Green Car Reports' Best Car To Buy: 2014 Honda Accord Hybrid

by John Voelcker @ www.greencarreports.com

For 2014, our fourth annual Green car Reports' Best Car To Buy award goes to the 2014 Honda Accord Hybrid.

This new model of the redesigned Honda Accord Sedan introduced last year is comfortable, quiet, stylish--and delivers real-world fuel economy from 40 mpg to as much as 52 mpg.

And that's Toyota Prius liftback territory, in a mid-size sedan that's neither as polarizing nor limited to the underwhelming performance of Toyota's quintessential hybrid.

2014 Honda Accord Hybrid Touring

Alert readers noticed we didn't post a nominee description of the 2014 Honda Accord Hybrid; that's because we've spent the last week driving the car to ensure we made the right choice.

Over 480 miles of mixed use in three Northeastern states, we added autumn driving impressions to those gathered on our first drive of the car in temperate, sunny Southern California last month.

Honda has managed to pull off a neat trick: Against competitors that have been in the market for several years, its first-ever full hybrid model matches the best of the breed for styling and interior quality, while also delivering among the highest real-world gas mileage as well.

2014 Honda Accord Hybrid

At last month's Accord Hybrid launch event, Honda had the car's closest competitors for comparison: hybrid versions of the Ford Fusion, Hyundai Sonata, and Toyota Camry.

The Fusion Hybrid was probably the best handling of the four hybrid sedans, and it essentially tied with the Accord Hybrid for the nicest interior. It's responsive and strong on the road, but it clearly doesn't return the real-world gas mileage that the Accord and Camry do.

Compared to the hybrid Accord, the Toyota Camry Hybrid feels a lot more ponderous in the way it accelerates, steers, and handles. The accelerator response doesn't feel at all linear, while that of Accord Hybrid does. And its interior remains less upscale than the Ford or Honda. Still, the hybrid Camry returned very good mileage on a short test loop.

As for the Sonata Hybrid, while it was improved for the 2013 model year, its single-motor hybrid system still feels clunky, with an occasional balky, juddering feel that reminds us of nothing so much as a failing automatic transmission.

2014 Honda Accord Hybrid Touring

While the hybrid Sonata's transient response for quick passing on the highway is very good, it too doesn't return the real-world gas mileage of the hybrid Accord or Camry models.

And it's the real-world gas mileage that tipped the balance to the Accord Hybrid.

This is a car that is built in the U.S. and that will ultimately sell in the tens of thousands each year. The base model of the gasoline 2014 Accord is rated at 30 mpg combined, but the hybrid Accord is more than half again as high, at a combined 47 mpg (50 mpg city, 45 mpg highway).

And unlike the Fusion Hybrid, we think the Accord Hybrid will achieve that number--or come within the 10-percent variance that most buyers find acceptable.

Over our recent week of test driving, the Accord Hybrid consistently returned 39 to 45 mpg on several long high-speed highway runs.

And in a pair of stop-and-go city and suburban driving tests that maxed out at 45 mph--one in Eco mode, one in Normal--the 2014 Accord Hybrid returned 52.8 mpg and 51.4 mpg respectively.

A note on that Eco mode, by the way: It's the first one we haven't loathed for sapping all the power out of a car. In fact, we drove the Accord Hybrid for a day before noticing that it was on in the first place--there's only a little green leafy symbol on the dash to indicate it.

2014 Honda Accord Hybrid Touring

This is the first car we think drivers can leave in Eco mode all the time without hating the compromises they must make for fuel economy.

As for the rest of our nominees: The only other serious contender for the award this year was the 2014 BMW i3. It's an audacious and technically advanced car from an unlikely maker, and we found it seriously soothing to drive in crowded urban areas.

Unfortunately, we couldn't drive the range-extended version, and the battery-only i3 is likely to have the same sub-100-mile range of many other competitors. It's been well received by the market, but especially in comparison to last year's winner--the Tesla Model S--the BMW i3 just felt a little lacking.

