Southern California could be recognized for its sunshine and heat, nevertheless it will get rain and, within the mountains, snow. It wasn’t sufficient to discourage the redesigned 2023 Honda Accord Hybrid from climbing greater than 5,000 ft to Palomar Mountain, from the hallmark coastal sunshine to uncommon bluebird snow.
The curving ascent confirmed off the spectacular dealing with of the Eleventh-generation Accord. Honda ditched the out there adaptive dampers that have been the key sauce for a super ride-and-handling steadiness in outgoing prime Touring trims, whereas it made the physique of the brand new model stiffer with brace bars, stiffer brackets, and thicker plates.
Honda badges the 4 hybrid trims with Sport names to differentiate it from base LX and EX trims powered by a 1.5-liter turbo-4. At the very least in dealing with, it’s worthy of the badge.
Regardless of the engine, the Accord felt secure and planted, aided by new damper mounts and a wider monitor of 0.4 inches. A brand new brake-based torque vectoring system, dubbed Movement Administration by Honda, helped too. Based mostly on back-to-back drives with its hybrid predecessor, it steered extra straight although the wheel felt lighter; Honda stated there’s decreased friction within the steering column.
It made for a way more spirited climb than anticipated, although the Accord Hybrid nonetheless lacked energy winding out of these esses.
2023 Honda Accord Hybrid
Very similar to mountain climbing with dangerous knees, it was simpler to climb in a front-wheel-drive sedan than to descend, with the burden pitched ahead. The brand new Accord Hybrid weighs anyplace from 3,468 kilos in base Sport to three,532 kilos within the prime Touring mannequin I examined, representing a marginal weight improve of about 140 kilos and 90 kilos, respectively. It’s 2.7 inches longer and comes higher outfitted with extra highly effective engines so the burden acquire is muscle, not fats.
Nonetheless, ice patches lurked in curves the place the solar had but to interrupt by Ponderosa pines and different fir timber. Different elements of the highway steamed with the soften. This was the place the Accord Hybrid’s revised regenerative braking system grew to become an unintended however welcome helper.
Honda launched six regen brake settings accessible by paddle shifters which might be far more vital than the 4 regen settings within the outgoing mannequin. The sixth setting makes use of each the motors and friction braking to deliver the Accord Hybrid to a close to cease, like many battery electrical autos, however not an entire cease for true one-pedal driving. The final ten ft require a brake, as if it have been a gasoline automotive in gear.
2023 Honda Accord Hybrid
The completely different settings helped me get down the hill with out taxing the brake pads, but additionally to manage speeds that might’ve had me downshifting into the low gear of a gasoline automotive.
These regen settings assist with effectivity much more so. In Econ mode or Sport mode, the 2023 Accord Hybrid averaged greater than 53 mpg in comparable routes of about 14 miles every with a posted velocity restrict of 55 mph. Even with variances in stops, modes, and regen settings, it constantly outperformed EPA scores of 46 mpg metropolis, 41 freeway, and 44 mixed for Sport, Sport-L, and Touring trims.
These fashions journey on 19-inch black wheels and tires, whereas the EX-L wears 17-inch wheels. It tops the Accord’s effectivity ranking at 51/44/48 mpg. In any trim, it’s 1 mpg extra environment friendly than the outgoing Accord Hybrid. It nonetheless trails the 52 mpg mixed ranking of the Toyota Camry and Hyundai Sonata hybrids, although.
A brand new Particular person mode customizes the default Regular mode to alter the powertrain and steering from Econ, Regular, and Sport, however it may possibly solely be executed by the touchscreen in Park. The adjustments didn’t quantity to a lot in my restricted testing. The good a part of Particular person mode was to alter the throttle and braking really feel on adaptive cruise management, so you may set it to hustle or improve velocity extra steadily when the lead automotive will get out of the way in which.
2023 Honda Accord Hybrid
2023 Honda Accord Hybrid
2023 Honda Accord Hybrid
One different neat characteristic in regards to the regen brake system is that when the regen hits the 0.3 g threshold that flashes the brake lights, brake lights seem on the little automotive within the instrument cluster.
Sport mode adjusts throttle and steering responses to be extra delicate, and Honda programmed the engine’s conduct to approximate gear shifts. They’re blips on the facility needle, whereas Honda pipes in engine noise and simulated shifts by the speaker system. It could be counterintuitive for a system prioritizing effectivity, nevertheless it offers the Accord a dualistic nature the place it’s muted in Econ mode. You possibly can have your cake and eat it too, simply don’t anticipate it to return fast.
Even with updates to the two-motor hybrid system and the two.0-liter inline-4 operating on a lean Atkinson cycle, it takes a beat for the facility to return on, from a cease and at velocity.
The brand new hybrid powertrain has a extra compact format with two motors mounted beside one another and a bigger propulsion motor than earlier than. New cylinder heads and a direct injection system, in addition to different adjustments to the engine, end in fewer uncommon metals utilized in its building, Terumasa Kotada, chief engineer of the Accord, advised Inexperienced Automotive Stories. No cargo or passenger area is sacrificed between Accord hybrids and Accords with the 1.5-liter turbo-4.
2023 Honda Accord Hybrid
2023 Honda Accord Hybrid
2023 Honda Accord Hybrid
Behind the wheel, the adjustments add as much as a modest increase of 204 hp from 202 hp within the outgoing mannequin, and 247 lb-ft of torque from 232 lb-ft.
The Honda Accord Hybrid is successfully an electrical automotive more often than not, with the facility to run it coming principally from the engine, plus the modest battery pack. Adjustments to the battery administration system let it run in EV mode longer than its predecessor, and Kotada stated the management system locations extra precedence on the battery. It feels prefer it, with much less noise and the engine kicking on much less often to generate energy.
Maybe most significantly— for the model and fellow Earthlings—is that the corporate sees the Honda CR-V Hybrid and forthcoming 2024 Honda Civic Hybrid making up no less than 50% of gross sales for every mannequin as more durable fleet gasoline financial system requirements take maintain. It doesn’t assist that Honda lacks a battery electrical automobile till the 2024 Honda Prologue launches someday in 2024.
The essence of the 2023 Honda Accord Hybrid is refinement. It’s cleaner, smoother, and quieter, and Honda has pared again luxury-leaning parts like faux wooden trim and the button gear shifter within the console. It’s a hybrid for the plenty, priced between $33,000 for the Sport and $39,000 for the Touring, but it doesn’t skimp on trendy tech.
2023 Honda Accord Hybrid
Each hybrid has a 12.3-inch touchscreen with wi-fi smartphone compatibility and out there wi-fi charging, and a leather-wrapped steering wheel. The infotainment show depends on extra orderly tiles, and the buttons aren’t wedged into the corners so the consumer expertise is less complicated, neater, higher. The Touring makes use of Google built-in for navigation, voice, and different related automotive companies. Essentially the most environment friendly EX-L grade prices $34,635 and comes with heated entrance seats, however a heated steering wheel gained’t be discovered anyplace on the choices record.
Each 2023 Accord comes with new entrance seats with extra assist and higher cushions, and the usual driver-assist bundle consists of options which might be often an additional cost from luxurious makes. It consists of automated emergency braking, blind-spot displays, lively lane management, adaptive cruise management, site visitors jam help, and automated excessive beam headlights.
Honda made an excellent automotive higher with the 2023 Accord Hybrid, and it’s an excellent worth. It could be a stopgap as Honda climbs the ramp to its electrical automotive portfolio, however for now, and the subsequent few years, it’ll fulfill the multitudes of individuals selecting HEVs over BEVs.
Honda paid for airfare and lodging for GCR to current this firsthand assessment.