Topic: Test Drive: 2013 Honda Accord Sedan V6 Touring

[bombastic]

Nice try from Honda. Definitely a better car than the previous model. Would really miss split back seats and the opening is small as well. Center console a little busy. 4 screens to watch the information you need? Hmmm.

[carcrazed]

Like it mostly, but not a fan of non-split folding rear seatback.  I guess the small opening is to make the car more stiff, but that kind of compromise is for sport sedans, not for family sedan such as this.

I wonder what direct injection will do for the fuel economy on this V6.. I4 is a better buy for $3700 less IMO.

[Winterpeg]

Agree with the (VERY) narrow pass-through rear seat. I hope it's because of extra bracing....otherwise Honda did  a major disservice.
One reason for my Malibu purchase was a HUGE opening (almost the whole rear seat) and split.
This would not be a deal breaker but......

[cruzzer]

Nicely done Honda. It's good to see they're back to producing contenders. I've been considering the Accord LX 4 with a manual, but the non split folding rear seat is a surprise. Strange thinking on that IMO.  Still the base LX seems like a great value.

[Fobroader]

I gotta say, thats a good looking car, very Elantra-ish, but good looking nonetheless. $36K...280 horses, decent fuel mileage and a proper 6 spd tranny, thats not bad. If I were in the market for a midsize sedan, either this or the turbo Kia would be at the top of my list.

[bridgecity]

I gotta say, thats a good looking car, very Elantra-ish, but good looking nonetheless. $36K...280 horses, decent fuel mileage and a proper 6 spd tranny, thats not bad. If I were in the market for a midsize sedan, either this or the turbo Kia would be at the top of my list.

If by proper tranny you mean manual, thats not the case with the V6.

[Fobroader]

I gotta say, thats a good looking car, very Elantra-ish, but good looking nonetheless. $36K...280 horses, decent fuel mileage and a proper 6 spd tranny, thats not bad. If I were in the market for a midsize sedan, either this or the turbo Kia would be at the top of my list.

If by proper tranny you mean manual, thats not the case with the V6.

No no, I know its a slushbox, but at least its not a go kart CVT tranny......

[bridgecity]

I gotta say, thats a good looking car, very Elantra-ish, but good looking nonetheless. $36K...280 horses, decent fuel mileage and a proper 6 spd tranny, thats not bad. If I were in the market for a midsize sedan, either this or the turbo Kia would be at the top of my list.

If by proper tranny you mean manual, thats not the case with the V6.

No no, I know its a slushbox, but at least its not a go kart CVT tranny......

Ah, gotcha.

[Allen]

My question is:   Are the LED projector lights as bright as HIDs are and do these particular ones have a good euro pattern with the sharp cutoff.  I see no signs of headlight washers in the photos and as these lights will be cold as the LEDs do not generate much heat they will get covered in ice and snow very quickly...which is a very bad thing in our climate.

I have the V6 Touring and the LED's are brighter than the HID's were on my TL, there are no headlight washers

[tpl]

Agree with the (VERY) narrow pass-through rear seat. I hope it's because of extra bracing....otherwise Honda did  a major disservice.
One reason for my Malibu purchase was a HUGE opening (almost the whole rear seat) and split.
This would not be a deal breaker but......

Interestingly the car does have a strut brace...suggests to me that the engineers found something not quite right while testing.

I have the V6 Touring and the LED's are brighter than the HID's were on my TL, there are no headlight washers

I would insist on driving one at night before I bought...I am used to my euro pattern HIDs.

I actually went into a dealer this morning and looked one over.

Trunk is shallow
XM not Sirius
No visible trip computer unless it is integrated into the Nav screen.
On the 4 cylinder the converter is right in front of the engine...don't reach in there in the dark!
Lots of room inside...to me, like a limo!

The sales person that grabbed me to try to tell me all about the car should have read this Test Drive first then she would have been more helpful.

[Vanstar]

That makes us wonder why the $35,290 Accord V6 Touring commands a hefty $3,700 premium over the Accord I4 CVT Touring model when the only difference is the powertrain.

Me too.  The I-4 Touring is a MUCH better buy, and Honda is asking too much for the V-6.  Yeah, the final price is not bad, but compared to the I-4 pricing, it's too high.

Honda cannot sell too many V-6 Accords lest they upset their CAFE numbers. I would imagine the pricing for the V-6 was researched and set accordingly.

As someone smack in Accord demographics, I love the styling of the car. There are already many on the streets of my neighbourhood and in person, the car looks muscular and understated at the same time. I like it a lot.

I have driven both the 4 and the 6. The four banger is more than adequate for 99% of driving experiences. The V-6 takes off like a rocket ship but the balance of the car is better with the smaller, lighter motor.

This is a very nice car for the money and I am seriously considering buying a used one in a couple of years.

