2018 Honda Accord Touring Review

2018 Honda Accord 2.0T Automatic
Zen simplicity with a side of sportiness.
After our first exposure to the all-new 2018 Honda Accord, it was clear the inherent goodness that has landed the model on our 10Best Cars list a record 31 times not only remained intact but was elevated. With the latest Accord’s integrity confirmed, we now turn to even deeper exposures—including visits to the test track—with the various models in the lineup. First up: a top-spec Touring with a turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four and a 10-speed automatic transmission.
Highs
Spacious and comfortable cabin, torquey turbo four, revised infotainment setup.
Lows
Price of Touring trim approaches European rivals’, new turbo four achieved no better real world highway fuel economy than the previous V-6.
Loaded from the Start
The 2018 Accord Touring 2.0T represents the kitchen-sink approach to car buying: By opting for the Touring—at the top of the Accord lineup—you get the larger engine and 10-speed automatic transmission, adaptive dampers, and 19-inch wheels shod with 235/40R-19 Michelin Primacy MXM4 tires. Additional standard features include leather upholstery, a 12-way power-adjustable driver’s seat, heated and ventilated front seats and heated outboard rear seats, a head-up display, rain-sensing wipers, wireless phone charging, near-field device communication, and mobile Wi-Fi hotspot capability. Given that list of goods, it’s clear this Accord has some serious aspirations.
There’s a warm, cohesive quality to the Touring’s interior thanks to the neutral tones, attractive faux-wood trim, and quality materials. Attention to detail abounds, from the way the knurled metal knobs for the climate-control and infotainment systems travel through their detents to the brilliant colors of the low-glare, hi-res center display—taken together, these items give off the vibe of a high-end electronic component. The simplicity of the layout plays a part, too, as the 2018 Accord marks the arrival of a streamlined and easier-to-use infotainment system that once again incorporates traditional volume and tuning knobs. Drivers of all shapes and sizes will find it easy to arrive at the perfect seating position, and those on the larger end of the spectrum will welcome the surplus of head and shoulder room despite the presence of a sunroof. In that respect, it has a leg up on the 2018 Toyota Camry, in which the same drivers complained that the B-pillar and sunroof infringed on their personal space. The tilting and telescoping steering wheel and well-placed pedals add to an impression that the car was designed from the driver’s seat out.
Detuned for Your Pleasure
As Honda fans are likely aware, the turbocharged 2.0-liter in the Accord is a lower-output version of the 306-hp beast found in the Civic Type R. (Read more details on the two engines here.) Detuned to a still respectable 252 horsepower and 273 lb-ft of torque for Accord duty, the inline-four moves the sedan with authority. Full grunt is available at a low 1500 rpm, and the transmission wastes no time in downshifting to meet it at the sweet spot. Tire squeal is available on demand from a stop or a slow roll—and with only the faintest whiff of torque steer. Pushing the Sport button on the console triggers more aggressive throttle and transmission mapping, firms up the adaptive dampers, and quickens the response of the variable-ratio electrically assisted power steering. In this mode the Accord shines as an ideal urban companion in the fight against boring commutes, the 10-speed downshifting intuitively when braking for corners and upshifting transparently under acceleration.
Instrumented analysis at the test track revealed a 5.5-second zero-to-60-mph time and a 14.1-second quarter-mile with a trap speed of 102 mph. To put those numbers in perspective, both are 0.1 second quicker than those of the last-generation (and now-departed) Accord coupe V-6 with a six-speed automatic. It also blows away the Accord’s longtime nemesis, the Camry, as a 268-hp 2017 V-6 XSE example of that Toyota lagged behind this Honda to 60 mph by 0.6 second and to the quarter-mile mark by 0.5 second. The 301-hp elephant in the room, however, is the all-new 2018 Camry V-6; expect a closer race when we get an opportunity to strap our test gear to one of those.
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