2023 Honda Accord First Drive: Keeping The Sedan Flame Alive

There was a good reason why Honda declared 2022 “the year of the SUV.” The automaker rolled out updates of an assortment of its sport-utility vehicles, including the Pilot, HR-V and CR-V. That last one is today the automaker’s best-selling product line, reflecting the ongoing surge in demand for crossovers and light trucks. But, unlike some competitors, Honda isn’t ready to walk away from sedans. 

Last year it also rolled out several products on the passenger car side of the market. That included new versions of the sporty Honda Civic Si and Type R, as well as the all-new, eleventh-generation Accord. 

As the Japanese automaker’s second best-selling product in 2022 (the Accord overtook the Civic thanks to supply chain delays), the ongoing success of the midsize sedan proves that passenger cars are far from dead. And, based on my first drive of the 2023 Honda Accord, there’s good reason to believe it might actually gain momentum as it starts rolling into U.S. dealer showrooms this month.

2023 Accord: Bigger, Better and More Sophisticated

To start with, the new model rides on an updated version of the platform used in the outgoing Accord. And its overall length grows 2.8 inches, to 195.7 inches bumper-to-bumper. That translates into a roughly 6% increase in interior space, to 105.7 cubic feet. The trunk is reasonably roomy, as well, with 16.7 cubic feet of cargo space. Considering that the previous Accord led its class in trunk size and rear legroom, the new one sets the bar even higher.

Honda has taken several steps aimed at keeping the Accord fresh and buyers loyal—while winning over sedan fans that competing brands have abandoned. There’s the new design, the larger cabin, the upgraded line-up of tech features and an updated choice of powertrains, including a new hybrid package. One potential shortfall: there’s still no all-wheel-drive option, ceding that ground to the Kia K5, Nissan Altima, Toyota Camry and Subaru Legacy.

The 2023 Honda Accord adopts a more sophisticated look, with a more upright nose, blacked out LED headlights, a longer hood, crisp character lines, and more of a fastback roofline. The rear track has also been widened which Honda designed to improve stability.

There’s also more distinctive detailing between trims. The LX, EX and EX-L models, for example, get black mesh grilles and body-colored side mirrors. The Sport and Sport-L packages feature black side mirrors, a spoiler and 19-inch alloy wheels. The top-line Accord Touring features gloss-black alloy wheels and silver and black exterior trim.

Slip inside the Accord Touring model and you might mistake it for a luxury vehicle. Even base models feel more lavishly appointed, and high-line packages adopt more refined material combinations, including leather upholstery and Piano Black trim.

Spend more than a little time behind wheel and you’ll likely come to appreciate the new “Body Stabilizing Seats” which use some technical tricks to keep you from bouncing around as much as you otherwise might. That was noticeable even during my day’s drive around San Diego and up into the hill country east of the city. I’m looking forward to trying the seats out on Michigan’s deeply potholed roads in the months to come.

Like the latest version of the Civic, the bigger Accord adopts new honeycomb design elements on the instrument panel and that pattern helps hide the sedan’s air vents.

More Tech Without Added Complexity

The eleventh-generation Accord puts even more of a focus on technology than the outgoing sedan, starting with a standard 10.2-inch digital instrument cluster. On hybrid models, the 12.3-inch touchscreen is the largest Honda has ever offered—and it retains a physical volume knob. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard, depending on the model. Base trims get wired versions of both and a 7-inch touchscreen. 

With the top-end Touring package, Honda has migrated to a Google-powered infotainment system which includes Google Maps and apps, as well as the Google Assistant technology. It features a more powerful voice assistant that makes it easier to do everything from checking the weather to programming the onboard navigation system. 

All versions of the 2023 Honda Accord will have the capability of receiving smartphone-style over-the-air updates. The OTA system will be able to update virtually all onboard software.

Honda Sensing, the automaker’s package of advanced driver assistance systems, comes standard on all versions of the 2023 Honda Accord. Features like collision warning with automatic emergency braking, active cruise control and lane departure warning, carry over.

