After a hiatus of little over three years, the Accord moniker is back, that too in a hybrid guise and things look quite promising. Currently in its ninth generation, the Accord still almost retains the shape of the previous gen model which was already a great looking car.
But the new one turns its technology quotient up to eleven and this shows even in the design.
Looks
The front of the car wouldn't look out of place in a sci-fi movie. The headlamps are all LED. The DRLs wrap around the headlamps and the headlamps themselves house the LED bulbs in covered crevices.
The LED fog lamps sit just below the headlamps on either side and a chunky chrome grille dominates the front of the car. All of this combined gives the car a concept vehicle-like look which is rather appealing.
The tail of the car, too, is an all LED affair and looks rather futuristic. The car sits on a rather striking set of 18-inch wheels which are shod on 235 section Michelin Pilot Sport 3 tubeless tyres.
Tech-Loaded Sedan
The cabin of the Accord can be summed up in a single word, high-tech (or rather two). The moment you take the driver’s perch, you find a lone and rather large speedometer staring back at you which happens to be the only dial in the entire instrument panel; the rest is all displayed on screens.
The speedometer itself envelopes a screen which displays the trip, fuel efficiency, odo and temperature. The screens flanking the speedo on the other hand display battery charge and fuel capacity.
Honda has fitted the Accord with a video camera that sends the feed to the i-MID display. You can choose to keep it on always but even otherwise, it will prompt you when it detects a vehicle in the blindspot. It can also be turned off via a button on the right hand stalk.
The lower screen, on the other hand, is the touchscreen infotainment screen which supports both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
The twin-zone climate control comes with an air purification system that controls the output of the air-conditioner depending on the intensity of the sunlight.
Electric Power
Accord is powered by a 2.0-litre naturally aspirated i-VTEC engine and makes 145 PS of peak power and 175 Nm of peak torque. Along with Honda’s i-VTEC technology, Accord also uses the company’s E-VTC or Electronic Variable Timing Control which helps better combustion of fuel leading to better fuel economy.
In addition to all this, the car is also fitted with two electric motors – the propulsion motor drives the front wheels whereas the generator motor produces electricity.
The propulsion motor is powered by a 1.3 kWh lithium-ion battery pack that resides in the rear of the car and the motor is capable of producing 184 PS of peak power which takes the total output to 215 PS.
The Drive
The driver can choose between three driving modes namely EV, Hybrid Drive and Engine Drive. In EV mode, the car runs purely on electricity but has a limited range of just 1 km.
The switch from hybrid to engine mode is very smooth and barely noticeable.
The gearbox is as smooth as CVTs can be and you rarely feel the need for a stick or paddles. The throttle response, too, is quite good. Yes there is an initial burst revs and sound when you press the throttle but as you reach the desired speed, the car settles down just as quickly.
Even at 120 kmph, you can whisper your way through conversations with your passengers and it feels like you’re driving a car from a segment above. Also, unlike a lot of hybrids, the brakes provide good feel and also plenty of stopping power.
Our Take
The Honda Accord comes across as a great package. But it is a CBU which is why it is priced at Rs 37.0 lakh ex-showroom Delhi compared to the Toyota Camry Hybrid which is priced at Rs 30.9 lakh ex-showroom Delhi and is also a CKD.
But then again, the Honda is currently at the very cutting edge of hybrid technology in its segment and all of it works almost flawlessly. This should work in its favour.
(CarDekho is one of the leading automobile portals in India, part of GirnarSoft. The site offers in-depth analysis, comparisons and reviews of the latest car launches in the country.)
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