The 2014 Chevrolet Spark EV, while well executed, remains a compliance car until proven otherwise.

2014 Honda Accord Hybrid Touring

The 2014 Chevrolet Cruze Diesel is a good first try at offering diesel in passenger vehicle, but while it's superb in highway cruising, its throttle lag and lack of immediate power away from stops in city and suburban driving make it unpleasant to use.

And while the 2014 Mazda 3 is likely to deliver good real-world gas mileage, its compromises as a brand-new compact car--including its very cramped rear seat--argue against winning the award.
For all those reasons, the 2014 Honda Accord Hybrid is the winner of our Green Car Reports' Best Car To Buy 2014 award.

To see all the details on this year's nominees, plus articles about our previous years' awards, see the Best Car To Buy summary page.

Source;
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1088280_green-car-reports-best-car-to-buy-2014-honda-accord-hybrid/page-2

Ditching the Transmission Allowed Honda’s Accord Hybrid to Hit 50 MPG

Honda’s Hybrid Accord uses electric motors in lieu of all but one gear. 

by Kevin Bullis of www.technologyreview.com

 

Honda says it has found a way to improve the efficiency of hybrids—and in all likelihood significantly lower the cost to build them. For its new Honda Accord Hybrid, which goes on sale across the U.S. at the end of the month, it’s done away with the car’s transmission.

Hybrids could help automakers meet fuel economy regulations, but their sales are limited by high costs, which are as much as $5,000 more than conventional cars. It may eventually be possible to reduce the price gap to zero, according to a spokesperson from Honda.

Hybrids typically use complex transmissions, or power splitters, to coordinate between the gasoline engine and electric motor that propel hybrids. To get rid of this system, engineers designed the new Accord Hybrid so that most of the time the gas engine isn’t mechanically connected to the wheels. It serves only to spin a generator, which charges a battery. The battery then delivers electricity to a motor that drives the wheels. Electric motors can operate over a wide variety of speeds, eliminating the need to shift gears. To this point, the new design isn’t novel–it’s known as a series hybrid design.

But series hybrids aren’t always as efficient as hybrids that use a transmission. You lose energy when you convert the mechanical energy from the engine into electric energy to charge the battery, and then back into mechanical energy via a motor. (Taking this hit makes sense sometimes, since storing energy in a battery makes it possible to keep the engine operating in its sweet spot, avoiding loads and speeds where it’s very inefficient.) In the early days of talking about the Chevrolet Volt, GM made it sound like it would be a series hybrid. But engineers introduced a complex transmission to allow the gas engine to drive the wheels directly in some situations, improving efficiency by 10 to 15 percent.

Honda found a simpler approach. It uses the electric motor to get the car up to a steady, highway speed. At that point, a clutch allows the gas engine to drive the wheels directly. Basically, the car has only one high gear, and it uses the electric motor in lieu of all the other gears.

Honda says this system is key to allowing the car to get 50 miles per gallon in the city and 45 miles per gallon on the highway, impressive figures for a car its size. In comparison, the non-hybrid version of the Accord gets 26 mpg city and 34 mpg highway, and the similarly sized Toyota Camry Hybrid only gets 43 mpg in the city and 39 on the highway. (The Ford Fusion Hybrid officially comes close, with 47 mpg in both the city and highway, but Consumer Reports found the actual mileage was far lower—just 35 and 41 in city and highway.)

The new approach does have the potential to reduce costs and improve efficiency, says John Heywood, a professor of mechanical engineering at MIT. But he notes that transmissions are also getting very efficient, so every automaker isn’t necessarily going to take this path. He expects the cost difference between hybrids and conventional vehicles to decline to $2,000 by 2030. “Costs will come down, but there’s a lot more stuff in a hybrid, so it’s inevitably going to cost somewhat more,” he says.

