It gets me there.
It’s my last COAL and the car I’m driving these days. Thank you all for sticking with me.
In 2017 we decided to sell my wife’s aging 2001 Jetta. Since she drove only once or twice a week she would take my 2010 Volvo XC70 in an attempt to keep repair and maintenance costs low. I would try to find something where I could pile on the miles and not worry so much. Given my trouble-free 240,000 miles with the CR-V, I was pretty certain to stay with the house of Honda this time around.
The problem was that used CR-Vs were hot commodities and anything in my price range had mileage in the six digits. While I hoped to keep whatever I bought for a long time I didn’t think starting with something quite that broken in would be the best choice.
I found a 2012 Crosstour about an hour away and took it for a test drive. The price was right and the mileage was low, but the weirdly leaden handling and acceleration turned me away. Maybe there was something wrong with this particular example, but the feeling of disconnection made my XC70 feel like a Mini by comparison. Seeing the oddly shaped cargo area in person with its huge wheel well intrusions put me off as well.
As a searched the regional inventory over the course of weeks with no good hits, I began to question myself. Did we need two all-wheel-drive vehicles? Did we need two cars with the capacity to haul stuff? In all likelihood, if I had to drive to work on a particularly snowy day I could take the Volvo, as any appointments my wife had on a day like that would likely be canceled. Not to mention the option of taking one the many vacation days I had piling up. (Flash forward to 2020 where telework is a viable choice, too).
As the news of different car companies getting out of the sedan business due to slow sales came out, I noticed that there were plenty of low-mileage fairly priced sedans for the picking. SUVs were in, sedans were out, and the used car market seemed to reflect the trends in new cars. If I didn’t want all-wheel-drive, I could get a lot more car with a lot fewer miles on it for less money.
The dealer that used to service my CR-V had several Accords to choose from. One that caught my eye was a 2013 EX-L with 57,000 miles on it. On a test drive the 185-horsepower 4-cylinder engine seemed to move the car well and without the “I need to keep pressing the gas pedal to keep moving on the highway” experience I had with the CR-V. It felt quicker than the Volvo (weight being a factor, no doubt). The continuously variable transmission was remarkably unobtrusive. I’d heard many CVTs provided a kind of delayed rubber-band experience, but I don’t think I would have known the difference if I hadn’t read the specifications. Outside of some vibration at idle and a bit more strain when fully loaded, you could easily believe there were six cylinders under the hood.
The particular Accord had been purchased and serviced at this dealer. It had complete service records, a clean CarFax, and the original window sticker. After I test drove the car I came back with my wife a few days later so she could check it out. We considered trading in the Jetta given the age of the car they weren’t able to offer much, despite the low mileage. We ended up selling it for about twice as much on our own. Money changed hands, papers were signed, and we had a new car.
I think they color-matched the interior to a 1980’s Macintosh SE.
My Accord is a rather anonymous-looking Alabaster Silver Metallic with grey leather interior. Whoever ordered it must have been shooting for a rental car aesthetic. Shortly after we bought the car I ordered a set of Honda painted body side moldings to get a bit of protection from parking lot dings. So far that has either worked or I’ve been lucky. They also helped to visually break up the rather tall body sides. Someone in my parking lot had a 2015 Accord V-6 with every external plastic molding, spoiler, and add-on you could get from the factory. While it was a little overdone, I had to admit that the side molding helped a lot.
A little thing like a side molding can make a world of difference.
The 2013 Accord was the first year of the ninth generation. While much had changed under the skin and no sheet metal was shared between this and the eighth generation (introduced in 2008) it was very much a refresh and not a clean-sheet design. The window cutouts do not lie. That said, they worked some kind of makeover magic because in the flesh the 9th generation is a much more attractive car, in my opinion.
Different, but the same.
The Accord now has about 120,000 trouble-free miles on it. In that sense, everything has gone according to plan. I’ve kept up with the Honda maintenance schedule, and while some visits are more expensive than others there have been no big-ticket surprises.
The new tires that came with the Accord wore out pretty quickly (this seems to be a thing with the new tires they put on used cars, though these were OEM-spec). I replaced them with a set of Goodyear Assurance Maxlife SLs, which have thus far provided long tread life and traction with the tradeoff of a bit more road noise. Still, after about 30,000 miles (the other half of the mileage being on snow tires) they still get checked as green (versus yellow or red) on during service checks.
