It’s a fact that we love tall-riding SUVs like we love Ben & Jerry’s Chunky Monkey, peel ’n eat shrimp and re-runs of Friends.
But if you’re car shopping, can I humbly suggest you take another, long hard look at the once-beloved family sedan.
After spending a surprise-and-delightful week behind the wheel of Honda’s latest Accord, the absolutely joyous Accord Hybrid Touring, it’s hard to imagine there’s a better all-round family ride for the money.
Here is a spacious four-door loaded to the roof with more bells and whistles than an Amtrak locomotive for what has to be a bargain-basement sticker of $40,395.
Yes you can drive off the lot in a base, gas-only Accord for under $30,000. But for around $10-grand more, the flagship Hybrid Touring comes loaded with luxe features, like leather seats, a 12-speaker Bose stereo, a power moonroof, 19-inch alloys, heated and ventilated front seats with a 10-way power driver’s seat, and a 12.3-inch central touchscreen.
Add to all that, Honda Sensing, a suite of standard safety and driver-assist tech that includes everything, from automatic emergency braking, to adaptive cruise control and lane-keeping assist, to traffic sign recognition. A head-up display? Yup, that’s standard too.
Without doubt my favorite feature that’s definitely up there with the Ben & Jerry’s, is the Accord’s state-of-the-art hybrid powerplant.
It’s pretty amazing that Honda has been offering hybrid Accords in the U.S. since 2005. But without doubt, this latest version is the best yet. And the most powerful.
Here it combines a Teflon-smooth 2.0-liter direct-injection four-cylinder gas engine with a pair of compact electric motors to deliver a combined 204-hp.
Click into Sport mode, hit the right pedal, and gas and electric combine to whisk you from standstill to 60 mph in a zippy 6.7 seconds. Go into Eco mode and electric power will glide you along in zero-emission, whisper-quiet EV mode.
And this hybrid Accord is an absolute miser when it comes to quaffing fuel. Around town, with lots of electric-assist, expect an impressive 46 to-the-gallon average. On the highway, according to the folks at the EPA, think 41 mpg, or a combined average of 44 to the gallon.
It adds up to a car that’s an absolute joy to drive, with brisk off-the-line performance and strong mid-range thrust. Even when revved hard, that Honda four-cylinder is turbine-smooth, sophisticated, refined, church-mouse-quiet and eager.
Show it a twisty, and the Accord verges on Usain Bolt-athletic, with precise, nicely-weighted steering, terrific body control with low-roll cornering, superglue-like grip, yet with a smooth, pothole-absorbing ride.
Inside, the cabin is a sanctuary of calm and quiet, with the only negative being the increased rumble from the Touring’s low-profile 19-inch tires. That said, you probably hear it more because everything else is so quiet.
Controls-wise, the Accord scores big because of the simplicity and keep-it-simple-stupid design. I love that there’s a traditional PRNDL shifter at a time when every other manufacture is trying to complicate things with either push-button, flimsy lever, or twist shifters.
Want to change drive modes? There’s no wading through five levers of computer-screen tapping. The Honda has a single flap switch right by the shifter. Love it.
Climb into the back and there’s legroom aplenty, while trunk space is a cavernous 16.7 cubic feet, with a split-folding rear seatback for added flexibility.
Finally, I think the Accord looks terrific, with its fresh face and fastback profile, its raked-back windshield, and slivers of LED daytime running lights. Every time I walked away from it, I couldn’t resist a quick look back to check-out the wide stance and sleek lines.
Yes, Toyota’s Camry Hybrid and Hyundai Sonata’s Hybrid are solid rivals. But the Accord’s sportier look, impressive performance, refinement and fuel economy put it at the top of my list.
