Spied! The 2023 Honda Accord is getting a new look next year

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Despite being approximately less popular than garlic-flavoured toothpaste in terms of sales, four-door family sedans are still a going concern at some automakers. Witness this camouflaged Honda Accord, our best indicator yet the Big H plans to continue plowing money into its long-running nameplate.

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Spied! The 2023 Honda Accord is getting a new look next year Back to video

Tight-fitting wraps over the front and rear fascia areas suggest the car’s hard points like doors and greenhouse shape (read: stuff that’s expensive to change) will remain the same as today’s Accord, but a nip ‘n’ tuck will be given to its bookends. Those headlamps look slimmer than those found on the existing car, and will likely take on some design cues from the new Civic. Ignore the visual chicanery of those twin ‘V’-shaped accoutrements on this test car’s grille.

Eye-crossing disguises on the back make it tougher to determine what taillight changes are in store; rest assured they’re not likely to have the sharp corner on its leading edge shown here. That sure looks like a spoiler jutting from its trunk deck lid, suggesting a Sport model in name if not propulsion.

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Speaking of, there’s no official word about what’s going to power the next Accord, though it’s a safe bet to say at least one of the turbocharged four-bangers (1.5L or 2.0L) are once again on tap. Eagle-eyes will note this test mule has exhaust pipes, and those with sharp memories will recall Honda quietly binned the Accord’s manual transmission not too long ago.

Looking ahead to the future, the company has already indicated a new Accord Hybrid will drop after the new CR-V Hybrid, a vehicle which is slated to appear in the coming months as a ’23 model.

The Accord’s relative lack of status compared to the crossovers and SUVs with which it shares a showroom has nothing to do with the vehicle itself; after all, it is an eminently capable car. The softening of sales is simply down to customer preference.

Many want a vehicle with a tall ride height and all-wheel-drive, which is why only two out of the 20 vehicles your author can see parked outside this window are sedans. The rest? Pickup trucks and crossovers, of course.