The Accord came with 17” wheels, but for winter I purchased 16” wheels and higher profile Michelin X-Ice tires for better snow and ice traction. The reviews are mixed. I think they’ve been helpful in a few situations, but the cost has been moderately obtrusive road noise and a kind of tippy, less-stable feeling on dry roads. I suspect that when the Michelins wear out I’ll either stick with the all-season tires or try snow tires on 17” wheels.
I’d heard that Honda and other Japanese car companies had been slowly cost-cutting over the years, to the point where the cars aren’t quite the gems that earned them their reputations. Mechanically, the Accord has been rock solid, but I can see hints of these changes in the places you don’t normally look. For example, in the trunk the speaker backs are completely exposed, risking damage to the speakers (or parcels) if loading something tall. I’ll typically fix ten bags of wood pellets in the trunk but I have to be careful not to rip them on the speaker screws. Everything about it feels lighter and less carved-from-a-metal-block than the CR-V. Maybe this is due to weight reductions from using more aluminum and such, but it just feels less substantial in a way that I can’t pin down.
Although it’s a few Accord generations old now, the styling still seems fairly fresh, to me.
The interior is pleasant and the patterned black-matte trim is a nice change from plastic wood. The two-screen system (an upper screen for information and the backup camera, a lower touch-screen for media and other controls) takes some getting used to, but works well in practice. My Accord didn’t come with navigation so I bought a custom clip to mount my GPS on the dash. The number of monitors in my car outnumbers those on my computer!
Surprisingly, more rear legroom in the Accord than in the XC70.
If the Accord is unexciting it is also undramatic and that’s exactly what I needed. It’s not a car that inspires an ounce of passion, but it’s always there like a trusted companion. It gets me there, it gets me back, it doesn’t break. As the years and miles pile on I think my appreciation for those qualities will only grow, as they did with the CR-V. Maybe I won’t let this one go so easily.
Wasn’t the ninth generation when the Accord lost its control arm front suspension? Are you sure it was just a refresh?
By technical definitions, it was not a refresh. It was a complete redesign.
It was just an evolutionary one. Honda often does this. They’ll usually release a drastic redesign for one generation, and then refine that design on the next redesign. And then repeat the cycle. As a matter of fact, the Accord has done this for most or all of its existence:
Gen 1 (’77-’82) Accord: Original design
Gen 2 (’82-’85) Accord: Refinement of the Gen 1 design (this might even have been an actual refresh)
Gen 3 (’86-’89) Accord: Drastic redesign
Gen 4 (’90-’93) Accord: Refinement of the Gen 3 Design
Gen 5 (’94-’97) Accord: Drastic redesign
Gen 6 (’98-’02) Accord: Refinement of the Gen 5 Design
Gen 7 (’03-’07) Accord: Drastic redesign
Gen 8 (’08-’12) Accord: Drastic redesign
Gen 9 (’13-’17) Accord: Refinement of the Gen 8 Design
Gen 10 (’18-current) Accord: Drastic redesign
As you can see, the only real hiccup was when Honda did a drastic redesign for ’03, and then chose to scrap that design language when they did the ’08 redesign.
Despite the obvious sharing of hard points between the 8th and 9th generations, it’s pretty amazing what they accomplished with the redesign, visually. From a rear 3/4 angle there’s a nice flow along the side, like liquid is being swept back over the front wheels.
I had one in silver from 2015-2018. My South African model was equivalent to an Accord Sport , with larger 18 inch wheels and fully loaded inside. It was big smooth and quiet , in fact it had the active noise cancelling feature which made it quieter than the BMW 3 i replaced it with.
This is the perfect car for long highway trips, and i did a few driving Jhb-Dbn (about a 6 hour drive one way). I don’t really miss it, but seeing this article reminded me of it, and if i still had it i would be happy. The one thing that i remember struggling with was rattles – i had to take it twice to a dealer to sort that out.
Yes they switched to a Macpherson strut setup
I didn’t realize that this Accord was really a facelift of the previous one. But then I don’t think I realized that they were two different generations either. VW Golf pulled the same trick around then, which left the inside of the B post weirdly having an indentation that fit the previous generation but not the current one.
As I said above, it wasn’t a facelift. The transition between the ’08-’12 and ’13-’17 Accord was a complete redesign. It’s just that the design of the ’13-’17 was more of an evolutionary change than a drastic one. But they aren’t the same, and do not share any portions of the body shell. I don’t know that the platform was even carried over.
