Sedans have taken a hit lately. One by one, each has surrendered its pedestal to the continual popularity that is the compact crossover. Ford’s only car is the Mustang now that the Fusion and Taurus are gone. Volkswagen has kept the Passat overseas. Buick’s entire lineup comprises SUVs in all shapes these days. A lot of brands are shrinking portfolios to make room for what sells. One carmaker holding out is Honda. The Civic saw 200,000 units sold in 2023 and is due for a refresh. Another staple of the company stable? The Accord has been on sale for nearly as long as the Civic, with both debuting in the 1970s as America recovered from a harrowing oil crisis, and becoming rock stars ever since. Together, the two models have forged through an industry that is evolving now more than ever.
With the Honda CR-V reigning sales supremacy and the second iteration of the Civic Type R in the US, is there a modern Accord worth remembering? The answer is: yes! And it’s more recent than you think – much newer than the Holy Grail Accord Mercedes talked about not too long ago. And Honda has just released an update to keep it relevant. The twist is it’s not the Accord that’s rolling off the factory floor in Marysville, OH. Instead, it’s the last one that phased out production just over a year ago. Let’s dive into what made the tenth-generation Accord so great.
Evolved Design
Let me take you back to July of 2017, when Honda revealed the modern Accord in a modern way via a YouTube livestream. Not one, but three models roll up to the stage in various guises: Sport, Touring, and the mid-range EX. Gone was the traditional three-box shape and trusty K24-series four-cylinder that decorated the engine bay for over a decade; replacing them was a svelte fastback shape that apologized to coupe purists for dropping the two-door variant, and under the hood was a pair of turbo engine options.
It was exciting and fresh, a far cry from your dad’s (and my own) Accord. At the time, it was completing a lineup that had just seen a slew of new faces on the Civic, CR-V, and the Pilot. Honda was going funky and dropping new styles with love-it or hate-it looks. The Accord looked to split the difference and show that form can have substance.
So yes, the Accord debuted with the 1.5-liter turbocharged inline-four that had problems in the CR-V (problems concerning oil dilution). This engine would spread to see mass use in various Honda models including those built today. The good news is that the Accord doesn’t seem be affected the same as CR-Vs or Civics equipped with the 1.5T. Even better news: There were two more engines to choose from.
The Accord Hybrid was released about a year after tenth-gen models hit dealerships. It utilized a setup of a 2.0-liter Atkinson-cycle inline-four and a motor-generator to propel the wheels, abandoning the need for the CVT transmission (some sources call it an eCVT, but it’s a direct-drive link relying on an electric motor to move the car). This allowed it to achieve fuel mileage in the 40 MPG range, even if you were driving on bigger wheels, standard on Sport and Touring variants.
Like the 1.5T, this electrified setup had its issues when it comes to ownership. That left one more engine to be the Accord’s saving grace, and by golly it was.
The Accord To Get: The Civic Type R Engine And Manual Transmission
The upmarket engine for a fast Accord points to a 2.0-liter turbocharged K20C inline-four. If N20C sounds familiar in your enthusiast brain, that’s because it’s the engine designation for one of the greatest hot hatchbacks of all time, the Honda Civic Type R.
Even better: for a time, you could get the Accord with a six-speed manual, also derived from the Type R. We’re not referring to the brilliant FL5 Civic. No, this concerns the FK8, with looks only mothers could love. So you had a sleek sedan with visual pop, especially in Sport trim, and the potential access to Type R performance without the wings-out wild style, while being less expensive.
But this is still an Accord. Accords are sensible passenger cars. So the disclaimer needs to be made here that this is not actually a Type R underneath. Honda made key refinements to ensure the Accord 2.0T was livable to use daily.
To start, the engine received the designation K20C4, meaning the turbo runs less boost, saw different pistons, received new fuel mapping, and other tweaks to the internals were made just so the Accord could be run on regular unleaded instead of premium. Civic Type Rs that have made it to North America since 2017 are designated K20C1, which unlocks its full potential — hence why Accord 2.0Ts were rated at 252 horsepower and 273 lb-ft of torque versus 306 and 295 in the hot hatch sibling.
Honda prudes will note that the stats are essentially swapped compared to the 3.5-liter J35Y V6 that powered the previous-gen Accord, while turbo stans will clap back that peak torque comes at just 1,500 RPM and holds until 4,000. Peak horsepower, by the way, arrives at 6,500 RPM just before hitting the 6,800-RPM redline.
