It’s a little bit of a shock to see a brand-new midsize sedan arrive with three pedals and a six-speed handbook transmission, and much more so when these items are hooked up to a 2.0-liter turbocharged engine with a not-insignificant 252 horsepower. But this uncommon and unusually sporting model of the 2019 Honda Accord is an absolute delight to drive, one which’ll fulfill your want for pace even when your life circumstances have moved you away from sport compacts and into midsize sedans. Powertrain apart, the 2019 Honda Accord is a superb automobile through which to spend time. It nails the mission temporary of a midsize sedan, delivering straightforward on a regular basis livability that makes this automobile our prime choose in its class. About that engine Of course, with “2.0T” proper within the identify, there is not any technique to keep away from discussing the brisk acceleration enabled by that engine. A cousin to the two.0-liter within the Civic Type R, the turbo mill endows the Accord with 252 horsepower and 273 pound-feet of torque, the latter supplied all the best way from 1,500 by means of 4,000 rpm. That’s fairly a bit extra verve than the 1.5-liter turbo engine in different Accords, which serves up a superbly ample 192 hp and 192 lb-ft and mates both to a handbook or a repeatedly variable transmission.

On increase, the engine whips the Goodyear Eagle Touring tires right into a frenzy and pulls swiftly by means of the handbook transmission’s decrease gears. It’s fairly thrilling for what’s, finally, an bizarre household sedan.

Fortunately the engine is just not all about large increase, and operates easily and quietly in additional quotidian driving conditions. There’s ample torque proper off idle for spurting by means of metropolis visitors and sufficient midrange punch you do not even want to fret when you neglect to downshift earlier than merging. The elective 2.0-liter turbo engine is an actual powerhouse.
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Big credit score additionally should go to the automobile’s six-speed handbook, which must be among the many loveliest gearshifts you could find in a brand new automobile right this moment. Light sufficient to make use of with two fingers, direct sufficient that you just by no means mistake one gate for one more and paired with a just-right clutch pedal, it is the kind of stick-shift association that takes no effort in any respect to drive — even in stop-and-go metropolis visitors. But I would not fault anybody for purchasing this automobile with the elective 10-speed automated transmission as a substitute. Daily driver extraordinaire There’s various pleasure in the best way the 2019 Honda Accord handles all features of driving, truly. With an incredible, commanding driving place and panopticon visibility in each route, busy metropolis streets aren’t any chore in any respect. The Accord’s steering is mild however not with out some sense of what the entrance tires are doing, the brake pedal reassuringly agency however not overly so. It’s a automobile that feels prefer it was engineered by individuals who get pleasure from driving, and in consequence, it is a automobile that’s gratifying to drive. On the freeway, the Accord retains wind and highway noise remarkably hushed, whereas displaying well-mannered damping that retains head-bobbing over dips and bumps to a minimal. However, these 19-inch wheels and low-profile (235/40 facet ratio) tires wrestle with cracked and brittle pavement. Impacts are each felt and heard within the cabin; different Accords trip extra softly on 17-inch wheels with extra tire sidewall, and that will be my most popular setup for daily-driving obligation. The Accord’s inside is useful and effectively laid out.
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This Accord Sport mannequin does profit by way of dealing with from a faster steering ratio, upgraded anti-roll bars and wider tires than, say, the extra widespread EX trim. But expertise in different fashions suggests all Accords are equally as satisfying to drive as this sporty-ish mannequin. Business informal design There’s lots to look concerning the trendy, fashionable design of the 2019 Honda Accord, which manages to be an entire lot much less bland than the last-generation mannequin. With a low nostril and a curving roofline, the sedan has fairly a sporty profile. I may do with out the large chrome strip alongside the highest of the windowline, however in any other case the Accord’s jewellery, particularly the LED head- and taillights, properly breaks up its large surfaces. Large 19-inch wheels, chromed twin exhausts and a trunklid spoiler are appreciated touches on this Sport mannequin.