Source;
http://www.technologyreview.com/view/520106/ditching-the-transmission-allowed-hondas-accord-hybrid-to-hit-50-mpg/

Honda Plots U.S. Hybrid Resurgence Starting With Accord

By Alan Ohnsman - Oct 7, 2013

 

Honda Motor Co. (7267), first to sell hybrids in the U.S., plans a gasoline-electric lineup overhaul starting with an Accord Hybrid it says tops Toyota Motor Corp. (7203) and Ford Motor Co. sedans as it seeks relevancy in the segment.

The 2014 version of Tokyo-based Honda’s flagship sedan goes on sale Oct. 31, with a base price comparable with a V-6 engine version of the Accord, and that’s rated as getting 50 miles (80 kilometers) per gallon in city driving. That’s just the start, said John Mendel, executive vice president of the U.S. unit.

Honda needs better-selling hybrids. Current models, including the Insight hatchback, CR-Z coupe and a version of the Civic, generate a fraction of Prius deliveries. Honda’s Insight beat the Toyota hybrid to the U.S. by about six months. Yet the company that led U.S. fuel economy ranking for years stumbled in designing a compelling challenger to Prius.

“Accord is a great place for us to stop the science experiments and really make a name for our hybrids,” Mendel said in an interview in San Antonio last week. “We’re known for fuel economy, but in hybrids, it’s about relevance and volume. We think Accord can do that.”

The Accord Hybrid’s label rating, a combined 47 mpg in city and highway driving based on U.S. government tests, ranks it behind only Prius, a mid-size car that averages 51 mpg in the city, 48 mpg on the highway and 50 mpg combined, the best of any non-rechargeable vehicle in the U.S.

While Ford (F)’s Fusion hybrid is also rated 47 mpg combined, Ford faces lawsuits claiming the car’s mileage is overstated. Toyota’s hybrid Camry averages a combined 41 mpg.

Prius’ Shadow

Toyota expects to sell 250,000 Prius models this year. By comparison, Honda’s current hybrid line is on a pace to sell about 19,000 vehicles this year.

Combined sales of hybrids, plug-in hybrids and battery-only autos are headed for a record this year. Through September U.S. car buyers bought about 450,000 such vehicles, based on data compiled by Bloomberg, up 28 percent from about 352,000 a year earlier. Last year was a record for electric-drive vehicles, with sales of about 475,000 cars and light trucks.

Honda anticipates sales of Accord Hybrid, priced from $29,155 to $34,905, will fall in the “2,500 to 4,000” units per month range of Ford’s Fusion Hybrid and the Toyota Camry Hybrid, Mendel said.

The Accord Hybrid’s new two-motor powertrain has components adapted from Honda’s futuristic FCX Clarity hydrogen fuel-cell sedan and battery-electric Fit EV, Hiroo Shimada, the chief engineer who oversaw development of the Accord system, said in an interview.

Accord Sales

The Accord is the second-best-selling mid-size sedan in the U.S. this year, with 282,102 deliveries, behind Camry’s 318,990. The pattern has changed little for more than a decade.

Following the Accord, the company this year also releases a three-motor, all-wheel drive “sport hybrid” version of the premium Acura RLX sedan. A variation of its so-called SH-AWD powertrain will also be used in the 2015 NSX supercar Honda plans to build in Ohio, the company said.

For lower-priced small vehicles, Honda has a new single-motor, dual clutch powertrain that’s being used first on a version of the new Fit subcompact that’s gone on sale in Japan.

There’s no plan to sell Fit hybrids in the U.S. Still, the car’s gasoline-electric system may appear on other models, Mendel said.

“It’s a surprisingly fuel-efficient system,” he said.

New Models

New Honda and Acura hybrids are in the works, in part to help the company comply with the U.S. government’s push to double the average fuel efficiency of new vehicles by 2025, as well as to address volatile fuel prices, Mendel said. The company also wants to burnish its reputation as an industry leader in fuel economy and advanced technology, he said.

