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Honda Accord: The next generation

DETROIT — Barely days after Toyota unveiled its latest Camry, compatriot carmaker Honda followed up by taking the wraps off its 10th-generation Accord.

The new Honda Accord is the only car in the world with a 10-speed automatic gearbox. Photo: Honda

The new Honda Accord is the only car in the world with a 10-speed automatic gearbox. Photo: Honda

DETROIT — Barely days after Toyota unveiled its latest Camry, compatriot carmaker Honda followed up by taking the wraps off its 10th-generation Accord.

While there are those who would consider the Accord an “uncle car” — one that is preferred by the older generation — or a family ride, Honda has engineered a few tweaks, both on the outside and the inside, that make this car a really big deal.

Just like its class competitor, the Accord will be new from the ground up and powered by a range of turbocharged and hybrid power plants. The technology headline here, however, is that the Accord will be the world’s first front-wheel-drive car to be fitted with a 10-speed automatic gearbox.

“We are redefining the Honda Accord for a new generation of buyers by bringing something unexpected that challenges the idea of what a mainstream sedan can be,” said Jeff Conrad, senior vice-president of the Automobile Division of American Honda Motor.

“Even as we advance core values (such as) great driving dynamics, safety performance and efficiency, the distinctive design of this all-new 2018 Honda Accord will help it appeal to both head and heart in equal measure.”

Like the Civic before it, the latest Accord is distinguished by Honda’s new signature chrome wing front grille, flanked by 9-lamp full-LED headlights on the larger sedan.

The dramatic arching roofline is another design element that gives the Accord a sleeker, sportier stance. Compare it to its boxy, flat predecessors of yesteryear, and you can see why this new model is really easy on the eye.

Yet Honda’s designers have managed to make the cabin more spacious than that of the previous model. This is due, in part, to the wheels being pushed out further to each corner.

Furthermore, the new Honda Accord will be available with a range of turbocharged engines.

There is the version with the 1.5-litre turbocharged unit, which can also be found in the Civic and the upcoming CR-V. Like the one in the CR-V, the 1.5-litre turbocharged power unit is tuned to produce up to 192hp, and is fitted with a Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT).

Things get more interesting higher up the range, where the Accord is fitted with a variant of the 2-litre turbocharged unit that also features under the hood of the Civic Type-R, which was officially launched in Singapore this week.

In the Accord, however, the turbocharged power plant is tuned for a 252hp maximum output. Although this may not seem as impressive as the Civic on paper, the Accord makes up for the slight shortfall in power with its aforementioned 10-speed automatic gearbox.

No announcement has been made yet on when the new Honda Accord will be launched in Singapore, but official importer Kah Motor has confirmed that it will incorporate the Honda Sensing suite of safety and driver-assisting features.

These include the Collision Mitigation Braking System, which, as its name implies, warns the driver when a collision is imminent; as well as the Lane Departure Warning and Road Departure Mitigation systems, which warn the driver when the car is sliding out of its lane, or the road, respectively.

There is also the Adaptive Cruise Control with Low-Speed Follow (which helps you track your speed) and new Traffic Sign Recognition, which is great if you are driving on unfamiliar roads, for example.

Additional available driver assistive technologies include Blind Spot Information, the front and rear parking sensors, Cross Traffic Monitor and Driver Awareness Monitor, and a Multi-Angle Rearview Camera with dynamic guidelines so that you reverse park into your parking lot with precision.

To be sure, all these features in the new Honda are impressive, and even in an era where people seem to prefer utility and cargo space in their cars above all else, this could possibly be enough see the Honda Accord through.

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