A Better Hybrid, but no More 2.0T

Buyers have two powertrain options for the 2023 Honda Accord, starting with a carryover 1.5-liter inline-four. This turbocharged package makes a reasonably peppy 192 horsepower and 192 pound-feet of torque. But the automaker expects at least half of Accord buyers will opt for the hybrid upgrade.

If you haven’t checked out one of Honda’s recent hybrid options you’re likely in for a surprise. While the automaker’s early gas-electric options put the emphasis on fuel economy, Honda has shifted direction—and this new hybrid is a prime example. 

It blends a twin-motor electric drive system with a 2.0-liter inline-four gas engine. The combined output is 204 horsepower which is actually nine ponies less than the outgoing hybrid option. But the 2023 model also makes 247 pound-feet of torque, a 15 lb-ft boost. And that’s what you feel when you stomp down on the throttle. 

Alas, the former 252-hp 2.0-liter turbocharged four that topped the previous model’s range is gone, but most buyers will be well pleased with how the new Accord drives.

Hitting the Streets in the 2023 Accord

Heading west from the beachfront community of Encinitas, the new Accord Hybrid had no trouble keeping up with local traffic, and seamlessly merged on I-15 where even the folks in the right lane were blasting by well above the 65 mph speed limit. But it was once I turned back off onto California Route 67 and headed into the hills for a run up to the old mining town of Julian that the 2023 Accord really showed what it could deliver. 

Even on the steepest hills, the new Hybrid Sport I started out in was able to execute passes with aplomb. The gas-electric drivetrain was sporty and responsive, the continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT) produced far less of the rubber-banding and buzzing of earlier Accord hybrids. 

The Sport package’s suspension provided a firm and predictable ride, able to hold its own,  as I came up on some of the sharpest corners on the long and winding route. Steering was a little light in Normal Mode, while offering a bit more precise feel, with less boost, in Sport Mode. 

Making a must-stop visit to the Julian Pie Company, I swapped my Accord Sport for a colleague’s Hybrid Touring package. There are subtle differences, but it still delivered less of the body roll I had expected, even as the more compliant set-up of the suspension soaked up potholes and bumps.

Later in the day, I grabbed a turbo model for a few loops around Encinitas. As with the hybrid, the powertrain offered a more refined feel than I recalled from driving the old ’22 Accord. That reflects tweaks made to the powertrain and the body. Given the choice, I’d certainly stick with the hybrid, however. 

For someone planning to hang onto their Accord for more than two or three years, the added cost for the gas-electric drivetrain will likely be made up in savings on fuel. Even with the added muscle, the 2023 Accord Hybrid delivers an impressive 51 mpg in the city and 48 mpg on the highway, according to the EPA. (And, yes, as with most hybrids, you’ll get better mileage around town because stop-and-go traffic allows the battery to regenerate more frequently.) The turbo package gets a still-decent, but far less compelling 30 mpg city, 38 highway.

Add it all up and the 2023 Honda Accord is an impressive package, the newly improved hybrid model all the more compelling. The Japanese automaker has come up with a more sophisticated-looking design, inside and out, while adding plenty of the high-tech features today’s buyers crave. But Honda has really come through with what it’s perhaps best known for: a pair of solid powertrains. The Accord Hybrid, in particular, deserves plenty of kudos.

The 2023 Honda Accord starts at a reasonable $28,390. The Accord Hybrid starts at $31,895. And you’ll push up to $37,890 for 2023 Honda Accord Hybrid Touring model. The new sedan is one of the most expensive offerings in a segment that includes other notable options like the Camry, K5 and Hyundai Sonata.

But if my initial driving impressions are any indication, the new Accord is worth the price. And it could help Honda hold on to buyers that might otherwise be ready to switch to an SUV.

Honda provided lodging and meals to enable Forbes Wheels to bring you this first-person drive report. Although Forbes Wheels sometimes participates in manufacturer-hosted events, our coverage is independent, unbiased and aimed at offering consumers an objective view of every vehicle we test.