Accord Hybrid “can be a great entry point to establish our manufacturing prowess and development expertise in the hybrid area,” Mendel said. “Fifty miles a gallon is going to cut through.”

Honda’s American depositary receipts fell 1.2 percent to $37.91 at the close yesterday in New York. They have gained 2.6 percent this year, compared with a 14 percent advance in the benchmark NYSE Composite Index.

Source;
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/print/2013-10-07/honda-plots-u-s-hybrid-resurgence-starting-with-accord.html

AutoNews.com: How the Honda Accord's innovative hybrid system works

Click on the image to enlarge

by Richard Truett of www.autonews.com

MARYSVILLE, Ohio -- Most of the attention for Honda's Accord hybrid will come from its eye-popping 50-mpg EPA city rating and under-$30,000 starting price. But those with an eye for engineering will see a creative combination of new technology with elements from the Chevrolet Volt, Toyota Prius and Ford Fusion Hybrid.

"Honda put in all we had," said Koji Ninomiya, chief engineer for the Accord Hybrid, through an interpreter. "We did our best, and we ended up at 50 mpg."

The car, which gets to dealerships in late October, uses three drive modes to crack the 50-mpg figure -- something no other mid-sized car, including the European diesels, can match.

Ninomiya said 50 mpg or any specific number was not the goal when Honda engineers began nearly a decade ago studying a new hybrid powertrain to replace its current design.

"We considered everything, [including] driving resistance and regenerative braking. We made the powertrain all new, and the biggest purpose of this was to aim for the most efficient system in the world. As we tried to optimize the efficiency, we decided two motors will be best," he said.

Here's how the two electric motors work in the Accord Hybrid's three drive modes, EV, Hybrid and Engine.

• EV mode: The car is propelled only by an electric motor powered by the lithium ion battery pack. The top speed is about 60 mph, but the range is very limited, just a few miles. Once the battery is depleted, the car automatically switches to Hybrid mode.

• Hybrid mode: The Accord Hybrid works a lot like a Chevrolet Volt. The 2.0-liter gasoline engine powers a generator to create electricity for the electric motor. Honda calls the generator a motor, hence two motors. Only the electric motor, fed by the generator, moves the car in Hybrid mode.

• Engine mode: The electric motor is decoupled, and the Accord's Atkinson cycle gasoline engine drives the wheels directly through a one-gear transmission. In that highway gear -- similar in efficiency to a sixth gear on a manual transmission -- the gasoline engine runs in its sweet spot, delivering both strong acceleration when needed and high fuel economy.

Ford and Toyota hybrids also use Atkinson cycle engines. The Accord's Atkinson cycle 2.0-liter gasoline engine is a first for Honda.




In an Atkinson cycle engine, the intake valves remain open briefly during the compression stroke. That pushes some of the air in the cylinders into the intake manifold, which lowers the compression ratio. That enables fast, smooth starts, which is ideal for hybrids. The downside is that it reduces power.

To solve that problem, Honda engineers installed VTEC, a system that electronically controls the timing of the valves with camshafts that have two sets of lobes. One set of lobes is for the Atkinson cycle; the other is for normal combustion. The engine's computer switches back and forth between the two sets of lobes, based on engine speed and load.

Other new technologies include the car's innovative regenerative brakes, which send electricity to the battery. Regeneration begins the instant a driver's foot leaves the accelerator, not when the brake pedal is pressed as it does on other hybrids.

The air-cooled lithium ion battery pack fits in a compact case between the rear seat and the trunk. The pack does reduce trunk space. The hybrid's trunk is 12.7 cubic feet, while the regular Accord's trunk is 15.8.

Honda will offer three versions of the Accord Hybrid. The base model starts at $29,155; a midlevel E-XL version, at $31,905; and the loaded Touring, at $34,905. The prices exclude shipping; figures haven't been announced.