Although the six-speed transmission was lifted out of the Type R, the manual action certainly wasn’t. This generation of Accord is known for a longer clutch travel and less precise feeling of the shifter, both I can attest to. It didn’t matter which engine you chose, neither the 1.5T or 2.0T (the two engines available with a stick) can produce the same row-your-own satisfaction you get in a Mazda or BMW.
A Hit From The Start
V6 or not, it didn’t matter. Critics raved about the tenth-gen Accord when it came out for the 2018 model year. Car And Driver said this when it came out:
(But) a manual Accord—a really fun and powerful Accord at that—serves as a reminder of the joy and freedom we used to have as drivers back in the 20th century. Call it an anachronism or an anomaly, but the stick shift belongs to us, those who love driving.
Our pal Patrick George couldn’t stop raving about it on the old site:
What I appreciated most were all the little thoughtful touches. The climate control knobs briefly light up blue when you turn them to a cooler temperature, or red for hotter. When you change the song streaming over Bluetooth, the new song’s title briefly flashes across the digital tachometer. The way you can search for addresses or points of interest like you would on Google, without having to enter the city and ZIP and house number one item at a time. Nothing about the Accord’s user interface ever feels half-assed.
The praise kept coming. It was a finalist in MotorTrend’s Car Of The Year competition, and made the cut as an Automobile All Star along with the Civic Type R. Proving that as great as it is, Honda never forgot its mission.
This was an Accord through and through. Every detail was taken into account, with the goal of being an excellent conventional car. Perfection didn’t stop at the engine. Every tenth-gen model enjoyed MacPherson struts at the front axle and a multi-link suspension at the rear, and was set up to almost-guarantee a good time on the road.
A Nice Cabin
I saved the interior for last because it was consistent throughout its production run from 2017 all the way to the end of 2022. Pleasing to look at, solid fit-and-finish, comfortable seats, great ergonomics, and enough physical hardware to stop yourself from going crazy operating the tech interfaces of the center console display and gauge cluster. In the Touring trim, enough kit and richer materials were introduced to make it feel like a proper luxury car.
Drawbacks? Well, they were far and few. Honda threw in an imperfect engine in the 1.5 that is still ironing out the wrinkles through recalls. In a lot of ways still, the design, while more enticing, still wooed you with function more than form. This not being a sports car first, the stick-shift setup is knowingly not the greatest. Perhaps it’s why the manual Accord ended production in Dec. 2019, and we didn’t find out about it until July 2020, when Car And Driver was informed by Honda during typical product updates.
On the other hand, Honda was the last midsize sedan to offer a 6-speed manual when the Mazda6 dropped it after 2018 (and eventually bowing out of the US entirely). And that’s really the moral of the tenth-gen Accord: We don’t really know what we missed until it’s gone.
Every Accord had something to offer. The base LX model skipped hubcaps for alloy wheels, had LED lighting elements as standard, and offered you a roomy cabin filled with features that didn’t feel like you were cheapened out. The Sport bumped the visual appeal with 19-inch blade-style wheels, unique colors, upgraded cabin materials, and a touch display with Apple CarPlay. The 2.0T could be chosen with the Sport and add a sunroof and seat warmers, so you weren’t paying a premium merely for an engine upgrade. Until it was dropped (almost certainly due to a low take-rate), the manual could only be had in the Sport trim.
The EX trim will start to pack in the value with seat warmers and the sunroof, but also unlock leather seating surfaces, blindspot monitoring, and remote engine start. The most desired options reserved for the Accord Touring include ventilated seats, heated rear seats, a head-up display, rain-sensing wipers, Honda navigation, and adaptive dampers to go with that epic suspension.
Just because the manual went away doesn’t mean the 2.0T did. A 2021 update means the more potent engine was now exclusively available with the 10-speed auto, still optional on the Sport, standard on the Touring. The hybrid powertrain was refined to run smoother. Wireless Apple CarPlay connectivity became available on higher trims for the first time. The visual changes focused on new wheel designs and a revised front bumper with a more pronounced grille and new fog lights.
On Top Of That, You Can Have Your Stickshift Accord Retroft To Have Wireless Apple CarPlay
And now, Honda has confirmed to The Drive that wireless CarPlay will become available retrofit to all Accords built within the 2018 and 2022 period, furthering the case of buying the tenth-gen car over a new one.
It’s not that the current sedan is necessarily a bad car, but the Honda Accord built before it just set such a high bar during its five-year run, that the successor just comes off rather dull.
The 1.5T stays, with the hybrid making up the rest of the range, but no more 2.oT to bring a greater thrill to the mundane ways of life. The interior is still the star of the show but with an Accord, that should not be the only praise worth throwing. With the tenth-generation, Honda decided the unsung hero should sing.
