The veil has been lifted from the all-new redesigned 2018 Honda Accord, giving us our first close up look at the all-new styling inside and out, new features and powertrains, and the details on what makes it better than before.
Now in its 10th-generation, the 2018 Honda Accord is all-new from the ground up make no mistake. On a fresh new chassis architecture, its wheelbase is over 2-inches longer. It’s wider both in body dimensions and in is track.
Making it look sleeker and giving it better aerodynamics is its fastback roofline and lower body height by just over a half inch. The seating position is lowered up to a full inch to give contribute to a lower center of gravity all around.
Styling takes on many of the themes we have seen in other new Hondas of late. A bold upright face features Honda’s now familiar chrome wing grille. Shown here on the top level Touring model are the optional 9-element LED headlights and LED fog lights.
The rear three-quarter view shows a roofline and rear window detail treatment similar to that of the smaller Honda Civic. It all flows into a rear end that I think is more handsome than the last Honda Accord with LED light-pipe taillights and dual exhaust outlets.
With its lengthened wheelbase and artfully tapered lower rocker lines the new 2018 Honda Accord even reads more like a rear-wheel drive sedan though it remains front-wheel drive. More important, it pays dividends of space for the reconfigured interior.
With 2.5 cubic feet more passenger volume, the new cabin will offer increased feel of spaciousness with more legroom and hip room up front and especially at the rear where there is an additional 2-inches to stretch your legs.
And you’ll be comfortable with the new look too. Honda has had the art of interior design and execution down to an art form for a while, and this cabin takes the ball forward without apologies. Design and detail you expect is here and them some.
The new dash design has an available full digital instrument cluster display with high-end crisp graphics to allow you customize what you see every day behind the wheel. A floating new 8-inch display audio screen features both a volume and tuning knob. What a great new innovation.
Graphics are improved for the menus and navigation along with a fully packed feature functionality including the now expected Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. A full suite of connected services too long to list will also be available.
Powering the 2018 Honda Accord is a full list of new powertrains starting with a 1.5-liter turbocharged engine with 192 horsepower and 192 pound-feet of of torque that can be had with a continuously variable transmission (CVT) or six-speed manual transmission.
Optional and replacing the V6 will be a new 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder with 252 horsepower and 273 pound-feet of torque. It may have less horsepower than the V6 did but beats it in torque by a good margin.
Best of all the new high-output engine will be available with a 10-speed automatic transmission, a first in a front-wheel drive car. And even better still will be the availability of a six-speed manual gearbox and a clutch pedal.
Both engines are expected to offer better fuel-economy than the base four-cylinder and V6 engines in the last Honda Accord. But if fuel-economy is really your hot button a new two-motor hybrid system will be available too.
A new hybrid powertrain features a 2.0-liter Atkinson cycle four-cylinder engine with a new two-motor hybrid drive system designed and developed by Honda. The hybrid battery now fits under the rear floor so trunk space and rear seat fold down capability is not impacted.
Taking all of the 2018 Honda Accords down the road is a new body structure made of over 50% high-strength steel which contributes to a more solid structure than ever with increases in rigidity over 25% but it’s also lighter by up to 176 pounds.
Chassis highlights include a new aluminum front sub-frame with L-shaped lower control arms for the all-new strut suspension. At the rear is a new multi-link suspension mounted to a rubber isolated sub-frame that uses fluid-filled bushings. These and other structural and chassis refinements will bring a quieter ride and sharper handling than the last generation Accord offered.
Available for the first time will be an adaptive damper system that can adjust the suspension’s stiffness and feel. This and a new standard drive mode selector that offers ECON, Normal and Sport settings promises more power of choice than ever over the driving feel and performance.
When the all-new 2018 Honda Accord arrives later this year also expect all of the latest driver assistance, passive and active safety systems of Honda Sensing to be standard equipment. These include collision mitigation braking, lane departure warning, road departure mitigation, and adaptive cruise control just to name a few.
The familiar list of Honda trim grades will include LX, Sport, EX, EX-L, EX-L Navi and Touring. The 2.0-liter and Hybrid models skip the base LX trim grade and if you want the manual transmission it comes exclusively in the Sport models.
Production for the new 2018 Honda Accord including the Hybrid model will be in Ohio and they will all arrive later this year with pricing and final specifications to be announced closer to that time.
