Pricing and Equipment
The 2016 Honda Accord is offered as a two-door coupe or four-door sedan. An overachieving 185-horsepower 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine and six-speed manual transmission arrive standard in both the coupe and sedan. A continuously variable transmission (CVT) is optional on all four-cylinder models. A silky-smooth 278-horsepower V6 and 6-speed automatic transmission powers the EX-L V6 and Touring models.
Note: Honda will not offer the hybrid for the 2016 model year.
Pricing for the sedan's six trim levels is as follows:
- The 2.4-liter four-cylinder LX starts at $22,925 with manual; Sport, $24,985 with manual; EX, $26,300 with CVT; and EX-L, $29,390 with CVT.
- The EX-L V6 starts at $31,465 with a six-speed automatic, and the top-trim Touring begins at $35,400 with a six-speed automatic.
The coupe's trim levels and pricing:
- The 2.4-liter four-cylinder LX-S starts at $34,775 with manual; EX, $25,900 with manual; EX-L, $28,745 with CVT.
- V6 models with a six-speed automatic transmission include the EX-L V6 for $30,925 and Touring that starts at $34,125.
(Prices do not include an $820 destination charge.)
Performance Pros
Whether you choose the 2.4-liter four-cylinder or the 3.5-liter V6, the Honda Accord offers an exciting driving dynamic largely missing from the family sedan segment. Four-cylinder models arrive with a highly praised six-speed manual transmission. A retuned CVT is optional, but yields the maximum fuel economy.
I recently spent a week with the top-trim 278-horsepower V6 Touring model. Attached to a smooth-shifting six-speed automatic, the Touring provides excellent acceleration and plenty of confidence on the road.
Honda’s recent refresh focused on giving the 2016 Accord sportier handling characteristics. Changes included the addition of high-performance dampers, tweaks to the electric steering and numerous structural reinforcements. The result is an Accord that is compliant and fun to drive around town. The solid chassis also shines on the highway where passing is a breeze.
- Braking is excellent, even in panic stops where the Accord remains composed and ready.
- The revised steering is direct and offers a nice level of feedback.
- Gas mileage in the four-cylinder CVT is 27 mpg city and 37 mpg highway. The V6 returns up to 21 mpg city and 34 mpg highway. All models use regular unleaded gasoline.
Performance Cons
Unlike the majority of the Accord’s competitors, Honda doesn’t include a way to manually shift the six-speed automatic. This wouldn’t be a big deal, except that the transmission can take longer to make downshifts than I prefer. Considering the power of the V6 and the sporty nature of the Accord, the omission of paddle shifters seems odd.
Interior Pros
The open feeling of the Accord’s interior sets it apart from many other vehicles in the segment. The design gives the driver and passengers the feeling that the Accord is much bigger than it looks from the outside.
- The instrument cluster features gigantic analog-look speedometer, tachometer, fuel, and temperature gauges that are bold and easy to read.
- The fit and finish of the Accord is exemplary. The upscale feeling of the Accord’s interior, even in the lower trim levels, strives to belie the vehicle’s price tag. My Touring model featured comfortable leather seats, ample soft-touch surfaces, and attractive wood-grain accents that could easily have been lifted from the luxury-brand Acura’s parts bin.
- The sedan gives rear-seat passengers plenty of room to spread out, while the coupe is certainly tighter quarters but not cramped for two.
- The sedan’s nice-size trunk is big enough for family road trips. Typical for the design, the coupe loses a couple cubic feet of cargo space.
- The dual screens in the upper trim levels take a little while to get used to, and some feel they clutter the dashboard, but I grew to appreciate them. The top screen works well as a navigation master display and for displaying the optional LaneWatch blind-spot side view camera.
Interior Cons
For some reason Honda insists on forgoing a real volume knob. The steering wheel-mounted volume control is great for the driver, but passengers are left to deal with a weird touch panel that only seems to work part of the time.
The Most Pleasant Surprise
I loved the silky-smooth acceleration of the V6. The sound that it makes is wonderful. I don’t know how else to explain it, but the lovely noises it makes sound expensive.
The Least Pleasant Surprise
The fact that you can get shifter paddles to manually control the Sport’s CVT, but you can’t even order them as an option on the top-trim V6 model.
The Bottom Line
The Honda Accord is a longtime favorite in the family sedan segment. The 2016 refresh adds even more value, with modernized styling, excellent standard features and a ride quality often reserved for vehicles that offer far less utility and economy. The coupe also offers excellent value and dynamic driving with sleeker lines that are more aggressive but at a loss of overall utility and function.