All-new Honda Accord priced from $47,990

HONDA Australia has announced that its long-awaited 10th-generation Accord mid-size sedan will be priced from $47,990 plus on-road costs when it enters showrooms next month, more than two years after launching in the US. 

Set to provide Honda with a more competitive model than the current Accord as it struggles against the dominating sales figures of the Toyota Camry and Mazda6, the all-new Thai-built sedan will serve as the Japanese brand’s flagship sedan with just one trim level and two engine options.

Honda says the new Accord has been designed to “distinguish itself as a class above its competitors” – a statement well found in the new model’s pricing which maintains its position at the top end of the mainstream mid-size passenger car segment.

The VTi-LX petrol kicks off the two-model range with anew 1.5-litre turbocharged VTEC-equipped four-cylinder engine, while the VTi-LX hybrid with a more powerful 2.0-litre petrol-electric powertrain is set at $50,490 – a reduction of more than 14 per cent compared to the outgoing hybrid but still at the pointy end of the class. A V6 engine is no longer available.

The new 1.5-litre unit produces a healthy 140kW of power and 260Nm of torque and is paired with Honda’s own CVT transmission.

Its more expensive brother is powered by the third generation of Honda’s two-motor hybrid technology, pairing a 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine with dualelectric motors, though only one produces power to the wheels.

This combination is good for 158kW and 315Nm, with 100 per cent of torque available between zero and 2000rpm.

Honda claims fuel economy figures of 6.5 litres per 100km on the official combined cycle for the 1.5 turbo – an improvement of more than 20 per cent compared to out the outgoing 2.4-litre unit – and just 4.3L/100km for the hybrid.

The new-generation Accord is slightly shorter (-26mm) and wider (+18mm) than Gen IX, and has a longer wheelbase (+55mm) that liberates extra cabin room.

Rear legroom is up 49mm while boot capacity has grown by almost 25 per cent to 570 litres.

Standard equipment includes remote engine start/stop, wireless device charging and a head-up display, as well as the car-maker’s latest driver-assist and ‘Honda Sensing’ safety technologies.

The latter includes forward collision warning, collision mitigation braking, lane-departure warning, lane-keep assist, road departure mitigation, adaptive cruise control (with low-speed follow functionality) and high-beam assist.

The lighting spec also covers LED headlights, tail-lights, foglights, daytime runners and active cornering lights, while other notable systems on board include driver fatigue alert, rear cross-traffic alert, tyre pressure monitoring, a 360-degree parking camera and ‘smart parking assist’ (with rear collision mitigation).

On the infotainment front, the Accord has an 8.0-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility, Bluetooth, DAB+ digital radio, satellite navigation (with traffic updates), two USB ports and, not least of all, a 10-speaker 452W premium sound system.

The driver and front passenger are provided with black leather-appointed seats with electric adjustment (eight-way driver/four-way passenger) and heating functionality, while a leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift lever are included.

A woodgrain-look finish is applied to other surfaces in the cabin. A sunroof is standard, as are 18-inch alloy wheels. 

New models invariably bring new styling cuesand technical updates and, in the case of the new Accord, Honda Australia director Stephen Collins said “designers and engineers sought to convey absolute confidence in every element of design and performance”.

“They have built upon the bedrock character of Accord over 43 years and nine generations, and while we don’t have large volumes in mind for this car, it is certainly one that is important to the Honda line-up,” he said. 

To the end of October this year, Honda has sold just 115 Accords, accounting for just 0.5 per cent of the increasingly low-volumemid-size segment.

Toyota’s Camry dominates the class with a 62.9 per cent share (13,519 YTD), while other contenders include the Mazda6 (2282), Subaru Liberty (1205), Hyundai Sonata (746) and Ford Mondeo (580).

2019 Honda Accord pricing*

*Excludes on-road costs