As for the Golf…if you’re talking about the changeover between the Mk.5 (’05-’09) and Mk.6 (’10-’14), that’s a little more complicated. Both the Mk.5 and Mk.6 Golf used the PQ35 platform. The cars released in the Mk.6 era (which also included the 2011-2018 Jetta and 2011/15-2018 Q3) benefitted from some structural updates.
What was really weird was if you owned a Jetta SportWagen (as I did). The Jetta SportWagen was actually called the Golf Variant in most other countries, and rolled out at the same time as the other Mk.5 cars (Jetta, Golf Hatchback) in 2005. But we didn’t get it in the US until 2009. For that single year, the Golf, Jetta and Jetta SportWagen all looked related to each other.
In 2010, the Golf transitioned to the Mk.6 generation, which included structural improvements and a new–if, again, evolutionarily designed–body shell. It also got a new interior and new electronics suite. The ’10 Jetta SportWagen got the new Mk.6 Golf’s front clip and interior, but retained its Mk.5-era structure. The Jetta got a mild facelift for ’10 only, and the newer electronics, before moving to a new body and fascia that was (for the first time ever) completely divorced from the contemporary Jetta in ’11.
I’m going to have to disagree with you there. They may have changed the sheet metal and much of the engineering, but it is by no means a clean sheet design. We can debate refresh versus redesign, but they obviously retained the hard points, windows, and the like.
Take a look at that comparison picture again. Window openings, soon handle position, headlights and taillights. It’s a very nice new suit, but it IS a new suit.
A “dull, competent and perfect appliance” is my usual comment on my 2019 Toyota Camry.
Not so much an insult/put down as an apt description.
(Click on pic for a clearer image)
While they won’t light anyone’s soul on fire just because of their nameplates and ubiquity, I think that Honda, Toyota, Kia and Hyundai have really pulled out all the stops with their latest midsize wares, design-wise. They’re exciting, eye-catching designs on their own. They also drive well. Even Nissan has been trying much harder than in the past, and–assuming the CVT holds up–the Altima represents solid value for your buck.
By contrast, the 2015-2017 Camry was a s**t-show, design-wise.
Well put, KSW.
Appliances can be great. When our fancy front-load washing machine gave up the ghost I replaced it with a simple, but tough-as-nails Speed Queen that will probably outlast me. I’ll have to save that for the Laundry Room Classic website.
You bring up a good point, that it’s a great time to buy a sedan, or anything that’s not a crossover, pickup, or SUV. Probably a lot of good deals out there.
Anonymous road grime grey cars love em Ive had my one 3 almost trouble free years turn the key it goes, built by PSA though not the Japanese.
Brake pads tyres a MAF and boost sensor is all it has required mileage is pushing 350,000 kms now but it runs fine 3 annual inspections with no faults too which says something about the build quality of the steering and suspension components its still smooth and quiet on the highway and all the computer controlled systems work as intended come off the motorway to a traffic light I can see and feel it raise the ride height to cope with city potholes, hard to go past the anvil like reliability of a well made car, I upgraded my classic to a later model but the daily will stay untill it dies or something expensive I cant fix goes terminally wrong.
Nice callout about the various Accord “generations”; thanks. Starting in 1993 I’ve owned 1 or more of all except the ’08-’12; I just did not care for that version. I did have a ’13, but replaced it with a ’16 Civic. Currently I have a ’19 Accord Sport which in a sense replaced the ’18 Accord Touring 2L I had.
Between the 10 speed AT and some of the “luxury” items the Touring had…..well I really didn’t care for it. The ’19 Sport with a 1.5L turbo is a bit more basic, but better suits my now reduced driving needs. My only niggle about it is the all BLACK interior: great for hiding things, but lacking in eye appeal or “hand” (the feel of the fabric).
Of all the Accords I’ve had, the green manual ’93 is about at the top of my list. It was not a BMW, but didn’t CO$T to buy or run like one either! The manual allowed driving control, and FUN, with excellent gas mileage plus satisfactory acceleration from its 4 banger. Additionally it was a very “clean” design, quite UNlike the mostly overworked but under done “designs” currently on the roads……..DFO
try Blizzaks
I’ve had both and the Blizzaks are a world apart better
I did ha e a set of those on a car once, but I think I only got two winters out of them before they needed to be replaced, which was disappointing. That was more than ten years ago so maybe things have improved.
Excellent decision to go with a used sedan over an SUV/ CUV for cost savings. As we know, demand for sedans has fallen, and used sedans are a bargain. I’ve pointed this out to friends looking for really cheap used wheels until I’m blue in the face. Yet they still finance a clapped out 15 year old SUV for $6800, instead of that pristine , perfect Buick sedan for $1000.