Honda is assembling the Accord Hybrid at its Marysville plant; it is the first time the Accord Hybrid has been built in North America.

The car's innovative powertrain could help win back some former Honda fans who deserted the brand for other makes with more advanced engines and transmissions.

In the past, Honda had stuck with nickel-metal hydride batteries in its hybrids while other automakers developed more efficient gasoline-electric powertrains that use lighter, stronger lithium ion batteries.

And in its gasoline-powered cars, the company has been slow to shift to automatic transmissions with more than four speeds.

The result of that strategy: middle-of-the-pack fuel economy ratings and a string of misfires dating back nearly a decade, including the failed 2004-06 Accord Hybrid, a slow selling Civic Hybrid and dismal sales for the Insight and CR-Z hybrids.

The Accord Hybrid's 50 mpg is "a pretty strong statement," said California dealer Dave Conant. He is CEO of The C.A.R. Group, which owns 13 stores, including four Honda outlets.

"For a long time Honda sort of owned the territory," he said. "I think a 50-mpg Accord is going to absolutely swing people back to thinking of Honda as a fuel economy leader. It's long overdue, honestly."

Source;

http://www.autonews.com/article/20130930/OEM06/309309954/how-the-honda-accords-innovative-hybrid-system-works#axzz2gNmxMhbV

2014 Honda Accord Review and Test Drive by Edmunds

For 2014, the Honda Accord sees the addition of a pair of hybrids -- standard and plug-in -- to the family, while the LX trim level gets new fabric upholstery.

Introduction
After last year's complete redesign, which resulted in a slimmer, more fuel-efficient Honda Accord with a higher-end cabin ambience, you'd think the car line that sells about 1,000 units a day would stand pat. But there was still something missing from the lineup: a hybrid Accord. So the 2014 Honda Accord family grows even stronger with the addition of not one but two hybrids. One is of the plug-in variety (covered in a separate review) while the other is a standard hybrid, which will earn a 47 mpg combined EPA rating when it debuts later in the 2014 model year.

Accords have always been well-rounded vehicles, a trait that, along with their strong reputation for trouble-free ownership, has contributed greatly to this Honda's massive popularity. The latest Honda Accord continues that tradition. Even the volume-selling models with a four-cylinder engine and automatic transmission (technically, a continuously variable transmission, or CVT) provide a virtually unbeatable combination of performance and fuel efficiency. For proof, look at its swift 7.8-second 0-60-mph time along with an EPA combined fuel economy estimate of 30 mpg. Those would be impressive stats for a compact car, let alone a roomy, comfortable midsize sedan.

Comfort and value play into the Accord success story, too. Honda's midsize car has a roomy cabin with comfortable seating (its backseat is particularly impressive) and a quiet ride. And even the base LX trim level comes standard with plenty of features, including dual-zone automatic climate control, iPod/USB integration and a rearview camera -- amenities that are often optional even on pricier cars.

With its strong performance, outstanding fuel economy, precise handling, accommodating cabin and good overall reputation, the 2014 Honda Accord is one of our top picks in the hugely competitive midsize sedan segment. Yet, it's not the only excellent choice. The 2014 Nissan Altima is another of our favorites in this class, and it offers sportier handling, even better mileage from its base four-cylinder engine and impressively rich interior furnishings. Other good picks include the Mazda 6, which is by far the most athletic car in the family sedan class, along with the 2014 Toyota Camry and 2014 Volkswagen Passat, which match the Honda's interior space but give you a softer ride. There's also the value-packed Kia Optima and stylish Ford Fusion. (Meanwhile, the Accord coupe has the midsize coupe segment all to itself, as its only real rival, Nissan's Altima coupe, is discontinued for 2014.) Narrowing down your choices in this strong group won't be easy, but if you want a midsize sedan that does nearly everything right, the Honda Accord should be on your list.

