2018 Honda Accord offers more gears, more space, Car Price, Gas mileage

Honda’s top-selling family car is completely redone for 2018 and promises greater efficiency and comfort, though some long-time customers might notice something big missing.

2018 Honda Accord Engine

• Honda redesigned its best-selling sedan for 2018, and it now boasts a lighter body, new powertrains, plenty of tech and standard safety features and a sportier design.
• The all-new 10th generation Accord was debuted with a longer wheelbase, lower height, wider body and a lower seating position.
• The redesigned 2018 Accord features a long, low hood, a chrome wing grille, large air intake and available full LED headlights, fog lights and taillights.
• Along with its sportier design, the 2018 Accord welcomes a lighter, more rigid body and new chassis design.
• Honda now offers the choice of two new turbocharged gas engines or its improved two-motor hybrid system.

Honda is hoping the new Accord, due in showrooms in the fall, will reverse the car's sales decline. Through June, sales fell 5.5 percent compared with last year as U.S. buyers shun midsize cars in favor of SUVs. Sales of all midsize cars combined were down nearly 18 percent during the first half of the year, and the midsize sedan's share of the market has dropped from 16 percent five years ago to just under 11 percent, according to Kelley Blue Book. Still, Honda sold more than 345,000 Accords last year.

2018 Honda Accord Front Left

• The new 2018 Accord offers more power from either a 1.5-liter or a 2.0-liter turbocharged, direct-injected, four-cylinder gas engine, producing 192 horsepower and 252 horsepower, respectively.

2018 Honda Accord Badge

• For all 2018 Accords, Honda Sensing safety and driver assist technology now comes standard—think collision mitigation braking system, lane departure warning, road departure mitigation, adaptive cruise control with low speed follow and traffic sign recognition.

The new version, unveiled Friday, is just under an inch lower than the outgoing model, and the distance between the wheels is more than two inches longer. That gives it more 2.5 cubic feet more of interior room and one added cubic foot of trunk space. The 2018 version is 110 to 176 pounds lighter as well, depending on options. The overall length slightly shorter than the outgoing model at 192.1 inches.

Gone is a V6 engine option, replaced by two turbocharged four-cylinder engines. The base four is 1.5 liters and it puts out 192 horsepower with a continuously variable transmission. There's also an optional 2-Liter four with 252 horsepower mated to a 10-speed automatic transmission. A gas-electric hybrid version also is available.

2018 Honda Accord Rear Right

• Blind spot assist, front and rear park sensors, cross traffic monitor and driver awareness monitor are also available for the redesigned Accord. 

That would be the Accord’s 3.5-liter V-6 engine, a powerful choice on upper trim levels that snarls and delivers snappy acceleration. In its place is a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine making 252 horsepower and paired with a Honda-designed 10-speed automatic, the first of its kind in a front-wheel drive car. Honda claims the new engine’s greater torque, the transmission’s improved gearing, and a stiffer chassis — that’s up to 176 pounds lighter — will translate to impressive performance, although we’re going to miss that sweet six.

2018 Honda Accord Dashboard

• Inside, the new Accord gets bigger and more tech savvy, featuring a new eight-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, along with available head up display, wireless device charging and 4G LTE Wi-Fi connectivity.

2018 Honda Accord Rear Seat

• Thanks to its longer wheelbase, the 2018 Accord offers even more cargo space than the previous generation, up to 16.7 cubic-feet behind the rear seat.

2018 Honda Accord Rear Right Quarter

• Available in six trims and a choice of a gas or hybrid powetrain, the redesigned 2018 Honda Accord will go on sale this fall.

The 10th generation of the Accord will have Honda's safety technology suite, which includes automatic emergency braking and lane-keeping assistance, standard on all models.

All the improvements may make the car great, but they likely won't help sales much as the market shift continues, said Jack Nerad, executive market analyst for Kelley Blue Book. "While we expect the new Accord to be a technological, design and engineering success, it's unlikely to be the sales success that its predecessor was," Nerad said.

Price, gas mileage and the exact sale date were not released.

The Accord has grown tremendously in size and power since the first hatchback Accord made its debut in 1976. That car was nearly 30 inches shorter and had a four-cylinder engine that put out only 68 horsepower.