Often when describing a person, an animal or a machine as reliable many of us tend to think of something that’s boring. The problem is we confuse reliability with predictability and when it comes to people we don’t want predictable, but we do want reliable. With our cars we want both. It’s important to have a vehicle you know will get your where you need to go and do so every single time, but does that mean we need these cars to be boring? Not at all, in fact one of the most reliable vehicles on the road is a great example of power, style and fuel efficiency that’s perfect for the entire family to love.
The Honda Accord is a car with the name we know and love and understand as a vehicle we can depend on. It’s been an efficient, safe and predictable car to own, but over the past few years and continuing into 2017 the Accord had gained a look and attitude you want to have when you drive. For this new model year the Accord brings back the hybrid model with more power and the HondaSensing safety package along with the new Sport Special Edition sedan which gives you a car that’s even more impressive than the Sport model.
One reason the Accord is such a popular car is the fact you get a lot for what you pay for. The starting price of the base model Accord is just over $23,000 with the automatic transmission costing only $800 more. The Sport and Sport Special Edition models will bring you up to the high $20,000 range and the Touring model begins at a little over $35,000 but is as close to luxury as you can get. The Hybrid models start around $30,000 and top out at $37,000 but do have the benefit of the Federal Tax Credit to bring the price down for you.
Starting at the base LX trim you will have a standard rearview camera, dual-zone automatic climate controls, a four-speaker audio system, Bluetooth connectivity, USB and auxiliary ports, and an eight-inch infotainment color display screen. The Sport model adds a ten way power adjustable driver’s seat, LED fog lights, daytime running lights, a split folding rear seat, and a leather wrapped steering wheel while the Special Edition brings a leather interior with heated front seats.
Moving up to what you can add on to your Accord the first option is the Honda Sensing suite which will cost only $1,000 and adds lane keeping assistance, adaptive cruise control, collision migration braking and road departure mitigation. Thankfully this suite is standard on the hybrid and all Touring models of the Accord. Other items you can add include blind spot monitoring, a navigation system, an upgraded audio system, the HomeLink garage opener, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and the HondaLink smartphone connectivity.
Looking to the power of the Accord you find a familiar 2.4-liter inline four-cylinder engine on the base models. This engine produces 185 horsepower and 181 lb.-ft. of torque and is This engine is mated to either a manual transmission or a CVT and gives you 23 city/32 hwy jpg in the manual and 27 city/36 hwy mpg for the automatic. Next up is the 3.5-liter V6 engine which brings 278 horsepower and 252 lb.-ft. of torque while uses a traditional six-speed automatic or the manual transmission. This gives you a more powerful engine and still 18 city/28 hwy mpg in the manual or 21 city/33 hwy mpg for the automatic.
The third engine of the bunch is the hybrid which uses a 2.0-liter inline four-cylinder engine and two AC Synchronous Permanent Magnet Electric motors. This combination produces 212 horsepower and 232 lb.-ft. of torque while resulting in 49 city/47 hwy mpg to give you the most fuel efficient Accord in the lineup.
The Honda Accord has been one of the most dependable vehicles we’ve had on the market for several decades. Like your father or grandfather it’s always there for you and like them this car has a twinkle in its eye of knowing how to be a lot of fun when you want it to be. This is a car that just makes sense for all driving and is waiting for you to stop in at your local Honda dealer and pick one up.
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