Honda Accord review: The best used car for families

To further explain what we mean by the ultimate guilty pleasure: Ordinary sedans typically don’t generate such acclaim from the snobbery-infused bunch of us who call the Carpages.ca Garage home. We tend to reserve our giddy excitement for cars with steroidal horsepower, internal-organ-rearranging levels of grip, and brakes that induce vertigo with their clamping force. But we’re multi-dimensional, and we can appreciate a good, quality car, too. After living with the car for a week, we think it’s engaging and fun, and one of the best all-around cars for sale today. That’s right, folks—we’re putting our enthusiast cred on the line to vouch for the inherent excellence of the Honda Accord.

When we compiled our list of the 10 best used cars in Canada for MoneySense, the Accord was our pick for best used family sedan. At Carpages.ca, we tested out the 2019 Touring model with an automatic gearbox, and here’s what we thought:

Is the Honda Accord a good car?

In touring trim, there’s a significant swank quotient, so to answer that question in a word: yes. While this is the ultimate Accord in the model hierarchy, it’s also quietly modest with its feature-rich content and comfort. Although the interior has a decidedly minimalist feel, Honda has managed to avoid making it feel cold and austere.

We discovered two notable things during our time with the Accord: The infotainment system, long a source of angst in Honda vehicles, is excellent. Crisp graphics, an intuitive layout and ultra-snappy responses make for a vastly improved user experience. Then there’s the palatial roominess that would make the owner of an S-Class Mercedes Benz blush. Rear occupants are treated to an almost limousine-like feel, and those up front, no matter their body type, will feel properly spoiled.

You get the sense that the Accord is trying hard to earn praise. Every touchpoint and control feels well thought out, like the engineer was really sweating the details. Clearly, they paid attention to avoiding needless bloat, because the Accord is a relative featherweight at 1,562 kilos. Despite its lightness, it never feels insubstantial or flimsy.

The Honda Accord engine: What’s really inside this used car?

To tell you more about the driving experience, we’ll start under the hood. There you’ll find the same 2.0 turbo four from the piquant Civic Type R, although it’s been detuned and demurred for this application, which seems entirely appropriate. Although it surrenders 54 horsepower, it still turns the Accord into one of the fleeter sedans out there. The power is robust enough that it nips at the heels of V6-powered Toyota Camrys during the sprint from naught to 100 km/h, yet the engine returns superior fuel economy. Honda offers a Sport mode, which firms up the adaptive dampers and sharpens the steering and throttle response, but this, too, is an exercise in caffeinated calculated restraint. Think: cup of coffee rather than a can of Red Bull.

Channelling the turbocharged thrust to the tarmac is a 10-speed automatic transmission that works exceptionally well. Normally we don’t like having this many speeds to choose from as it can be too much and translates into uncertain and sometimes lurchy shifting, but the Accord doesn’t suffer from that at all. Our Touring model came with paddle shifters, and usually we try these out once or twice and then forget about them. In the Accord’s case, we found ourselves employing them quite a bit because they respond quickly when you ask for a shift—we saw none of the sluggish reluctance that is par for the course in other cars. We must tip our hat to the cosseting ride quality, which makes for an utterly serene experience on the highway and smartly takes the edge off scabrous pavement in the city.

Honda Accord issues to know about

The Accord has a lot of great things going for it, but there’s one thing it doesn’t have. Yes, we have heard people say, “I’d buy the Accord, but it doesn’t offer all-wheel drive.” That’s true—it doesn’t. (The only midsize sedans that do are the Nissan Altima and, on some trim levels, the Toyota Camry.)

While all-wheel drive (AWD) is nice to have, it does add complexity and weight, which negatively affects fuel economy. Experience has shown us that if a modern car—complete with all the de rigueur safety features and traction aids—is shod with a good set of winter tires, there isn’t much that will stop it from performing well when the snow flies. Another thing to remember is that winter doesn’t last the entire year, so you won’t always need the extra engagement of the rear axle. Despite the absence of AWD, we think that the Accord’s dynamic superiority over its rivals make it a better year-round choice overall.

Despite our glowing praise, the Accord is not perfect. You will agree that the nits we have to pick are extremely trivial and not deal breakers by any stretch—a subtle clue to the car’s overall greatness. But we wonder why, with all the careful attention to detail on display, someone would sign off on antiquated gooseneck hinges for the trunk lid (when we took the car grocery shopping, they crushed our eggs).

Another minor complaint: The transmission shifts by pushing buttons, and while it does free up a lot of space in the console area, just give us a good ol’ shift lever, please and thank you.

The last gripe was styling, although there were two distinct camps at Carpages.ca. Some found the Accord’s looks pleasing, while others thought the design forgettable. Whichever side of the debate you’re on, you’ll probably agree that the Accord is much better-looking than its smaller, garishly styled sibling, the Civic.

Should I buy a Honda Accord?

Fancy a family sedan? Then yes, you should buy a Honda Accord. But you’d better act fast, because sedans are fast becoming an endangered species. Most people will cast their glances across the showroom to a CR-V or Passport. While those are good cars, that’s a bit of a shame. The Accord is a great vehicle. And you can get it with a manual gearbox. For those VTEC bros (or just the set of the population who like driving) of the ’90s and early ’00s, Honda hasn’t forgotten about you, which will make the Accord a true pleasure to park in your driveway, guilty or otherwise.

2019 Honda Accord 2.0 Touring specifications

Price as tested: $40,226
Body type: 4-door, 5-passenger sedan
Powertrain layout: Front engine/front-wheel drive
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged inline-four, DOHC, 16 valves
Horsepower: 252 @ 6,500 rpm
Torque (lb-ft): 273 @ 1,500 rpm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Curb weight: 1,562 kg (3,444 lb)
Observed fuel consumption: 8.8 L/100 km (27 mpg)

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