2018 Honda Accord: A Grown-Up Civic Type R?
Most people in the U.S. know the Honda Accord as one of the country's best selling vehicles and a dependable choice to haul your family around — but the car has always been a little more than that. When optioned correctly, the Accord is a car that's always had some solid enthusiast cred. With the debut of the new 10th-generation car for the 2018 model year, Honda has taken that even further.
Set to go on sale this fall, the all-new 2018 Accord marks a big departure from its predecessor, with a wider, lower stance and fastback profile. There are also major changes to the car's powertrain options.
Gone are the naturally aspirated 2.4-liter four-cylinder and 3.5-liter V6 from the current car. In their place? An all-turbocharged engine lineup. Base models will use a 192-horsepower variant of Honda's 1.5-liter turbo four mated to either a CVT or a six-speed manual transmission. And replacing the old V6 is a 2.0-liter turbo four-cylinder, available with a six-speed stick or 10-speed automatic. As before, a hybrid variant will also be available.
The 252-horsepower 2.0 turbo will be the enthusiast choice. Seeing as it's a de-tuned version of the engine in the Civic Type R, it should have no shortage of performance potential. And with the choice of a manual transmission, the result should be a pretty fun family car.
Aside from the changes to the styling and powertrains, the interior is also completely redesigned with more space and more tech features — stuff that's on par for the course with any new car release these days. Additionally, Honda says the new Accord will be up 176 pounds lighter than the current car.
While the lovely K24 and V6 options will be missed, the 10th-generation Accord seems like it will continue the car's tradition of mixing the fun and the practical, and for some it could prove to be a Civic Type R in a family car wrapper.
