2013 Honda Accord Sedan Revealed & Updaded with Video

[Vinsanity]

I seriously do not understand your fixation over the Honda Accord.

[Atomic]

I seriously do not understand your fixation over the Honda Accord.

My family's ownership of quite a few and this year I want to trade our 2010 Civic in for the roomier Accord. They have proven extremely reliable for us and we have not had a single problem with any of them. There is always a fear that they will become complicated and so far there is nothing like te MYFORD system to worry about. This model year (2013), the Accord returns to its tidier dimensions and that coupled with our minor quibbles (more like a wish list) have been addressed.

[TurboDan]

My family's ownership of quite a few and this year I want to trade our 2010 Civic in for the roomier Accord. They have proven extremely reliable for us and we have not had a single problem with any of them. There is always a fear that they will become complicated and so far there is nothing like te MYFORD system to worry about. This model year (2013), the Accord returns to its tidier dimensions and that coupled with our minor quibbles (more like a wish list) have been addressed.

Coupe or sedan? Always loved the coupe. Has looked hot for years IMO. Accord has always seemed appliance-ish.

Have driven both (gfs' cars). Not too shabby. Quick and handling was surprisingly decent. It's not the car for me, but it's not as un-thusiast as it's usually panned as.

[Atomic]

Coupe or sedan? Always loved the coupe. Has looked hot for years IMO. Accord has always seemed appliance-ish.

Have driven both (gfs' cars). Not too shabby. Quick and handling was surprisingly decent. It's not the car for me, but it's not as un-thusiast as it's usually panned as.

We have ever owned a coupe, but I do like the Accord coupe, including the 2013 (yes. MY13!) spotted in August 2012 by a Honda fan in another person's driveway:

http://vtec.net/news/news-item?news_item_id=1086408 CREDIT: My friends at Temple of VETEC

I like the color, too!

[Atomic]

Detailed photograph with diagram of all new 2013 Honda Accord's far more intuitive and upscale dashboard design leaked from U.S. spec Honda literature.

http://rumors.automobilemag.com/leaked-2013-honda-accord-interior-revealed-online-166459.html/2013-honda-accord-interior-brochure-leak/

[CJ]

That interior is a mess.

[Raza]

That interior is a mess.

Isn't incomprehensible interior design a Honda trademark now?

[CJ]

Isn't incomprehensible interior design a Honda trademark now?

Yes, and that's a shame.  Honda interiors used to be so simple.  Look at the Accord from 1998-2002.  That's a good looking car with a very simple interior. 

[Atomic]

With these sketches and an increased emphasis on Acura worldwide, including the next NSX, I am more excited about more worldly prospects, as well as certain key models to the U.S. like the next Civic series (hatchbacks confirmed for NA) being developed here in the U.S.

Russian Accord:

http://carscoop.blogspot.com/2012/09/honda-previews-russian-and-possibly.html

[Atomic]

That interior is a mess.

There is so much overwriting (I need to get my hands on the wheel -- lol!). Damn literature. it's hard to tell from the pic and yes I posted the damn thing. I hope it's not all that bad. Obviously, there is a lot more content. I know Audi owners still perplexed with their host of nobs, switches and buttons, but Honda's cannot be all that complex. Well, let's hope not! 

[2o6]

http://www.insideline.com/honda/accord/2013/2013-honda-accord-first-look.html

Yeah, techincal specs are a bit more substantial; most notably the change to MacPhearson Struts up front. Honda insists the change reduces front overhang and weight (the car is only ~20lbs lighter than the old model) but it's likely for cost. IIRC, struts are way cheaper than the double wishbone setup.



Still, why is the sheet metal and overall proportions so unchanged from last year? Everyone else is going big with styling, yet Honda insists on making this look worse than last year's model.

[CJ]

The Hybrid is the worst thing I've ever seen.  Kill it with fire.

[Xer0]

The new Accord is plenty boring looking, but, the fact that Honda kept the manual and actually lets you pair with a good amount of trim levels is pretty cool.  Shame about the front suspension though.

[Raza]

Eh, I'm waiting to hear a good argument against MacPherson struts when cars like the E46, which is still widely considered one of the best handling sedans of all time, used struts up front. 

[SVT666]

Eh, I'm waiting to hear a good argument against MacPherson struts when cars like the E46, which is still widely considered one of the best handling sedans of all time, used struts up front. 

Yeah, me too.

[565]

That sucks, electric power steering and struts instead of hydraulic and double wishbones.  I'm tempted to go out and get a 2012 Accord now while I still can, it marks the last of an era.

