2019 Honda Accord

Speaking about price, the Accord has a starting price range of $23,720 to $35,950, depending on the trim level and spec. It is broadly available in five different trim levels to choose from, and at its price range, it competes with the likes of Hyundai Sonata, Kia Optima, Mazda 6, and other similar mid-size family sedans in the market. One thing to note is that the Accord is also available with a hybrid powertrain, called the Accord Hybrid. But in this article, we will be focusing only on the gasoline-powered variants of the Accord. 

The Accord is available in five different trim levels to choose from, viz. LX, Sport, EX, EX-L, and Touring. But with two different engine options to choose from for the Sport and EX-L trims, it is available in a total of seven different configurations. The models with the bigger, more powerful 2.0L turbocharged Inline-4 engine under the hood have the “2.0T” suffix after the trim name.

The base LX model starts off with a decent price to features ratio. It has features like LED exterior lighting, a 7” touchscreen infotainment display, dual-zone automatic climate control, along with standard driver aids like lane-keeping assist, adaptive cruise control, and forward-collision warning with automatic emergency braking.

The Sport trim is more of a visual update with bigger 19” wheels with a rear spoiler, and chrome exhaust tips. It also comes with larger front brakes, along with luxury enhancements like leather-wrapped steering wheel, cloth, and simulated leather upholstery, along with a power-adjustable driver’s seat as well. The touchscreen infotainment display also gets a little bigger at 8”, along with standard Android Auto and Apple CarPlay smartphone integration as well.

The EX and the EX-L trim amp up the convenience of the car by adding a few convenience features to make the car more daily drivable. The EX trim is based on the LX trim, and while including the Sport trim’s interior upgrades, it lays off some features like Sport trim’s unique upholstery, shift paddles, and leather-wrapped steering wheel. While adding on some convenience features like keyless entry and ignition, heated mirrors, and blind-spot monitoring, the EX trim also adds on some luxury features like heated front seats and rear AC vents.

The EX-L trim further adds on the convenience with features like an auto-dimming rearview mirror, a power-adjustable passenger seat, and driver-seat memory settings. It also comes with standard leather upholstery, along with an inbuilt navigation system as an option.

Then comes the top-of-the-range Touring trim with all the features that the 2019 Accord has to offer. Adaptive suspension dampers, chrome exterior trim, illuminated door handles, automatic wipers; you name it. Front and rear parking sensors make parking in tight spaces easier. You can even adjust the driving modes based on your mood and road condition.

Which Trim should you buy?

While the base LX trim comes pretty packed with respect to its price, some might feel it a bit barebones with respect to their expectations. While the Sports trim fills that void with an incremental increase in price, spend a couple of grand more and you get the mid-range EX trim, which has arguably the best value-for-money proposition in the lineup. Most buyers will appreciate its convenience features like keyless entry and ignition, heated mirrors, and blind-spot monitoring. On top of getting a sunroof, the EX trim also gets heated front seats, along with rear AC vents for added comfort.

The 2019 Honda Accord comes with two engine options depending on the trim level. The base engine is a 1.5L turbocharged Inline-4 unit producing a maximum of 192 HP and 192 lb-ft of torque. This engine comes as standard on all the trims, except the range-topping Touring trim which comes with a bigger, more powerful 2.0L turbocharged Inline-4 engine producing a maximum of 252 HP and 273 lb-ft of torque. The latter one is available as an option on the Sport and EX-L trims. While the base 1.5L unit is paired with a CVT automatic gearbox, the 2.0L unit is paired with a traditional 10-speed automatic gearbox. That being said, the Sport trim also offers a 6-speed manual gearbox as a no-cost option, regardless of the engine.

While the base engine is pretty decent for what it is, you have the option to upgrade to a more powerful engine if you feel the power output from the base engine is not enough for you. That being said, what the buyers would like most about the Accord is its responsiveness to the driver’s input. The drivetrain in the Accord responds quickly to the driver’s inputs, making it feel more powerful than what it actually is.

With a 0 to 60 mph time of 6.6 seconds from the base engine, it is pretty impressive. It makes the Accord one of the quickest cars in its segment. But most importantly, the power delivery from the engines feels smooth, which makes the Accord a pretty enjoyable car to drive. If you want to go faster, go get the 2.0T variants of the 2019 Accord with the 2.0L turbo unit, which will let you hit 0 to 60 mph in 5.7 seconds, which is almost a second quicker than the variants with the base engine. Comparatively, all the cars here have similar performance and none offers anything exceptional in terms of performance.