My first car was a 2007 Accord painted in silver with gray leather. It had 180,000 miles when I was on the market for the next car. I was so close to trading my Accord with another Accord. The one that got away came up for sale at an Audi dealership. A 2019 Accord Sport 2.0T equipped with the manual transmission, one owner, low miles, no accidents, in the correct Still Night Pearl metallic blue. Before I had a chance to go see it, the car was sold. It broke my heart. That was the moment I decided to become a Miata stan, because I was buying with the inclination of keeping it forever, not to trade it in tomorrow for something else. So the MX-5 RF stays. The Buick will stay as it’s got plenty of life left in old age.
The best Accords don’t deserve to stay Holy Grails. Generation Ten served the best variety platter with something for everyone. So keep driving your Accords; your 6-speeds, your near-Type Rs, your hybrids, your normies.
All Images: Honda
The only thing it needs to achieve perfection is a sport wagon variant.
Dammit Tyler, I’m shopping for one of these as we speak, you’re going to blow it for us!
My parents have a hybrid. It’s very good for a number of reasons, but there are three things that are just awful about it:
1) The driver assistance tech is horrifyingly inaccurate
2) The ride is sometimes fairly unsettled and “flinty”. I don’t like how it handles frequent upsets in the road
3) The noise cancelling tech is f’d from the factory and breaks at an alarming rate. Hearing odd booming sounds in these cars is the norm
I became a fan of Accords again with the advent of the 9th generation (it was dead to me after the 4th generation). It was comfortable, attractive, nimble, and an overall good value. The current generation is honestly borderline beautiful. The minimalist design, compared to many these days, particularly from the side profile, and an uncluttered, unwrinkled mess front and rear are unique traits these days. There’s little not to love about it, but I’m not ready to commit yet. Once I’m confident fuel dilution in Honda’s turbo applications are addressed, I’ll change my mind. Sure, it’s allegedly just a “CRV problem,” but it’s hard to believe that it’s a specific vehicle application issue with a shared engine.
Wait and see, I suppose.
I owned the 2.0 10spd for a few years and it was a good car compared to its arch rival, the Camry. It was more refined and better at high speed.
That said, the 10 speed stinks. It’s never in the right gear and makes the amazing engine seem like it’s from another car.
I now have a Mazda3 turbo hatch and honestly THAT is going to be a future collectible. In every way the drivetrain is vastly better in daily use.
I DD a 2018 EX-L 2.0T and this is my favorite of the 3 Accords I have owned (94 EX, and an 07 & EX-L V6). My friends are always amazed at how much leg room the back seat has. Great highway cruiser and fun to drive around town. No issues mechanically very reliable car. I think I am going to upgrade to an Acura TLX when time to trade this one in.
Too bad Honda didn’t put that 250 hp turbo in the Civic Si and Integra, or also the CRV.
This is the biggest travesty. The Si would have sold much better.
These are pretty terrific cars. My wife loves hers, a 2018 EX hybrid. We haven’t had any mechanical issues so far. The noise cancelling system occasionally has a glitch where it creates a droning sound, but if you roll a window down and back up it stops. It’s a big, comfortable cruiser that happens to get really good gas mileage. I recommend manually calculating your fuel economy after every fill up because the computer gives you a lower number. I imagine Honda programmed it that way because nobody will complain if they find out they are getting even better fuel economy than what the car is displaying. If they find out the car is overestimating it however, the pitchforks and torches are coming out.
The lane keeping assist system is a pain in the ass in most conditions. I only use it in bad weather because it will make small steering adjustments and let me focus further down the road. It doesn’t set off any alerts unless you really start to drift outside of the lines. I like it a lot better than the lane departure warning system in my Mazda that does nothing but whine at me every time I don’t perfectly maintain the center position in my lane. I turned that bullshit off after a few days and haven’t turned it back on.
My wife’s computer is within a tenth or two of a mpg compared to my hand calculation lifetime, which was shocking to me after never having a car get within 1 or 2 mpg previously.
Perhaps it’s a hybrid difficulty? 2.0T 6M on hers.
When I was last sedan shopping, I loved the looks of the 10th gen Accord and it had the best interior by far. The non-starter was the Accord’s low and wide stance which made it the only sedan I tested where the effort to climb out was not worth the hassle. Plus the passenger seat was too low with no height adjustment making it very difficult for some family members to ride with me.
Every time I see a 10th gen Accord now, I wonder what might have been.