[Vanstar]

Agree with the (VERY) narrow pass-through rear seat. I hope it's because of extra bracing....otherwise Honda did  a major disservice.
One reason for my Malibu purchase was a HUGE opening (almost the whole rear seat) and split.
This would not be a deal breaker but......

Interestingly the car does have a strut brace...suggests to me that the engineers found something not quite right while testing.

I have the V6 Touring and the LED's are brighter than the HID's were on my TL, there are no headlight washers

I would insist on driving one at night before I bought...I am used to my euro pattern HIDs.

I actually went into a dealer this morning and looked one over.

Trunk is shallow
XM not Sirius
No visible trip computer unless it is integrated into the Nav screen.
On the 4 cylinder the converter is right in front of the engine...don't reach in there in the dark!
Lots of room inside...to me, like a limo!

The sales person that grabbed me to try to tell me all about the car should have read this Test Drive first then she would have been more helpful.

Both of my TL's also had strut braces. Makes the car steer and handle better.

[tpl]

Both of my TL's also had strut braces. Makes the car steer and handle better.

No arguement. Stiffness is good.   But why does this car need them.... My GTi has as much power as the Accord 4 cyl and no brace. My BMW similar. Now aftermarket braces were available an probably would have improved handling especially for modest track work. But why would not a 2013 car just be built stiff enough in the beginning...that is my point. I mean we are talking Honda here..people who make race cars  and know all there is to know about structure one would hope.

[JRM]

While I will say that the styling is an improvement (just about anything would be) over the prev gen, it still doesn't grab me.  The front looks too much like a 2010 Sonata and the general overall look is still rather blah.  I prefer the look of the Camry with it's sharper crisper lines.  The non folding rear seat is a definite deal breaker for me.  We ski, bike, hike, garden and often with a third passenger, so the utilty of a split folding seat is a necessity.  A hatchback or wagon is even better. 

It's a solid car though and should sell well enough to the masses.

[johngenx]

The non folding rear seat is a deal breaker for me too.  When we bought the Corolla, the Civic only had a split folding seat in LX trim, effectively giving the Civic a price disadvantage of $4K.  We do use the car to go skiing at our local "hill" and couldn't without the split folding seat.  We use it for other stuff to, and no way I'd want a car without it.

[Fobroader]

The non folding rear seat is a deal breaker for me too.  When we bought the Corolla, the Civic only had a split folding seat in LX trim, effectively giving the Civic a price disadvantage of $4K.  We do use the car to go skiing at our local "hill" and couldn't without the split folding seat.  We use it for other stuff to, and no way I'd want a car without it.

Wouldnt a roof top box or ski rack remedy all of these pass through problems?? I wouldnt want a car without a fold down seat, but for skiis, its easily fixed.

[johngenx]

Wouldnt a roof top box or ski rack remedy all of these pass through problems?? I wouldnt want a car without a fold down seat, but for skiis, its easily fixed.

The roof box lives on the Forester all winter and it's a PITA to swap.  On the Corolla, I'd have to mount the bars and then install the box, etc.  As for ski racks, I won't use them.  I have one pair of skis that are worth way more than the Subaru!  No way my gear rides outside.  Inside a padded bag inside a roof box?  Yes.

[Fobroader]

Wouldnt a roof top box or ski rack remedy all of these pass through problems?? I wouldnt want a car without a fold down seat, but for skiis, its easily fixed.

The roof box lives on the Forester all winter and it's a PITA to swap.  On the Corolla, I'd have to mount the bars and then install the box, etc.  As for ski racks, I won't use them.  I have one pair of skis that are worth way more than the Subaru!  No way my gear rides outside.  Inside a padded bag inside a roof box?  Yes.

"Inside a padded bag inside a roof box".....wow, that must really be expensive. When I skied, the skis went in a truck box, but then again, they were only worth a few hundred bucks.

[Jaeger]

I like pretty much everything I've read about it

Except for the styling, absence of paddle shifters, absence of split folding rear seats and the center stack!

Yes, but none of those would be deal-breakers.  I'll reserve judgment on style until I have looked one over up close.  I've seen them on the road, but at a glance they look so much like the outgoing model that I'm kind of undecided.

[Oldsguy]

I like this car and I like Honda in general, but really... this article reads like a factory PR department puff piece. Honda makes good cars but not perfect cars. Readers of this article might be misled, especially when one reads Wing's Equinox report right next to it on the main page which make it sound like a second coming of the Trabant. Really, gang, some attempt at editorial consistency would be much appreciated.

Liking this new Accord in 4 cyl auto lx form.
I wish we could dump our p-i-t-a '11 Sonata for one.

Seems to be a lot of dissatisfied Sonata owners out there. One wonders if this is due to the unrealistic expectations set by breathless reviews of the 2011 model upon its release by so many in the automotive media *cough*autos.ca*cough* that really could never be met by the car. This Accord review is reminiscent of that. Again, editorial consistency and standards would be useful.