. This design is elegant and goes well for a family sedan. The front end has the halogen headlight setup with a typical Honda grille in the middle. There's one body line starting from the fender and continues till the rear door handle. This muscular design element is just enough on such a car as anything more than this will ruin the classy design language of the Accord that we all cherish. Moreover, there are sleek tail lamps that add a premium look, while chrome inlays fill the rather empty-looking rear end.

The Honda Accord is the longest car in the segment, and Hyundai Sonata has a longer wheelbase overall. The low ground clearance on the Sonata gives it a more executive look than the competitors. However, the higher ground clearance on the Camry is more suitable for bumps and undulations. The Accord, however, is a looker and has a lot of exterior features to justify the beautiful design, some of them being:

• Projector Beam LED headlight
• LED taillights
• 19-inch wheels 
• Chrome handles and window sills 

The 2015 Honda Accord has done well in the federal crash tests. In the NHTSA crash tests, the Accord got an overall of 5 stars. The frontal crash ratings are 4 stars only, but the side crash tests have 5 stars. The rollover rating is also at 5 stars with just 9.9% of tip-over risk. The IIHS has given the Accord a Top Safety Pick award as it performed astonishingly well in the crash tests. Some of the key safety features are:

• Lane departure warning
• Honda LaneWatch Blindspot monitor
• Forward collision warning
• Rearview camera 
• Tire pressure monitoring system

The 2015 Honda Accord is a complete family sedan and has options for every kind of buyer. The interior space is best in its class on both rows, while the cargo capacity is on par with the rivals. The safety quotient of the Accord is great too and coupled with active safety features like forward-collision assist and many more, it is ready for the unexpected. Honda has a reputation for reliability and resale, and these would be the added benefits of having an Accord in your garage. Thus, the 2015 Accord is a no-brainer when it comes to no-nonsense commuter cars.