Unlike other sedans that are seeing the end of their long, or short, runs, the Honda Accord is destined to continue being manufactured for many more years to come. Seeing as it has long been one of the most popular cars in the United States since its introduction in 1976, there doesn’t seem to be any reason to stop, right? Recently starting on the tenth generation models in 2017 (for the 2018 model), the Accord these days is quite new. But what can we expect from the 2020 Honda Accord?
To be fair, there isn’t much that’s new on the 2020 model of the Accord, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Although it’s a competitive market out there for just about any vehicle in the automotive industry, you don’t always have to release a whole slew of new features with each progressing year. If you already have a loyal fanbase, built on over 40 years of production, then there’s something you’re doing right, which is how Honda seems to feel as well, considering the limited amount of changes from the previous year.
Affordable Style
The 2020 Honda Accord actually looks pretty sleek for a car that has a starting MSRP of $24,020. Nobody is going to be completely blown out of the water by its design, but you also aren’t going to feel a sense of shame if any of your friends or neighbors get a glance of you driving your new vehicle. In fact, you may even get some compliments on the effort the designers put into the new Accord. It’s a good balance that you should expect when looking into an affordable four-door midsize sedan.
Overall, the style is reminiscent of sporty fastbacks that are sure to turn a head or two. The sport-inspired style is seen on all sides of the vehicle, including the front, back, and sides. On the sides, you’ll find underbody spoilers that give the Accord a unique look and will make people wonder what it is that just drove past. Starting at the back, where you’ll notice a dual-outlet exhaust, all of the lines point toward the front of the car, guiding you towards motion and progress. Here, you can find an available sport grille, perfect to complete the already exciting look of the vehicle as a whole.
Moving up the Trims
Although the Accord may be looking sportier than ever, you may be surprised to know there are no longer any coupe models available in the lineup. This actually isn’t hot-off-the-press news (it’s been a few years now), but it’s still surprising to some, especially when the stylings of the Accord are looking so coupe-like these days. So, you get the style of a coupe without actually getting a coupe.
The 2020 Honda Accord comes in six different trim levels, and we are going to move through our favorites while highlighting their prices and best features along the way.
The Honda Accord LX
First, we have the base model LX, starting at the already mentioned price of $24,020. In all fairness, this is a great price for a car that gives you some pretty good bang for your buck. One of the biggest features that comes standard across all trim levels (including the LX) is Honda Sensing, or Honda’s suite of safety features. Honda Sensing includes a Collision Mitigation Braking System, a Road Departure Mitigation System, Adaptive Cruise Control with Low-Speed Follow, a Lane Keeping Assist System, and a Traffic Sign Recognition System. While all of the features are pretty amazing in their own right, the Traffic Sign Recognition System is a technology that we love to see on base models. That, and putting all of these safety features as the standard fare on their base model. Now that’s a huge step in the right direction.
The LX comes with a 1.5L Turbo 4-cylinder engine that can get up to 192 hp. It has superb fuel economy ratings of 30 mpg in the city and 38 mpg on the highway (33 combined). You won’t find some features, like Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, on this trim, but for a lot of people, the extra convenience options won’t matter too much.
The Honda Accord Hybrid
One trim up from the LX, we have the Hybrid, starting at $25,620. In almost every way, this trim is the same as the LX, except for the fact, of course, that it has a two-motor hybrid system for a combined 212 hp. The big kicker, though? That would be the fuel economy ratings of 48 mpg in the city and 47 mpg on the highway (48 combined). Yes, for barely an increase in price, the Hybrid comes in with slightly more horsepower and a lot better mileage than the LX.
It really seems like a no-brainer that the Hybrid model would be an excellent choice for anyone that wants to stay at the lower end of the spectrum because of price or not caring about extra features, or both. Normally, you might see a hybrid model for thousands of dollars more, but this one is actually less than $2,000 more than the LX.
It should be noted that the hybrid engine setup is also available on the EX, EX-L, and Touring models, although not the LX or Sport models.
The Honda Accord Sport
With a name like “Sport,” you should expect something a little zippy out of this trim, and that’s exactly what you’ll get. This is the first model where you’ll find the 2.0L Turbo 4-cylinder engine as an available option. The engine performs very well, getting up to 252 hp.
Along with the option for the upgraded engine, the Sport comes with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, heated front seats, and 19-inch wheels. Also available with this trim is a moonroof and a Blind Spot Information System.
The Honda Accord Touring
Skipping past the EX and EX-L trims, we’ll find the top dog Touring trim. Starting at $36,250, which comes packed with luxury and safety features.
The Touring is the only model in the lineup that will come standard with the 2.0L Turbo 4-cylinder engine, although you still have the option for a hybrid variant. The hybrid option, believe it or not, is the cheaper option and will bring the MSRP down to $35,290. In that regard, it comes down to your preference in either performance or saving a little at the pump.
To put this into perspective, the 2.0L engine can get an estimated 22 mpg in the city and 32 mpg on the highway (26 combined); this is comparable to most sedans on the market but its 252 hp is pretty impressive. If you opt for the hybrid engine, you will get an estimated 48 mpg in the city and 47 mpg on the highway (48 mpg combined); your horsepower rating will only drop to 212.
All of the available safety and driver-assistive features come standard on the Touring, including the Head-Up Display. You’ll also get Wi-Fi Hotspot Capability, a Wireless Phone Charger, a Honda Satellite-Linked Navigation System with Voice Recognition, and a 450-Watt Premium Audio System with 10 Speakers and Subwoofer. It is also the only model to have ventilated front seats (in addition to heated) and LED Headlights with Auto-On/Off.
Which Trim Packs the Most Punch?
If you’re looking for the pick of the litter and price isn’t an issue, the 2020 Accord Touring would clearly be your best choice. Having the option to get the hybrid engine here is a real bonus, especially since you will save quite a bit of gas money and still have impressive performance.