Body Styles, Trim Levels, and Options

The 2014 Honda Accord is available as a midsize sedan and coupe. Four-cylinder sedans come in five trims: LX, Sport, EX, EX-L and EX-L with Navi. Opt for the Accord's 3.5-liter V6 and three trims are offered: EX-L, EX-L with Navi and Touring.

The Honda Accord family also includes the Accord Plug-in Hybrid, which is covered in a separate review, and the standard Accord Hybrid. We don't have details yet on the latter, which debuts later in the model year, but we'll update this review once information becomes available.

The Accord coupe with the four-cylinder engine comes in LX-S, EX, EX-L and EX-L with Navi, while the V6-equipped version comes only in EX-L and EX-L with Navi trims.

The base four-cylinder LX comes with 16-inch alloy wheels, dual-zone automatic climate control, full power accessories, cruise control, an 8-inch video display, Bluetooth phone and audio connectivity, a rearview camera, cruise control, a tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel, a height-adjustable manual driver seat, a folding rear seat and a four-speaker sound system with a CD player, an auxiliary audio jack, iPod/USB audio interface and Pandora functionality.

Opting for the Sport trim brings a bit more horsepower, 18-inch wheels, a rear spoiler, an eight-way power driver seat (with power lumbar) and a leather-wrapped steering wheel with shift paddles for the CVT. Compared to the LX, the Accord EX trim adds 17-inch wheels, heated mirrors, a sunroof, keyless ignition/entry, the power driver seat, the leather-wrapped steering wheel, Honda's LaneWatch blind-spot display and a six-speaker sound system.

The EX-L trim adds leather upholstery, driver-seat memory functions, a four-way power passenger seat, heated front seats, forward collision and lane-departure warning systems, a more sophisticated rearview camera, an auto-dimming rearview mirror and a premium seven-speaker sound system with a touchscreen display, satellite radio and smartphone app integration (HondaLink). The EX-L with Navi adds, as you can likely guess, a navigation system with voice recognition.

The EX V6 feature content is similar to that of the four-cylinder EX models. The V6-exclusive Touring sedan tops the range, combining LED headlights and adaptive cruise control with the equipment from the EX-L with Navi.

For the coupe version of the 2014 Honda Accord, the base LX-S trim is similar to the LX sedan but comes with 17-inch wheels instead of 16s, while its audio system has six speakers instead of four. The coupe's EX trims are also comparable in terms of equipment, though the V6-powered EX-L has 18-inch wheels.

Powertrains and Performance

All 2014 Accords are front-wheel drive and most are fitted with the 2.4-liter inline four-cylinder engine, whether sedan or coupe. This engine is rated 185 horsepower and 181 pound-feet of torque. The Sport trim level's less restrictive dual exhaust boosts output to 189 hp and 182 lb-ft of torque.

The standard transmission for all four-cylinder Accords, except the EX-L trims, is a six-speed manual. Optional for those and standard on the four-cylinder EX-L trims is a CVT, which takes the place of a conventional automatic transmission. With the CVT, all Accords but the Sport trim earn an EPA estimate of 30 mpg combined (27 mpg city/36 mpg highway). The CVT-equipped Sport rates 29 mpg combined (26 city/34 highway). With the manual transmission, the four-cylinder Accord stands at 28 mpg combined (24 city/34 highway).

The Accord's available 3.5-liter V6 is rated 278 hp and 252 lb-ft of torque. Backed by a conventional six-speed automatic, the V6's fuel economy numbers are still quite impressive at 26 mpg combined (21 city/34 highway). On the coupe, the V6 is also available with a six-speed manual transmission, which drops fuel economy ratings to 22 mpg combined (18 city/28 highway).

Honda has not yet released details on the 2014 Accord Hybrid, but like the plug-in version, it will combine a four-cylinder engine with an electric motor and a lithium-ion battery pack. It's EPA-rated at 47 mpg combined (50 city/45 highway) -- on par with Ford's Fusion Hybrid.