I’ve had a 2010, 2013, and 2016 Accord. All of them base models for my long commute. All of them have been workhorses, tough and reliable appliances. Excellent at their mission to provide low maintenance transportation. They remind me so much of the 1977-1990 Chevy Caprice.
This Accord looks quite familiar inside, as it’s really a longer wheelbase sedan version of the 2013 TSX wagon we have. But it’s a bit curious that the Accord four came with the CVT, as the TSX (also with the four) came with the 5 speed conventional automatic. And while the Acura TSX V6 was the same 5 speed, the Accord V6 came with a 6 speed automatic. A bit odd.
Although I spent a lot of time in and around Accords in the 80s and 90s, I have viewed most since from a distance. I would certainly consider one if I were looking for a good sedan. I would be torn between something practical like an Accord (maybe even with a stick) or something “out there” like a Genesis. But then if I ever expect to own something like a Chrysler 300 or a Charger, I had better not waste too much more time. (And the Accord stick is in that category too, just in a very different way).
Accords are no longer available with a stick (production of manual Accords ended in December, 2019)
Accord was the last survivor. Not a single new mid-size 4-door in the US is available with a manual today.
I got a new 2016 Accord EX on New Years Eve 2015. It was dark blue with a gray interior. Very sharp. I got it because the Accord was the “gold standard” of mid size sedans. It drove nicely and got good mileage. I had it until 32,000 miles. Unfortunately, the cost cutting was severe. With normal driving, The heel of my right foot wore a hole through the factory floor mat and the carpeting right down to the steel floor pan. The carpeting is more like felt lining. I fixed this with an aftermarket glue on heel pad that should have been there from the factory. The Bluetooth phone sound quality was very poor and the Bluetooth either would not connect or stayed connected-dealer blamed it on my iPhone which worked fine with my next car. One of the expensive combination DRL/headlamps failed. I had an episode where I had to call roadside assistance due to a defective battery. There were numerous rattles and creaks which I fixed myself. Also, there was an annoying clicking noise coming from the right B pillar that neither the dealer or me could ever find. I suspect it was a weld in the body side. The sheet metal was so thin, it was easily susceptible to dents. The whole car had a flimsy, cheap feel to it. Honda is running on their past reputation. No more Honda’s for me.
I’m always asking myself how one determines sheet metal to be “flimsy”? Like did you try to dent your own car and won? Play stupid games, win stupid prizes (if it’s even true). Also, that was a battery made by Honda? Interesting.
Cjiguy, say what you want and yes everything I wrote is true. I am very, very careful with my cars including parking away from other vehicles. That car seemed to get soft dents very easily, like if someone bumped up against it. I spent a good amount of money on paintless dent repair to keep it nice. I have not seen that on any other car I’ve owned. I realize the battery was not made by Honda. I hear no comments from you on the other issues. Bottom line is that the drive lines in these may be solid, but the rest of the car is not impressive at all. Honda is now like Ford was in the early 2000’s with cost cutting-not good. I’m old and have owned many cars of different makes and models, both new and late model. I have never had another car I’ve been so disappointed in. Everyone can make their own choices, but there will be no more Honda’s in my garage.
Flimsy?. Good test would be to identify the last car you owned that you might have risked letting your kids sit on the bonnet (hood) for a photograph? Mine would have to be a 57′ Humber Sceptre
” I got it because the Accord was the “gold standard” of mid size sedans….Unfortunately, the cost cutting was severe”
Agreed. A comparative test was all it took to disabuse me of the notion of the Gold Standard. Price appropriate cheapness was evident everywhere inside it, and while it drove well so did several others in the class. I thought the seats were terrible and that was the deal breaker . We ended up with a competitor just as guilty of cheapness (but with real seats), but no one had lied to us about it being the best of everything. This Accord is a very good car, but carries a magazine reputation it has no hope of living up to.
As someone who has owned Hondas for decades, and currently drives a 2017 Civic EX-T sedan, the two most obvious examples of cost-cutting I’ve seen with this car are with the interior “carpeting” and the door panels of the rear doors.
The carpeting does not feel especially durable or premium. The rear door panels above the arm rests are simply vinyl, not cloth – unlike the front door panels. The rest of the car, however, punches above its price bracket in overall “feel,” even compared to the 2003 Accord EX that was the trade-in.
