2021 Honda Accord Sport Review, and Buying Guide

Overview

The Honda Accord has long been the most ideal executive car that money can buy, on a budget that is. This car lies in a segment that is now shrinking due to the rise of crossovers which provide more practicality nonetheless. The Accord is one car that provides impeccable driving characteristics, a very posh and practical interior, a lot of executive space, and, most importantly, value. Entering its tenth generation in 2017, the Accord went through a myriad of updates and changes for 2021. What are all those? Read below.

What’s new for 2021?

To start off with, the grille has been restyled and is now wider than before which lends a more sophisticated look along with better integration of the radar upfront. For Sport trim and above, the headlights are new. They might look the same but are now equipped with better and longer illumination down the road. All the changes to the headlamp and grille have reduced the size of the fog lamp opening. Apart from these, trims LX and above get a new alloy wheel design to complement the overall look of the car. Another thing enhancing the looks is a new color – Sonic Gray Pearl.

On the inside, the 2021 Accord’s 8-inch infotainment display gets some enhancements and is now a standard fit on all the trims! Along with this, Honda has also added Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as standard, with the EX-L and Touring getting wireless variants of the same! Along with this, the USB ports have been moved to the front of the console for convenient access and the higher trims now have dual 2.5V USB ports for the rear passengers. On the safety front, the Accord now receives a Rear Seat Reminder and Low-Speed Braking Control system, the latter only available on higher trims.

Talking of trims, there is a new trim - Sport SE – which is a cocktail of the features of the now-discontinued EX trim and the styling of the Sport trim. It gets a lot of creature comfort features added to the features available in the Sport trim!

On to the Accord Hybrid, it gets all the changes as the gas-only Accord but also adds some enhancements to the two-motor hybrid system which now results in crisper throttle response and a more natural pace of acceleration. Updates have also been made to the brake-by-wire technology to make the braking more consistent and natural rather than sharp and uncomfortable. This has also opened doors to the seamless transition between mechanical braking and energy regeneration.

Trims on offer

The 2021 Honda Accord range starts from $25, 965 with the LX trim and then makes its way to nearly $37,900 for the Touring trim. The hybrid variants usually demand a premium of $2,000 over the gas-only variants and provide higher performance and more economy.

The features and options list is huge, with many of them being standard! So, kudos to Honda on that front! But if one desires more in terms of looks and aesthetics, there are a lot of packages and standalone options available to make the most of Accord’s available customization. Some of the significant ones are:

• All-Season Protection Package (I and II)

• Protection Package

• Underbody Spoiler Package

• Decklid Spoiler

• Grille Accent

What are the engines on offer?

The Accord can be had in two powertrains – gas-only and hybrid. Starting off with the former, there are two engines on offer:

• 1.5L turbocharged Inline-4 producing 192 horsepower and 192 lb-ft of torque, paired to a CVT

• 2.0L turbocharged Inline-4 good for a massive 60 horsepower and 81 lb-ft gain to 252 horses and 273 lb-ft of torque, mated to a 10-speed automatic gearbox

The Accord Hybrid pairs the bigger 2.0L powerplant to a dual-motor setup which churns out lower output at 212 horsepower and 129 lb-ft of torque, mated to a CVT. This dual-motor setup has been enhanced and re-tuned for better off-the-line performance and improved braking and regeneration.

How does the interior look?

The interior of the Accord has a dark theme to it with certain accent pieces here and there to break the darkness and liven up the interior a bit. The wood trim that is used is very tasteful and not too gaudy and the silver finish here and there gives out a premium look. Talking of the surfaces, it's soft-touch or leather all around! Nowhere does the quality feels less than what is expected. Parts fitting quality is solid and the overall layout of the buttons is very intuitive and less distracting while driving. The seats are very cushy and have the leather feels very premium. They’re perforated all the way to the base and provide a lot of support.

The cabin space is enough for fitting in an adult both in the front and the rear seats. In the front, the headroom is very comfortable despite having a sunroof. The driving position is very comfortable and can be altered thanks to all the adjustments. The rear seats offer a lot of space with regards to legroom and shoulder room. Let’s say fitting three people in the rear seat is not going to be a matter of discomfort.

The infotainment system has an 8-inch touchscreen standard across the range and the way it is inclined is engineered to increase the ease of use. There’s navigation on board along with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto integration for seamless smartphone integration. Also, there are multiple USB points that have now been moved to a favorable position in the center console.

How much cargo can you fit in?

Pushing a button and lifting up the tailgate presents a very wide opening to the trunk. There are 17 cubic feet of storage available inside which roughly translates to two big suitcases and a camera bag in the trunk. If there’s more to fit, it is a bit of a squeeze. The floor is deep and there’s a mat to keep things tidy inside. The rear seats can be pushed down using a couple of tabs in the boot and that is pretty much it. the only zonk is there are no tethering points or even a net to store things.

How is the safety list of the car like?

The 2021 Honda Accord is the latest and greatest that the Japanese carmaker has in its stable and needless to say, the car is on top of the safety game in the segment! Honda Sensing suite of driver-assistance tech comes as standard on the base trim itself and is upgraded to add in more features as the trim hierarchy continues. The following are the features the Honda Sense brings to the table:

• Frontal collision mitigation

• Adaptive cruise control

• Lane-keeping assist

• Blind-spot monitor

• Rear cross-traffic alert

• Front and rear parking sensors

• Low-speed anti-collision braking

Does the 2021 Honda Accord hit the right chords with the prospective buyers?

Redesigned and made nearly spotless in 2021, the Honda Accord does put in a very strong argument against the Toyota Camry and other executive sedans with all the tech it brings and with the luxurious cabin to carry people. It is a strong car on all fronts – performance, interior, safety, driving, and reliability landing it in the segment of cars which are a must-buy if a person is looking for a specific segment and if you’re one of them, you have your answer!