How well does the 2019 Honda Accord handle?

The Accord comes equipped with a strut front suspension with coil springs, along with a multi-link suspension with coil springs at the back. The Accord feels more planted on the road than most of its rivals. It makes driving the car pretty confidence-inspiring, and the sportscar-like feel makes it a pretty fun-to-drive car overall. The top-of-the-line Touring trim comes with adaptive suspension dampers, which just takes all the positive traits of the handling characteristics of the standard Accord and makes it better.

The steering wheel feels very light and the feedback from the wheel could be improved for better driving dynamics. However, the steering feels very precise and predictable so there is nothing much to complain about in this regard. The Honda Accord manages to provide a good balance between the ride and handling of the sedan.

Braking Performance

The Accord comes equipped with power-assisted ventilated disc brakes at the front, and solid disc brakes at the back. The standard rotor dimensions are 11.5” at the front, and 11.1” at the back, which is true for all the trim levels except the Accord Sport. While the rear rotors for the Accord Sport remain the same, it gets a bigger 12.3” rotors at the front.

While the 122 feet emergency stopping distance from 60 mph to standstill might be on the slower side of the spectrum for its segment, it still feels pretty confidence-inspiring, to say the least. The brake pedal has a nice modulation to it, remains stable under heavy braking, and feels pretty good overall while using it.

In terms of rotor dimensions, the Honda Accord and its competitors are more or less in a similar ballpark. Being slightly on the heavier side of the spectrum for its segment, the braking distance of the Honda Accord is slightly on the slower side as well. The 2019 Hyundai Sonata performs slightly better but the difference is not that much. The Mazda 6 takes the highest distance at 129 feet to stop from 60 to 0 mph.

The Accord variants with the standard 1.5L turbo engine and CVT gearbox can deliver up to 30, 38, and 33 mpg, in city, highway, and combined respectively. Opting for the Sport trim with the same setup somehow drops the fuel economy to 29, 35, and 31 mpg in the same order. Opt for the 6-speed manual transmission and it drops further to 26, 35, and 30 mpg respectively. Then comes the Sport 2.0T, EX-L 2.0T, and the top-spec Touring trim with the bigger, more powerful 2.0L turbo unit paired with a traditional 10-speed automatic gearbox, along with the 6-speed manual option for the Sport 2.0T. So the Sport 2.0T, regardless of the gearbox, and the Touring trims deliver 22, 32, and 26 mpg respectively in the city, highway, and combined. The same setup for the EX-L 2.0T trims on the other hand delivers a relatively modest 23, 34, and 27 mpg in the same order.

The fuel economy figures from the standard engine of the 2019 Accord are one of the best in the segment. Having one of the smallest fuel tanks in the competition, the range is still on par with most of its rivals. The 2019 Kia Optima has the worst fuel economy figure of the lot but it manages well with a bigger 18.5 gallons fuel tank.

The interior of the Accord is typical Honda design, pretty classy and clean to say the least. While it might be a bit disappointing in terms of interior storage compartments, the Honda Accord is pretty roomy for the passengers. With a modern design, quality-soft touch materials all around, solid build quality, and an easy-to-use infotainment system, you won’t have much to complain about the car in this regard.

While the base LX trim might start off a bit bare-bones with manually adjustable front seats, it gradually gets upgraded with manually adjustable driver and passenger seats, and heated front seats as you go up the trim levels. The top-spec Touring trim even comes with ventilated front seats, along with heated seats at the back as well.

While the Accord might just be one of the best in the segment in terms of rear-seat legroom, it compromises a bit with regards to front-seat legroom, which might be a bit of an issue for the taller drivers. Getting in and out of the car also becomes a bit tricky for taller passengers. Other than that, the trunk capacity is pretty good for the segment.

Some of the noteworthy interior features are:

• Power adjustable front seats
• Heated and ventilated front seats
• Heated rear seats
• Door pull ambient lighting
• Leather upholstery
• Leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob
• One-Touch Power Moonroof with Tilt Feature 

What’s there to keep you entertained?

For the infotainment system, the base LX trim starts off with a 7” touchscreen display, along with a 160-watt 4-speaker audio system with Bluetooth and USB connectivity to help you listen to music. No Android Auto or Apple CarPlay or any sort of smartphone integration, unfortunately. For that, you need to upgrade to the Sport trim level, which also upgrades to a slightly larger 8” touchscreen display for the infotainment system. On top of that, you also get HondaLink smartphone integration for enhanced convenience. The music system also gets upgraded to a 180-Watt Audio System with 8 Speakers, which stays the same for the EX trim as well. The EX-L and the touring trim get an even more premium 450-Watt Audio System with 10 Speakers, including Subwoofer.