[2o6]

That sucks, electric power steering and struts instead of hydraulic and double wishbones.  I'm tempted to go out and get a 2012 Accord now while I still can, it marks the last of an era.

Electric PS seems OK. The switch to struts were obviously a cost cutting measure, and Honda is trying to bill it as something else.

[Atomic]

Even more pics. Over 400 high resolution interior and exterior shops and others from Honda to Carscoop:

http://carscoop.blogspot.com/2012/09/2013-honda-accord-sedan-and-coupe-mega.html

Rumor and previous pic debunked, IMO, of what looked like an overly busy interior fascia. From much clearer shots and a multitude of them at that, the dashboard of the MY13 Accord with its far more intuitive features is well organized and simpler to use. Full test reports will certainly give the impressions of each driver, of course, but the customer will determine its sales potential and I see another enormous hit here. We shall soon see if I am right, but even more importantantly, will this new Accord remain on the top 10? Will it lose, gain or remain selling at the same healthy rate in a highly competitive market? I say it will succeed in selling within the top ten, if not five with great optimism.

Well, take a look at those 400+ photographs, above (link).

[Atomic]

I like the Accord Hybrid's exterior most of all, followed by the V6 Touring. The "hybrid" (a pretty distinctive looking model looks like a cool, restrained aftermarket sedan with awesome wheels and spoiler. The Audi-like grille shape with Accord's own unique flair and funky rear treatment is perhaps the best take on a hybrid edition of any sedan. Not dowdy, not overdone, yet could not do with another crease or additional badge. Then it would be overkill, I think.

[SVT666]

The Hybrid looks the best, but the wheels are gawd awful.

[Atomic]

Sales begin this week...

LOS ANGELES (Bloomberg, September 17, 2012) -- Honda Motor Co. is building the new Accord sedan at a record rate so dealers can start selling it this week as competition with mid-sized models from Toyota Motor Corp., Nissan Motor Co. and Ford Motor Co. intensifies.

Production of the 2013 Accord was at 6,000 units a week and rising at Honda's Marysville, Ohio, plant as of Sept. 14, said Mike Fischer, production leader for the car.

Since the start of production on Aug. 20, no new Honda model has been built at a faster pace and with fewer flaws, he said.

"We're at a benchmark pace," said Fischer, an associate chief engineer for Tokyo-based Honda, without elaborating. "Typically, some of our initial indicators for a production ramp-up are set for a three-month level. We've challenged ourselves to meet that in one month."

The ninth-generation Accord goes on sale in the United States on Sept. 19 as Nissan boosts output of a revamped Altima, Toyota expands deliveries of the Camry and Ford readies a restyled Fusion.

Mid-sized car sales are the biggest segment in the United States this year, up 22 percent through August to 2.52 million and outpacing the 15 percent increase in total car and truck sales, according to Woodcliff Lake, N.J.-based Autodata Corp.

The Camry, redesigned in 2011, remains the best-selling U.S. car, up 37 percent this year to 280,536. The 2012 Accord follows with sales of 218,665, ahead of Altima at 209,592 and Fusion at 181,865.

"Midsize sedans are where everyone is putting their resources right now," said Michael Robinet, managing director for industry consultant IHS Automotive based in Northville, Mich. "It's a knockdown, drag-out battle in that segment."

Production pace

Production of LX, Sport and EX grades of Honda's flagship sedan with four- and six-cylinder engines will grow throughout the year at the Ohio plant, Fischer said.

A redesigned Accord coupe will also be made in Marysville starting next month.

The plant has made Accords since 1982.

"We'll be continuing to ramp our production to what that actual peak market condition will be," Fischer said, without elaborating.

Nissan has raised output of 2013 Altimas at plants in Tennessee and Mississippi since May and will further accelerate the pace when both factories build it on three-shift schedules later this year, said Katherine Zachary, a company spokeswoman.

As much as 90 percent of Altima sales this month will be of the new car as dealers sell out of 2012 models, she said.

Honda's goal is to sell 350,000 of its new Accords annually in the United States.

Nissan hasn't set a similar target for Altima.

The automaker can build about 300,000 annually and as many as 400,000 by 2013 should demand reach that level, Bill Krueger, Nissan's vice chairman of the Americas, said in May.

Ford's Fusion

Ford is beginning to make 2013 Fusions at a factory in Mexico and starts advertising the car in October.

The model will also be built at Ford's Flat Rock, Mich., plant in 2013, where the automaker plans to add a second shift of 1,200 workers, Mark Fields, Ford's president of the Americas, said Sept. 10.