Even outside of the 10th gen, which they did make a point to give it a lower stance over the gen before, the low passenger seat seems to be a trend with Honda. It was the case for the 9th gen Accord, and I’ve noticed the same in the new Integra.
I’ve always liked the look of these b/c it basically copied the lines of the final gen Ford Fusion…as did many of the everyday sedans of the era/those that are left now.
It really was a striking design, and if not totally on par with what the Taurus achieved in the late 80s, certainly at least noteworthy.
I’ve owned a 2018 2.0T 6MT since new, and have a suite of shifter upgrades to bring it more in line with the typical Honda shift action. The OE shift action is very much like 90s Accords and Accord derivatives, if anyone remembers that. My only real complaint is the road noise, which isn’t any better than a Civic. We also have a 19 Hybrid Touring in the family, and that doesn’t have nearly as much road noise.
Confession: I read the headline, winced, and thought what the hell are they thinking? The Accord and will never be a future classic. Reading the article I had definitely forgotten what a gem that car is! I am not sure it will ever be a “classic” but it is definitely a noteworthy car.
My opinion: If any Accord is destined to be a collector item, it’s only going to be the last V6 + 6MT + coupes.
4 cylinder sedans with manuals might be rare now, but were traditionally very common. Practical 6 cylinder coupes with manuals (or even without) weren’t.
I think you’re right on the money with that
Agree. These are oddballs that people like us enjoy b/c unusual (same reason why I like owning a manual Ford Focus sedan). But there’s a reason why when you say “Acura Legend” now, nobody remembers they came in sedan form too.
Or how everyone forgot the Integra was usually sold as a 4/5 door and therefore got mad that the new one is a 5 door
No, we’re upset because the new one is an ILX with a badge on it, not an integra.
Should have looked like this, idgaf how many doors it has:
https://www.autoevolution.com/news/modern-honda-integra-type-r-rendering-joins-n-a-engine-with-manual-transmission-166793.html
If it had looked like that, it would be flying off the lots. But it doesn’t, so nobody cares. It’s an ILX with a badge on it. Utter shit.
Integra/RSX/ILX/Integra are all continuations of the same small Acura lineage, and the ILX and Integra aren’t meaningfully different in purpose, style or execution (relative to their period) other than that the Honda the ILX was based on wasn’t as good as the Honda the Integra was based on.
They are on opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of styling.
Seconded, they weren’t common and they were really nice for what they were
I have a ’22 2.0T with the 10 speed auto. The more I drive it, the less I like it. I’ve put about 25k miles on it. The ONLY good thing about it is the drivetrain. It is QUICK.
-There’s a weird “catch” in the steering on the highway.
-The brakes only work a little when you need a lot, and a lot when you only need a little.
-The seat warmers you mentioned only warm your butthole, not your whole butt.
-Heater takes an eternity to get warm
-The whole push button P/D/R setup sucks ass.
-Automatic wipers only sort of work.
-Auto-dimming headlights blind about 50% of people.
-The nannies are atrocious (omg the constant beeping).
-Proximity key is a cool idea, but Honda hasn’t gotten that right.
-Some interior trim pieces already coming loose
I should have gotten the Camry TRD or Crosstrek Wilderness.
The “catch” in the steering is related to the Lane Departure Warning system (LDW), one of the nannies. But you can turn off the nannies, and I implore you to at least adjust them. It’s in the “Driver Support” menu in the gauge cluster, or you can shortcut it by hitting the button to the left of the steering column. The auto-dimming headlights suck, and I keep them turned off. And you can also adjust the proximity key settings to suit your needs. I have mine set up for the walk-away auto-lock, which is going to suck when I get a car that doesn’t have it.
I have LDW turned off.
This is the way.
My dad has a 2016 Civic. We’re dealing with a catch in the steering right now. Apparently it’s a somewhat known issue with those civics, and it’s a bad electric power steering rack, which will be around $3000 to replace. Wonder if the Accords have a similar issue?
His HVAC system is also garbage. Takes too long to warm up and too long to cool down in the summer. And now the paint is peeling around the rear window, among worn interior trim pieces.
My 2018 is hands down the best car I have ever owned. Great mileage, ride, handling and comfortable. My few quibbles are the dealer is terrible and the LKAS and follow systems are too sensitive.
Sedans are awesome. You feel like a slick fighter pilot among bombers. Loops and exit ramps are a lot of fun against suvs, cuvs, and trucknutz.Admittedly, I also have an outback so I’m full of it.
Whilst the 10th generation might be a ‘future classic’ in North America…it’s probably the only place that’s going to happen.