The top-of-the-line Touring trim even gets mobile hotspot capability, wireless phone charger, along with Near Field Communication or NFC for added convenience.

Some of the highlight features of the infotainment system include:

• 7”/8” touchscreen infotainment display
• Bluetooth connectivity
• USB connectivity
• 4/8/10-speaker music system
• Honda Satellite-Linked Navigation System with Voice Recognition
• Android Auto and Apple CarPlay smartphone integration
• Mobile hotspot capability
• Wireless phone charger
• Near Field Communication (NFC)
• SiriusXM Radio
• HD Radio

The 2019 Honda Accord is overall a pretty good-looking car in the segment, especially for the competition. The LED exterior lighting gives it a pretty modern-looking appearance. If you want to stand out among the Honda Accord owners, the Sport trim is the one to go for. It gets larger 19” wheels along with a rear spoiler and chrome exhaust tips to add to the sportiness of the car. It might not have a very flashy road presence, but it does look pretty unique in its segment.

In terms of exterior dimensions, the Honda Accord and most of its competitors are more or less in a similar ballpark, which is also the case with their wheelbases as well. The Honda Accord and Mazda 6 share the same wheelbase which is marginally longer than the Kia and Hyundai counterparts. That being said, the Honda Accord is on the heavier side of the spectrum in the competition.

Some of the key exterior features are:

• Aluminum hood
• Fin-Type Roof-Mounted Antenna
• LED Headlights with Auto-On/Off (low beam)
• Active Shutter Grille
• Memory-Linked Side Mirrors with Reverse Gear Tilt-Down

Like almost every other modern Honda, the 2019 Honda Accord is also built on what Honda calls the Advanced Compatibility Engineering or ACE body structure. It has a crash stroke front frame design that uses a network of front frame structures to absorb and deflect the energy from a frontal collision. On top of that, the Honda Accord also comes equipped with a myriad of active safety features, some under the Honda Sensing suite, in order to prevent crashes from happening in the first place.

The crash-test results are pretty promising as well. The 2019 Accord scored a full 5 star in NHTSA’s overall rating, with 5 stars in all of the individual tests, including the rollover test as well, where it got a relatively low rollover risk of 9.30%, which makes the 2019 Accord one of the safest cars, not only in its segment but in the car market as a whole.

These active safety features include:

• Emergency Brake Assist
• Tire Pressure Monitoring System 
• Collision Mitigation Braking System 
• Road Departure Mitigation System 
• Forward Collision Warning 
• Lane Keeping Assist System 
• Lane Departure Warning 
• Adaptive Cruise Control 
• Traffic Sign Recognition System 
• Auto High-Beam Headlights
• Blind Spot Information System with Cross Traffic Monitor

2019 Honda Accord vs 2019 Hyundai Sonata

The Hyundai Sonata is a pretty tough contender to the Honda Accord. It has a pretty solid list of standard tech features and creature comforts for the money, and the amazing warranty coverage gives it an upper hand in the competition. The Sonata also has a pretty excellent infotainment system which is pretty easy to use as well. But the Sonata lags being the Honda Accord in terms of performance prowess, despite being less fuel-efficient than the Accord by quite a margin.

2019 Honda Accord vs 2019 Kia Optima

Just like the Hyundai Sonata, the 2019 Kia Optima also has a solid list of standard tech features and creature comforts for the money, along with a solid warranty coverage as well. And just like the Hyundai, the Kia Optima also lags being the Honda Accord in terms of performance prowess, despite being significantly less fuel-efficient.

2019 Honda Accord vs 2019 Mazda 6

The Mazda 6 is probably the closest competitor to the Honda Accord in terms of handling prowess and the overall fun-to-drive factor in a car. The look and feel of the interior are also above expectations for its class, and the fact that the front seats are extremely comfortable and supportive ensures that you have a pleasant experience while driving the car.

The Honda Accord is considered among the benchmarks of mid-size family sedans, and that too for good reasons. It has some of the most competent engine options in the segment. On top of being one of the quickest cars in the segment, the Honda Accord is also one of the most fuel-efficient cars in its segment, and that too by quite a margin as well. With an impressive list of standard tech features, creature comforts, active and passive safety features, and driving aids, it comes out to be one of the best options in the segment.