Functional inside The cabin is equally pleasing to the attention, completed with high-quality supplies that, regardless of the black-on-black coloration scheme, don’t look in in the slightest degree dour. Everything you contact, from plastics to switches to the teensy shift knob, feels good, too. The two heart cupholders are set deep into the console, so you should use taller espresso mugs or water bottles. The heart console cubby itself is just not monumental, although presents a USB and 12-volt energy outlet to energy devices. A cubby forward of the shifter is dwelling to a different pair of retailers and might conceal a charging telephone or iPod. Honda’s infotainment system works effectively and helps each Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
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In true Honda vogue, the inside is extraordinarily useful, with large knobs for the local weather management, easy-to-find flaps masking the USB ports, large switches on the steering wheel and a superlegible, semidigital instrument cluster. While the right-hand aspect of the cluster is an old-school analog speedometer, the left-hand aspect can function a digital tachometer or a visit pc, or can supply up any variety of information pages for issues like car standing, safety-system operation, music and telephone calling data and even service schedules. A wide range of adjustment for the entrance seats and steering wheel makes discovering a snug driving place a cinch, and there is head- and legroom to spare for average-size adults. The identical is true of the second row, the place you will not imagine how a lot area passengers have. Even with the roof’s sloping profile, back-seat headroom is beneficiant. Nor will you imagine how a lot stuff you may match within the trunk, which has a low liftover peak, a large opening and the flexibility to swallow a class-leading 16.7 cubic toes of your belongings. The again seats fold down simply, too, for transporting bigger gadgets if needed. The trunk is big, storage 16.7 cubic toes of bags.
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Plentiful expertise All Accords save the bottom LX and the Hybrid use an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment that helps Bluetooth, satellite tv for pc radio, HD Radio, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. Built-in navigation, a Wi-Fi hotspot and wi-fi telephone charging can be found on some fashions. It could be good to have some USB ports within the again to maintain the youngsters’ tablets charged, too, although. The touchscreen crams a number of data onto its show, however its menu construction is straightforward to navigate and responses to inputs are near-instant. Redundant bodily buttons encompass the display, making it simpler to leap between choices or to regulate settings by really feel whereas driving. Safety expertise is in abundance and, better of all, most of it comes commonplace throughout all trim ranges — one thing that may’t be stated of all rivals. Standard gear contains forward-collision warning automated emergency braking, lane-departure warning and lane-keep help, traffic-sign recognition, automated headlights and adaptive cruise management. That ACC is obtainable even on a manual-transmission automobile is a rarity. Blind-spot monitoring can also be supplied on most trim ranges. These wheels look nice however do not do trip high quality any favors.
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Economy and pricing One draw back to electing the two.0-liter engine is that gasoline financial system falls to 22 miles per gallon metropolis and 32 mpg freeway on this Sport mannequin. While that is corresponding to different high-powered midsize sedans — the Toyota Camry XSE V6 additionally scores 22/32 mpg, for example — it isn’t too spectacular by the requirements of the category. Most buyers can be extra compelled by Accords geared up with the automobile’s 1.5-liter turbo engine, which return as much as 30/38 mpg in EPA testing. The Accord Hybrid, in the meantime, is rated for 47/47 mpg. In phrases of pricing, nevertheless, this Sport 2.0T falls proper in the course of the 2019 Accord vary, at $31,630 as examined. The sedan’s pricing construction largely mirrors its competitors, with fashions powered by the bottom 1.5-liter engine working from $24,640 for an LX as much as $31,040 for an EX-L. Opt for the two.0-liter mill and you may pay between $31,630 and $36,870. This Accord Sport 2.0T is unquestionably the driving fanatic’s alternative, what with its energy and six-speed handbook transmission. Yet spending per week behind the wheel of the Accord actually simply underlines how well-sorted the complete automobile is for no matter kind of driving you want: City, suburb, or freeway, the Accord handles it effectively. Plus, it is reasonably priced, environment friendly, extremely spacious and full of expertise that simply plain works. With all that in thoughts, there is not any midsize automobile we would advocate extra readily than the Honda Accord.

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