It's hard out there for traditional sedans. Ford has completely abandoned low-slung four-doors, Chevrolet has only the exceedingly average Malibu, and Hyundai and Kia have announced the Sonata and K5 are following Volkswagen's Passat out the door. Yet the Japanese remain committed to the format; Toyota's Camry isn't going anywhere nor is Nissan's Altima—and as Honda makes clear with its newest Accord, things needn't be so sour for the sedan.
Honda's fully redesigned 11th-generation Accord builds on the previous model, which was our favorite in the midsize sedan segment by far, and despite a few notable missteps, it could be better than ever. But while we know Honda holds fast to its sedans (the latest Civic is at the top of its game, too), are its efforts enough to keep four-doors feeling modern for years to come and keep folks considering a sedan over a crossover?
What's New And What's Leftover
Like the redesigned Civic, the new Accord rides on the same underpinnings as its predecessor, but styling is all new. Honda's chrome unibrow look is gone, replaced by slim LED headlights and a crosshatched grille. The new car shares its 111.4-inch wheelbase with the 10th-gen car yet is longer overall, a dimension emphasized by a sharp continuous crease along its profile running from each headlight to each taillight.
Around back, the Accord has new LED taillight arrays, each housed under a single curved surface. This isn't a full-width rear light, but rather, narrow strips of glowing red that frame a dainty Honda badge at the center of the Accord's rear end. Speaking of, Honda sculpts a convincing take on the four-door coupe trend onto the bones of the old Accord, punctuated by a cute duckbill spoiler integrated with the trunklid.