Honda will offer an array of new powertrains for the 2013 Accord, including a first-ever hybrid.
Honda has finally lifted the covers on its all-new Accord sedan, a vehicle that is likely to be the Japanese brand’s most important product in decades. And Honda officials insist they won’t make the same mistakes they made when they introduced the all-new, and oft-criticized Civic model two years ago.
The 2013 Honda Accord, nonetheless, enters a crowded midsize market that is experiencing a glut of new and seriously competitive entries from Detroit, European and Asian makers, and Honda will have little room for error.
So, as it goes for the gold, will the new Accord suffer having to settle for silver when it comes to fuel economy? Its new 4-cylinder powertrain – part of the brand’s new Earth Dreams technology – will deliver an impressive 27 miles per gallon in the city, 36 on the highway, and 30 mpg combined – but that’s one mpg behind the new Nissan Altima, another all-new-for-2013 midsize sedan.
“We have the opportunity to invent our future” with the launch of the 2013 Accord, Honda’s top American executive, John Mendel, told TheDetroitBureau.com.
“We underestimated what the competition was going to do” when developing the latest-generation Civic, Mendel admitted during a candid conversation about Honda. That, he insists, is not something Honda intends to repeat with the new midsize Accord. “You’d be an idiot not to go back and reevaluate things.”
The 2013 model will be lavishly equipped, with a much more refined interior that foregoes the cheap plastic bits found on all too many recent entries from Japan – where manufacturers are struggling to cope with exchange rates that no longer favor companies doing business in yen versus the dollar.
Of course, it helps to produce the new Accord in the U.S. In fact, the first saleable version of the new model rolled down the line in Marysville, Ohio last month – marking the 30th anniversary of that plant, the first Japanese-owned factory to assemble vehicles in the States. Since then, Honda’s expanding network of North American assembly plants has produced 25 million vehicles – including 9 million Accords.
Honda made a number of investments to prepare for launch of the 2013 Accord sedan, including the addition of a $64 million stamping press capable of molding sheet metal into the more sculpted shapes used on the new model.
No surprise. “It’s the most competitive industry we’ve ever had out there,” acknowledged Honda product planner Vicki Popponi. “It’s playing out like an arms race.”
And to win customers, she concluded, Honda knew it had to not only deliver a more stylish Accord but one that could “excel in all areas.”
That includes technology, Honda launching a new version of its infotainment system, dubbed IntelliLink, that will allow motorists to access Pandora and a variety of other smartphone-based apps. The maker also built into the new Accord a new, almost tablet-sized high-res touchscreen display.
There are a number of new and updated safety features, including Forward Collision Warning, Lane Watch and blind spot intervention, as well as a rearview camera. Notably absent: an auto park feature – which Honda officials insist does not fit in with the brand.
We’ll have to wait for a first drive to see if the 2013 Accord lives up to the promise made by marketing chief Mike Accavitti that it delivers “that old-school Honda driving character.”
But the new model clearly goes back to its Japanese roots by delivering a significant improvement in fuel economy. The 27/36/30 numbers come from the maker’s new 2.4-liter i-VTEC engine which makes 185 hp and 177 lb-ft of torque – and which is one of an array of new powertrains that will be rolling out over the next several years as Honda races to catch up with the competition.
Traditionally, Honda has billed itself as “an engine company that also happens to make cars.” That claim has been sorely tested in recent years as it lagged behind in key technology such as direct injection, and barely even competed with a limited number of 6-speed automatics even as competitors were going to 7-, 8- and even 9-speed gearboxes.
You’ll now see more DI engines, more 6-speeds and, mated to the 2.4-liter inline-four, a new continuously variable transmission that Honda claims does not suffer from the annoying “rubber-banding” effect found with most competitive CVTs. Paired with a more conventional six-speed manual, the engine delivers 24 mpg city, 34 highway and 28 combined.
Meanwhile, a new Sport trim package will deliver more than just cladding, bumping the output of the I-4 up to 189 hp and 182 lb-ft.
The new Accord will also offer an optional V-6, running counter to recent trends that have seen a number of competitors, including the Hyundai Sonata and Chevrolet Malibu, shift to all-four powertrain packages. The 3.5-liter V-6 will churn out 278 hp and 252 lb-ft. and will boost fuel economy to 21 city, 34 highway – up one and four mpg, respectively, compared to the 2012 Accord – and 25 combined.
Meanwhile, the 2013 Accord also will offer the line’s first hybrid drivetrain – though details won’t be released until closer to its launch in mid-model-year.
Fuel economy has become, according to most studies, the number one concern for passenger car buyers. Whether coming in second to Altima will penalize Honda remains to be seen. But the maker is betting that Accord has such a solid reputation the increased efficiency of the new model will be more important to loyalists.
Add the other features built into the 2013 Honda Accord and the maker is confident it has sidestepped the problems that plagued the launch of its most recent Civic.