Honda's North American plants rank among the industry's best, based on J.D. Power & Associates' annual initial quality survey.

The company made the new Accord easier to build, in addition to a new look, engine and technical features.

Assembly process enhancements include a new sound damping material that's sprayed on rather than applied as a sheet; a new one-piece dashboard that eliminates squeaks and rattles and is faster to install; and a new stamping press that shapes body panels more rapidly, all to accelerate production, Fischer said.

"We understand this car is the halo vehicle for the company," he said. "This car is one of those benchmark products that we expect to do extremely well in the market."

[Atomic]

Just test drove a 2013 Accord Sport and I was even more impressed than I thought I would be. It does look far better in person. The size difference is immediately noticeable and it is more refined and a lot tidier. Only side by side can you appreciate the more luxurious front facia of the new model. This is where I think they could have improved upon the car. The rear is gorgeous. Pictures do not do it justice. It sort of resembles the Hyundai Genesis sedan from this angle without it being a copycat design. Actually, it works even better on the stealthier Accord sedan. Amazingly, getting rid of much of the bulk makes the car look athletic. Well, for a mid-size/full-size family oriented sedan. Very clean, uncluttered, it actually makes the outgoing model look ugly from even an Accord fan's perspective, I think. Yes. It has improved drastically.

The interior and drive (4 cylinder) can only be summed up as amazing. The dash is very straightforward and quality was Acura-like. No lie. You gotta experience it from behind the wheel to understand. It literally felt even a step or two above Acura, I am afraid to say as aspiring to move the family from Honda to Acura. Still likely, though for the distinction, but will wait for the next generation TL perhaps.

There were no coupes available and I did not even think to ask about an availability date for the two door. There was a lot of showroom traffic and MY13 Accord's coming in and going out for test drives. Great to see people so motivated. I did not plan on taking a car on the road by our favorite salesperson threw me the keys across the lot of the sleek black-on-black car I was inspected. I am glad he did. The four was so sweet, I am not certain if I would opt for the six. Two hybrid models will be coming out... one in early 2013 and the second in spring or summer '13 -- both as 2014 vehicles with trendier, more daring styling as shown in various photos.

[Atomic]

Honda Accord Reviews are Coming in:

Here is one that appeared in a newspaper article recently... The authors take was similar to mine...

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/16/automobiles/autoreviews/accord-once-more-with-no-nonsense.html?ref=autoreviews&moc.semityn.www

[AltinD]

the Accord V-6 sedan rips to 60 m.p.h. in just 6.1 seconds, according to Edmunds.com?s Inside Line. That?s nearly a full second quicker than the previous-generation car

So my less powerfull 2008 car (250 Hp) is faster 0-60 then the 2012 V6 Accord, while being smaller engined and heavier in weight.

I guess the 4Motion AWD and the DSG do get the job done (0-62 on 6.9sec)

[280Z Turbo]

Eh, I'm waiting to hear a good argument against MacPherson struts when cars like the E46, which is still widely considered one of the best handling sedans of all time, used struts up front. 

Camber gain is less, putting more stress on the outside edge of the tire rather than distributing it across the tread.

Pretty irrelevant on a street car, I think. But it is the reason why our little CRX kicks ass.

[Atomic]

So my less powerfull 2008 car (250 Hp) is faster 0-60 then the 2012 V6 Accord, while being smaller engined and heavier in weight.

I guess the 4Motion AWD and the DSG do get the job done (0-62 on 6.9sec)

Did you mean 2013 ?

[Atomic]

Camber gain is less, putting more stress on the outside edge of the tire rather than distributing it across the tread.

Pretty irrelevant on a street car, I think. But it is the reason why our little CRX kicks ass.

Thanks for your feedback. I was wondering, too.

BTW, the New York Times article was very well written and was obviously penned by someone knowing his cars and doing his research. I often pass up articles in newspapers for bias reporting on vehicles or providing inaccurate information. The Times sends Automotive articles directly to me via email and I have been a fan ever since.

[Vinsanity]

Did you mean 2013 ?

No he meant 2012.

2013 Accord V6: 0-60 in 6.1 seconds
2012 Accord V6: 0-60 in ~7 seconds
2008 Passat V6: 0-62 in 6.9 seconds

[AltinD]

2011 - present Passat V6: 0-62 in 5.5 seconds 

[280Z Turbo]

To be honest, I don't even know what Honda bothered putting double wishbones on mainstream cars. For sporty cars, it makes sense. For an Accord it makes no sense.

I don't think it necessarily improves ride or road feel either.