Yahoo Autos Honda hopes adding a new hybrid version will return the 2023 Accord to sales glory
What is it? 2023 Honda Accord, front-wheel-drive, five-passenger midsize sedan.
Why should you consider it? The hybrid, which could account for half its sales; new also are real-time Google searches, navigation and music.
What could be better? Top model gains weight, loses power versus 2022.
How much will it cost? Prices range from $27,295 to $37,890, excluding $1,095 destination charge.
When can you buy it? On sale now.
SAN DIEGO − One of America’s favorite cars gets significantly better for 2023 as the Honda Accord adds a new hybrid drivetrain and features including Bose audio and Google assistance. The Accord has dropped the performance models that accounted for a small share of its sales, though.
Honda says the Accord has been America’s best-selling car over the last 50 years, but the midsize sedan took it on the chin in 2022. Sales fell 24% to 154,612, a pittance for a model that regularly racked up 300K annually before SUVs overtook sedans and COVID-19 manufacturing disruptions rendered manufacturing schedules as reliable as coins dropped in a wishing well.
More:Undetectable 2023 Honda Accord hybrid feature will make you a better driver
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Honda expects — make that hopes, fingers crossed, rabbit’s foot in pocket and a horseshoe on the wall — the Accord will lead a return to normalcy in 2023, when the automaker expects its U.S. sales to rise 20%-25%.
The 2023 Accord’s new body is sleek and attractive, with a long hood, narrow LED lights and fastback style rear window.
The Accord’s chief competitors include sedans like the Hyundai Sonata, Kia K5, Nissan Sentra and Toyota Camry.
A new hybrid, no performance model
The 2023 Accord is 2.3 inches longer than the outgoing model, though its wheelbase is unchanged. Height and width are unchanged.
Honda has trimmed the Accord’s model line to two drivetrains. The base 1.5L four-cylinder turbo is unchanged from 2022. It produces 192 hp and 192 pound-feet of torque.
The hybrid is entirely new, with a new 2.0L four-cylinder turbo and a pair of electric motors. Hybrid power rises to 204 hp and 247 pound-feet of torque, up 1% and 6%, respectively.
Curb weight increases for 2023. The top of the line Touring hybrid weighs 102 pounds more than in 2022. The base model gained 89 pounds.
The hybrids deliver satisfying acceleration, but without its performance models, at least for the moment, none of its drivetrains approach the output of 2022’s Touring 2.0T and Sport 2.0T, which boasted 252 hp and 273 pound-feet of torque mated with a 10-speed automatic transmission.
EPA fuel economy ratings increased modestly versus 2022, despite the most efficient 2023 Accord model’s impressive score of 51 mpg in city driving.
Most hybrid models gained about 1 mpg in combined city and highway driving for 2023. The top of the line Touring hybrid I spent most of my drive in scored 44 mpg in combined driving.
Gasoline-only Accords rate 29 mpg city/37 highway/32 combined. The EPA estimates an average driver will save $450-$550 on gasoline with a 2023 Accord hybrid versus the gasoline-only model. Gasoline-only vehicles will account for about half of Accord sales.
2023 Honda Accord trim levels and prices
LX: $27,295
EX: $29,610
Sport hybrid: $31,895
EX-L hybrid: $33,450
Sport-L hybrid: $33,875
Touring hybrid: $37,890
All prices exclude $1,095 destination charge
Source: Honda
Behind the wheel
Engineers added chassis reinforcements and reworked the rear suspension for a more comfortable ride.
The steering is quick and direct. Acceleration is acceptable.
Several drive modes are available. Sport alters steering and throttle response, while EV allows battery-only driving for short distances at speeds up to around 30 mph.
The Accord was composed on mountain roads and quiet at highway speeds.
