Less compelling is the six-speed automatic offered with the V-6. The actual changing of the gears is rather slow, and it requires a lot of throttle input to get any acceleration, and even more to get a downshift. Slotting it back into Sport mode helps, but not much. The shifts are crisper, but the transmission computer is always late to the party, offering up a downshift when you're most of the way through a corner rather than as you're braking to enter it. It also tends to get confused about which gear would be best. Speaking of braking, the initial bite of the brakes is good and makes for a segment-average 124- to 127-foot stopping distance from 60 mph. We did notice, though, that the brakes tended to heat up quickly and lose that initial bite when you use them a lot.
The four-cylinder is the sweetheart of the gas-only group. It feels quicker behind the wheel than expected and handles better. While the electric steering in all the cars is totally numb, it's reasonably quick, linear, and nicely weighted. On four-cylinder cars, it's actually quite nice to pilot through the curves -- for a midsize sedan anyway. The car is very neutral in everyday driving, defaulting to understeer when pushed. We tried an emergency lane change-type maneuver and while we were able to get the rear to step out slightly, it never made any attempt to come around. The V-6 car, however, felt more nose-heavy and more inclined to understeer. Furthermore, the steering lost some of its linearity. It felt as though we were constantly beating the power steering with our inputs. We could hear and feel the electric assist motor wind up and then overrun trying to keep up, which only made things worse as we tried to steer back to center. There's also the matter of the V-6 cars' torque steer with either transmission. It's greatly improved from the old model, but it's still present when you get on the gas.
The steering had its quirks, but the suspension was on its game. Enthusiasts will cringe, but Honda has banished the control-arm front suspension for MacPherson struts. Do recall, though, that the BMW M3 and Porsche 911 also use struts. Honda says it's to save weight, which means it was also about saving money on a less complicated design. Regardless of the reason, it works perfectly fine. On the track, all models showed marked improvement on the skidpad and figure eight, while on the road the Accord turned in nicely, held its line, and wasn't upset by mid-corner bumps.
Much credit goes to the dampening. The new Accord rides better than the last gen and is better dampened than much of the segment. The ride feels firm at first, but no worse than any of the competition. What you notice, though, is that you never seem to feel a harsh impact or a wild body motion. The suspension does a fantastic job of controlling body and chassis movements. The Accord is smooth and composed over rough pavement and through corners, with surprisingly little roll that's deliberate and controlled.
The real piece de resistance of engineering here is the plug-in hybrid, set to go on sale in early 2013. Honda wasn't able to provide one for track testing, but we drove it at the launch event. We've hammered Honda for years about its aging Integrated Motor Assist hybrid system, which couldn't deliver the fuel economy of newer hybrids. This new plug-in hybrid is a world apart. The 2.0-liter four-cylinder is mated to two electric motors, one for power and one for regeneration, for a total output of 196 horsepower and 226 lb-ft of torque. Its 6.7 kW-hr lithium-ion battery takes up more than half the trunk, but it delivers a punch. Acceleration is brisk and Honda claims an all-electric range of 10 to 15 miles. What's more, Honda says it will regenerate battery power and add range twice as quickly as any other hybrid. It does this by using the Honda Fit EV's brake system, which uses regenerative braking until you're nearly stopped before switching to hydraulic brakes. Most impressive is that the handoff from regen to hydraulic braking is completely seamless. Likewise seamless is the handoff from electric propulsion to gasoline propulsion and back. That's in part because the car tries to use the gasoline engine like a generator as much as possible, providing electricity to the electric motor when the batter runs down. Above 62 mph, though, it has to switch to full gasoline power with a bit of electrical help, but you never feel it happen. The only knock on the hybrid is that it feels a bit more top-heavy in corners than the others. This is one impressive piece of technology.
No matter which engine you choose, you'll appreciate the quiet. Honda has apparently finally gotten the message about its noisy interiors, and this new Accord, in all guises, is considerably quieter inside than any other Honda. That's in part thanks to a noise-cancelling program built into the stereo as well as physical refinements. Combined with the vastly more comfortable seats, it makes the cabin a very nice place to be. The new dash is more elegant and less cluttered than before with simple, easy-to-use controls in place of a sea of buttons. The front seats are roomy, while the rear seat area is positively cavernous, which is all the more impressive considering it's a smaller car. Honda has again worked its voodoo magic and somehow taken 3.6 inches out of the overall length and a full inch out of the wheelbase while increasing rear seat legroom by 1.4 inches and trunk space by a cubic foot.
Though the car's smaller, visibility remains good. Honda eschewed the current trend of "four-door coupes" in favor of a flat window line and a big, open greenhouse. While it may not look all swoopy and slick, it means the car is very easy to see out of from any seat. Just in case that's not enough, Honda's also fitted a standard backup camera and a system it calls LaneWatch. LaneWatch mounts a camera under the passenger side door mirror that activates automatically when you turn on the right turn signal and basically eliminates your blind spot. If you're checking your mirror and looking over your shoulder like you should before changing lanes, it's not really necessary, but as your gaze swings back to the road ahead, you can't help glancing down at the big screen in the middle of the dash for a bit of reassurance. It does take a little recalibrating to get used to, though, so it's not always good for a quick glance. It can be activated or defeated at any time by a button on the end of the turn signal stalk, which is nice. I'd imagine an owner would get used to it after living with it a while, though I wonder how long it will be until someone blames an accident on it. The left side mirror, by the way, gets a convex outer edge to reduce the blind spot, but no camera, since you'd be looking the wrong way.
While we're not sure what to make of LaneWatch, we do have one firm complaint about the interior, and that's the touch screen stereo control on navigation-equipped models. It replaces the standard buttons and knobs in the center of the dash with a small touch screen and a volume knob sticking out like a sore thumb. It's completely redundant. Everything that can be done on the touch screen can also be done on the big screen, at the exact same time, even. In fact, the big screen does more, like display the title and artist of the song you're hearing. Of course, you'll have to switch over from the navigation screen to see it. Speaking of the nav, while we appreciate the updated graphics, the red and yellow lines delineating traffic conditions are paper thin and very hard to see at a glance. The fact that the stereo sounds tinny unless you crank the bass all the way up is just icing on the cake.
In all, the new Accord is much more than the 10 percent improvement we've come to expect. No, it isn't flashy or trendy (I personally think it borrows from Acura's old styling language -- before it went beak -- with Hyundai Genesis sedan taillights), but it's clearly designed to give midsize sedan customers what they want. It's comfortable; it drives well; it's easy to get yourself, your kids, and your stuff into and out of; it can get out of its own way; and it still gets good gas mileage. Honda's sold more than 11 million Accords since 1976 and thinks it knows what an Accord buyer wants. We think it's right.