Even with the base four-cylinder engine and CVT -- the most popular powertrain choice for Honda Accord buyers ? performance is relatively strong. In Edmunds testing, a four-cylinder Accord EX sedan with the CVT sprinted from zero to 60 mph in 7.8 seconds, a very good time for the class. The V6 is also quick: An EX-L V6 sedan we tested accelerated to 60 mph in just 6.1 seconds.

Safety

Every 2014 Honda Accord comes with antilock disc brakes, stability and traction control, active front head restraints, front seat side airbags and side curtain airbags. A rearview camera is also standard across the board. Blind-spot monitoring, lane-departure and forward-collision warning systems are available via upper trim levels.

Notable is the LaneWatch blind-spot system (EX trim and above), which instantly switches the 8-inch screen's display to a low and wide view of the passenger side of the car when the right turn signal is engaged. A camera in the right-side mirror provides the confidence-inspiring view, and acclimating to catching the view in the center-dash display is quick and natural.

In Edmunds testing, Accord sedans with both the four-cylinder and V6 engine braked from 60 mph to a standstill in 128 feet, a slightly longer-than-average distance for a midsize sedan.

In government crash testing, the Accord sedan received five out of five stars for overall protection, with four stars for total frontal impact safety and five stars for side-impact safety. The coupe earned five stars across the board. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety gave both body styles the best possible rating of "Good" in its moderate-overlap frontal-offset, side-impact and roof strength tests. In the Institute's new "small-overlap" frontal-offset test, the sedan received a "Good" rating, while the coupe got a second-best "Acceptable." This is particularly noteworthy, as many vehicles in this class have scored poorly in this relatively new test.

Interior Design and Special Features
With a few exceptions, the materials in the 2014 Honda Accord have a high-quality look and feel. The overall cockpit design is elegant, and the cabin's tight construction gives the impression of an entry-level luxury car, rather than a workaday family car. The dash design embraces the spirit of legibility with an effective three-tier layout. At the top is the crisp-looking 8-inch display that offers varying levels of information and, depending on the trim level, audio and navigation interfaces. Meanwhile, the main instrument displays provide enough information without being cluttered and overwhelming.

Both front and rear occupants will find plenty of legroom and shoulder room -- the sedan's backseat is arguably best in class with its combination of space and comfort. Road and tire noise ? which in previous generations of the Accord could be rather annoying -- are noticeably reduced now thanks in part to two active noise-cancellation systems. We're also fond of the clear outward visibility afforded by the Accord's design, which provides a fairly low beltline, relatively slim roof pillars and a generous amount of glass, all traits that are increasingly rare in modern automobiles. As a downside, though, we've found the Accord's front seats less comfortable on long drives than others in this segment.

At 15.8 cubic feet, the Accord sedan's trunk is about average, whereas the coupe's, at 13.4 cubic feet, is generous for a midsize coupe. Though it lacks a split feature, the one-piece rear seatback does fold down to increase the cargo capacity.

Driving Impressions
Most Honda Accord buyers end up choosing the four-cylinder engine, and they won't be disappointed, as it revs willingly and delivers its power in a smooth and satisfying manner. Although CVTs don't have the best reputation for refinement, Honda's unit is the best of the breed, as it responds quickly for swift passing maneuvers and then lets the engine rpm drop back smoothly when the need for quick acceleration has passed. Of course, if you simply don't like CVTs, you could always get the V6 engine, which comes with a conventional six-speed automatic. Equipped with the V6, the Accord is downright quick.

The 2014 Honda Accord also manages to strike a near-perfect balance between a supple ride and engaging handling. Although the Accord has never been a truly sporty car, this latest version feels particularly well-balanced around turns. The Accord's electric-assist power steering might feel pretty light the first time you turn the wheel, but it is precise and has a crisp response that adds to the driving enjoyment. One potential downside is that the Accord's ride quality is on the firmer side. If you're accustomed to a softer ride, a Camry or Passat might suit you better in this regard.

EDMUNDS