Here in Oz during 2023, Honda sold just 144 examples of the Accord, placing it last within its class. The Toyota Camry topped the class with 10,581 sales, ahead of the Mazda 6 (1528), Skoda Octavia (1395), Volkswagen Passat (677), BYD Seal (471), and Hyundai Sonata (338).
And yet Honda Oz are going to persist with the 11th generation car. Just one version though – the 2.0 litre hybrid RS which means pricing north of 60 grand so I’m sure they continue to be a spectacular success…
It’s probably too ubiquitous to ever be considered a classic, but it does seem to get not get as much recognition as it should among the Accord generations.
I’ve had two Accords, both EX-L manuals, the second also being a silver-on-gray ’07 and a car I should have kept longer than I did. By the time the 10th gen was out, I went hot hatch after nearly all midsize sedans in my ownership history, but from time to time I do still peruse 2.0T manual prices, but that’s more just out of curiosity. In all likelihood if I needed to replace my car quickly for whatever reason, a used 10th gen Touring would be a strong contender.
If the 2.0T 6MT would have had a revised suspension, an LSD, and been called an Si I think it would have had a bigger following. It’s still a great DD as it is but it just didn’t have the right marketing
Yeah, I don’t think Honda was all that serious about offering it in the first place either, they tossed a bone out to enthusiasts after dropping the V6/MT coupe and with no manual on offer at Acura either. But I still give it credit as a way to get a better equipped sedan with a stick as it had a bit more than the EX manual from before. The 6MT Civic Sport Touring hatch now is kind of similar, not quite all the sporting bits of an Si or Integra 6MT but the only way you can get a hatch and a manual with some content without stepping all the way up to said Integra.
I fully believe the lack of hatch Si is to get you into the Integra. I have always found it weird that Honda doesn’t put the Si on more of its models
Agree, now that the hatch is built here there’s no reason production-wise they couldn’t, except for the Integra. But I am wondering if they’ll do an Si hatch at the facelift. Honda had an RS Prototype Civic at the Tokyo show recently that was a manual hatch, which doesn’t currently exist at all in Japan, so I’m holding out hope they don’t nix the manual hatch altogether. I could definitely see them consolidating the manual hatch into a single offering, perhaps as an Si, rather than Sport 2.0 manual and Sport Touring 1.5T. Especially if the top Civics go hybrid only like the Accord & CR-V.
I’d be ok with the Sport Touring actually, I just wish it had more flexibility in colors. I have a hard time swallowing an extra 5k just to get that privilege in the Integra and give up some space (and the rear wiper!) in the process. Or give up a hatch + heated seats as in the current Si sedan.
We traded in our 5 MT Ford Fusion for this car. 2018 2.0T Sport with Manual. Best car we ever owned.
Not quite the visual attitude, but roomier, more road feel, and lots more punchy than our pentastar-driven Charger. Definately a sleeper and surprise lists of folks on the on ramp. And for the time we want fuel economy, we will easily get 32-36 with the occasional 38-40.
We have the Stillnight blue, and get comments from the service techs how much we have a Unicorn. They know it’s us as the only other like it (2.0T,manual) is red.
The only thing we don’t like is the front nose. Where the new car has a body color “bumper”, 10th gen is black grill. Just hate the oversized mouths that existed on this and most cars of the era. Embrace (visually) the seperate grill and lower intake or a just a grill like the classics. A giant nono-grill/buck-tooth grill is not the way to go.
I’ve loved the 10th generation Accord since it’s release. It looks like it costs more than it does, but it really is the do all sedan. The 2.0 sport is the perfect sleeper. The car your wife would never suspect is actually for you to have some fun with.
As mentioned in the article, the successor was kind of a let down. I’m sure it’s nice and all that, but it looks so boring. Gen 10 was a tough act to follow, but come on. When the sedan is on the ropes that’s no time to get lazy.
My wife would probably never suspect that. She’d just wonder why I’m borrowing her car.
Totally biased because it’s what I own, but the blue that comes on the Sport trim is the second-best automotive blue, after Lexus’s Europe-only one that was designed to mimic how butterfly wings refract light
The FK8 Type R looks fantastic in black. I hated the design until seeing a black one. In black, it’s damn near perfect. And I say that as a dyed in the wool colour fanatic
Call me old fashioned, but I prefer my cars to not look like I recently rear ended someone and can’t afford a new bumper cover.
Lol
I don’t disagree, but I think it’s got a nice profile. I’d own one, happily.
I pay too little attention to the seemingly generic family sedans. This is a fine sleeper —and I’ll have to be more attentive in the future.
Our opinions are in accord. Nice article; look forward to more.