I would also say that there have been complaints about easily dented Honda sheet metal since at least the late 1990s, judging by comments on Edmunds.com forums in the early 2000s (when I posted there).
I have a 2009 Accord, rental-car gray, base model LX. I agree with your observation on cost cutting; It’s seriously decontented compared to our LX-level CR-V. Your 2013 is a much better looking version of the same platform. If it was a V6 it would be the perfect getaway vehicle. My biggest complaint with it is the stupid steering wheel; the small opening is too small for my normal-sized hand at the 6 o’clock position to sit comfortably.
In 2018 i wanted a 2016 accord sport but they were $$$$ so instead I got a 2015 accord exl v6 to replace my 01 grand marquis. Its not as sharp as the 2016 sport (best wheels ever) but it has way more options and the v6 makes it a rocket (although it is nose heavy). Its been trouble free and i am happy every day i drive it (although i do miss the utility of the grand marquis, aka 4 door el camino, lowrider ridgeline).
Bingo on the mouldings and ribbing designs refreshs. Top photograph is my 2009 Accord 2.4. Below is another Accord similar age. Vast difference in treatment helps mine look a bit more sporty. My garage claims mine is a JDM model so perhaps in the USA, this would be the six cylinder LX model body for that time? There’s certainly a massive amount of leg room in the back; I wish I could sit there!
Just struck me last night that this is now my 3rd Accord. They seems to find me rather than the other way round!
Cars like this are nowadays so good that it’s difficult (for me, at least) to consider spending extra money for a luxury/near luxury sedan. The accord and its competitors are vast inside. Even the four is more than adequate for the way most people drive and for sitting in Atlanta traffic. Base models now have electric windows, locks, mirrors, driver’s seat, ac, tilt, cruise, decent stereo with input, touchscreen, remote keyless entry, pushbutton start, split fold seats. . . They ride smoothly and comfortably yet also handle well. They’ll easily hit 250k with basic maintenance and wear items.
Perhaps it is an appliance, but it’s a darn good appliance. Modern cars are boring to look at, but this is really a golden age of automotive competence.
I’ve noticed some of the cost cutting too; window switches aren’t labeled, seat belts aren’t height adjustable, first the passenger door keyhole went away, then the trunk keyhole. There’s no map light in my boyfriend’s kia forte. Fabrics have definitely gone from plush colours to less expensive mouse fur colours to cheap, scratchy hard nylon fabric. Colour choices for interiors went away years ago. The plastics in a 2019 camry I rented were cheap, hard, and thin. Controls that used to light up don’t anymore. But in terms of cost/income, it’s cheaper than ever.
I had one in silver from 2015-2018. My South African model was equivalent to an Accord Sport , with larger 18 inch wheels and fully loaded inside. It was big smooth and quiet , in fact it had the active noise cancelling feature which made it quieter than the BMW 3 i replaced it with.
This is the perfect car for long highway trips, and i did a few driving Jhb-Dbn (about a 6 hour drive one way). I don’t really miss it, but seeing this article reminded me of it, and if i still had it i would be happy. The one thing that i remember struggling with was rattles – i had to take it twice to a dealer to sort that out.
I also own a 2013 Accord EX-L, mine is black w/black leather interior. I purchased it used from the dealership with 28,000 miles. It was a prior leased vehicle and in mint condition. It has been a very reliable car and I love it,. However the electronic push-button starter became faulty and I had to have it replaced at 36,000 miles.. $750 parts & labor. Honda forums listed hundreds of owners dealing with the same issue on 2013-14 models. Honda has yet to recall !the starter as faulty, this was rather disappointing but luckily o purchased an extended warranty which covered most of the cost. This is my.3rd Honda and I’m sure I’ll be driving this one for quite awhile.
This was one of the better Accord designs IMO. If you squint enough, the rear view is almost BMW 5-series like. Personally I like it better than the current model.
I still prefer sedans, but not interested in anything with a CVT. Even Toyota has already recalled some of their’s. Curious to see how far past 120K yours goes.
I think I like the previous gen Accord styling just a tiny bit better, but either one looks decent compared to some of Honda’s most recent hideous designs, especially the Civic.
The car that is missing from this article is the Accord coupe. I think the last version of the car is beautiful. I had Preludes for year. I currently have a 10 Civic Si coupe. A car I always wanted them to produce is an Accord Si coupe. Add the performance bits and an Si engine, but give it the larger Accord coupe body. But that’s a car that will never be. Coupes are disappearing faster than sedans.