SoRrY. Posted July 15, 2017 Posted July 15, 2017 The 2018 Honda Accord launches the 10th-generation version of the Japanese brand’s midsize workhorse sedan, and it ticks a lot of car enthusiast-friendly boxes. Now with a longer wheelbase and wider stance, yet shorter overall length and lower height, Honda adds more aggression in both appearance and physics to the latest Accord. Vehicle dynamics nerds will appreciate the 10 mm lower center of gravity and shorter front and rear overhangs, pushing the wheels to the corner of the car. Everyone else will dig the sporty looks and neat features, like the optional LED head and fog lights. Practically speaking, there’s also more rear legroom and trunk space. Powertrain options received a thorough update. The 2.4-liter I4 and sweet V6 are both out, replaced by 1.5- and 2.0-liter turbocharged engines, iterations of which were already seen on the Civic. Honda tuned the small turbo mill to peak at 192 hp and 192 lb-ft of torque, which it produces between 1,500 and 5,000 rpm. This beats the outgoing naturally aspirated four-cylinder in all categories. Buyers can choose between a continuously variable automatic transmission or a six-speed manual if they choose the Sport trim model. To replace the V6, Honda plucked the Civic Type R 2.0-liter and retuned it for what we assume is greater driveability. Peak horsepower is actually down on the V6, but peak torque is up (273 pound-feet verses 252) and reaches its twist peak at 1,500 rpm verses the sixes 4,900 rpm. So the driver will feel more pull more of the time, despite losing 26 peak horsepower, now 252 at 6500 rpm. And, almost more important, the manual is on offer here too. Otherwise it’s a ten-speed automatic, which Honda claims is 22 pounds lighter and has a 68 percent wider ratio range, meaning better gearing for a standing start and cruising on the highway. The Hybrid's powertrain is also all new, but more evolutionary than revolutionary. It's a 2.0-liter, Atkinson cycle engine coupled with electric motors that contain no heavy rare-earth metals in their magnets, which is a nice boon for both cost and the environment, theoretically at least. More than half of the new structure is made from some form of high-strength steel and bonded together with “extensive use” structural adhesives. The materials used and new design help improve rigidity, crash strength, and reduce total vehicle weight by between 110 and 176 pounds depending on the model. All of this should benefit the driver in the form of a quieter cabin and more solid feel. Regardless of engine choice, all Accords will come with a two-mode driving system, Normal and Sport. Choosing Sport will tighten up electric power steering, automatic transmission calibration (if equipped), throttle map, adaptive dampers and other bits and bobs. No surprise at all, the 2018 Accord also gets a bevy of driver-assistance tech like Collision Mitigation Braking System, Lane Departure Warning, Road Departure Mitigation, Adaptive Cruise Control, and Blind Sport Monitoring with Cross Traffic and Driver Awareness Monitors. In other words, lots of monitors and mitigations. More details are coming soon and everyone at Autoweek is quite keen to drive the new Accord, but we’ll have to wait until Honda builds a few at the Marysville, Ohio plant, and that’s only after the engine plant in Anna, Ohio spits out the first engines. We'll keep you posted.
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