burlapp car

2018 Honda Accord. Early test drives are in.

By  •  Published:  •  Last updated:

Looks like a few journalists got to drive the new 2018 Accord a few days ago.
And the reviews are in. Mostly positive. Of course.

I’ve been to these press events. Where you are wined and dined. Taken care of in luxury hotels.
You meet all the company’s bosses, designers etc… Everyone is very happy.
And the cars are very nice. (like most current new cars)
There is a general sense of euphoria for a couple of days.

The real tests come later. A few months later. When the “new car smell” fades away and you get to keep the car for a few days.
Drive it where you drive every day.

So right now, they all seem to love the new Accord. (Like almost everything else that just came out)

Compared to the Camry, Honda went with the current trend of downsizing engines.
They offer a 1.5 Liter Turbo with 192HP or a 2.0 Liter Turbo with 252.
While Toyota chooses to stick with a large 2.4 Liter with 203HP as its base model.
And the smooth 3.5 Liter V6 with 301HP.

The main reason for the small engines is fuel economy.
So, does it work? Is the new Accord using that much less gas than the Camry?

Here are the official number:

– Camry 2.4: 28/39
-Camry V6: 22/32
-Accord 1.5: 30/38
-Accord 2.0 MPG not announced yet.

So it doesn’t look like that smaller 1.5 Liter and CVT are an improvement over a non turbo, more powerful engine with a good 8 speed auto.
I mean really. Why???
Toyota is also getting excellent MPG numbers with their 301HP V6. Not sure the Honda 2.0 will do much better.
I actually like Toyota’s decision to stick with what works. Especially since they can match the smaller engines for MPG.

Other than that, it is pretty much a matter of taste.
I think both cars seem much nicer than their previous generations.
You can get a double sunroof on the Camry, and not on the Accord.
But the Accord does get Apple CarPlay while Toyota still refuses to offer it.
Their base prices are almost the same too.

So there really isn’t much competition. All these cars have about the same power. Get about the same MPG. Cost about the same. Are about the same size….
It’s all a matter of taste or stupid brand loyalty for products that are mostly pretty generic.

What do you think?

You can click HERE, or HERE or even HERE (if you dare) to read some of the test drives that came out today…

Conversation 9 comments

  1. So there really isn't much competition. All these cars have about the same power. Get about the same MPG. Cost about the same. Are about the same size….It's all a matter of taste or stupid brand loyalty for products that are mostly pretty generic.
    ————————
    But only ONE manufacturer offers a manual transmission…thus the choice is very easy in my opinion.

  2. True!

    But will you be able to actually get one. VW is another car maker offering manuals. But practically none of their dealers carry manual transmission cars. You have to order them. And wait months. On top of paying full price.

    I think offering a manual in a mainstream sedan is mostly a marketing trick. (The last time Nissan did it on the Altima coupe, they huddled it in some BS $3500 "Sport package" so no one bought it…)

    But if you can actually get a 2018 Accord with a manual, go for it! But be aware of the plunging resale value in a few years since almost nobody will want one…

  3. I have always been a Honda fan having owned several through the years. My thoughts: the new Camry has the best looking interior; the Honda offers the most interior space and storage. Exterior design in both cases is ALL OVER THE PLACE. The front of the Camry is out of control and in no way pleasing; the flanks of both are overdone without ant sense or logic. Some would say that makes for an emotional design statement. I say its just confused. And the rear ends are just strange and awkward.

  4. I agree 100%. This is a common problem with Japanese car makers.
    They are always criticized for being boring, and they just go the other way with the "next generation". Which is, like you say, : all over the place.
    They mostly don't seem to have any sense of style or design. Just more fake vents, lines that go no where. they end up being busy visual messes.

  5. I'm tired of reading about these new cars steering as numb, but responsive. Numb being the key thing here. Hard to have fun to drive with numb steering.

  6. Vince, wining and dining only applies to Cadillac with the “raving reviews” of its cars that disappear in anonymity 6 months after launch. Competition and switching to crossovers has been a great benefit to mass produced sedans. Now they do so much more to them to attract customers building outstanding vehicles in the $30s. In this case, the Accord continues being a home run for Honda. It will probably be best in its class. Too bad for Acura.

  7. The new Accord isn't a beauty, but it's not cheap looking like the Camry. In this class, the incredibly old Fusion is still the looker of the bunch.

  8. …the incredibly old Fusion is still the looker of the bunch…

    And… the slowest of the bunch.

  9. I think the new design is hideous. It may work for the Civic, but looks terrible in this instance. The last gen Accord (2017) is by far the best looking one to date.

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *