As for those six-speed manuals, the 2.0T's comes from the Type R (and some Euro diesels) while the 1.5T's comes from the Civic Si. Neither shifter feels as precise as the one in the Type R, and the clutch take-up struck some of us as a bit long and too near the top. Walton noted that six fixed ratios don't suit these downsized engines in these big cars nearly as well as the CVT or 10-speed do, but we still loudly applaud Honda for "sticking with" this low-take option.

Greater powertrain responsiveness certainly contributes to a car's general sense of nimbleness, but the Accord's new chassis does its fair share in that regard, as well. First of all it's way more rigid (improving 24 percent in bending, 32 percent in torsion), thanks largely to increased use of adhesive bonding and to spacing spot welds closer together (0.8 inch down from 1.6). Then in front, the lower A-arms are swapped for new "L-arms," where the long part of the L connects the strut to a fairly rigid bushing that resists lateral loads when cornering, while the short end terminates in a squidgier fluid-filled bushing that allows for ride compliance when traveling over bumps. The whole car is lower, and new suspension geometry changes the roll-center axis to reduce body roll. Top Touring models get solenoid-type adaptive dampers (speaking of Type R hand-me-ups) with Sport and normal settings that improve both general ride suppleness and body-motion control when the driver's in track-attack mode.

Our staff was impressed. "It's way more fun to drive than any midsize sedan has any right to be," Seabaugh said. Executive editor Mark Rechtin praised "the suspension's responsiveness, in terms of left to right transitions. It's really wonderful, it just sets the car right on the tire, which doesn't feel like it's rolling under. It goes where you want it to go." However, the few faults we managed to find anywhere in this new Accord were chassis related. International bureau chief Angus MacKenzie managed to bottom and top out the suspension, suggesting it could use a bit more travel. Motor Trend engineering consultant Chris Theodore noted that certain washboard surfaces excited worse-than-usual body resonances, suggesting the unibody "might need a little more work on point mobility of the chassis structure." And lots of logbook entries carped about the road noise and tire slap penetrating the Accord's many new noise-abatement defenses such as acoustic spray foam in the pillars, unwoven fender inner liners, noise-absorbing carpet, and even the new three-microphone active noise canceling system.

Pricing has recently been announced for the 1.5T and 2.0T variants, which go on sale in mid-October and late November, respectively. Good news: most prices drop when you figure in the $1,000 value of the comprehensive Honda Sensing suite of active safety gear that is standard on every Accord. Pricing starts at $24,445 for an LX with CVT, which is up $1,115 from the old base manual LX but down $315 from a 2017 LX with CVT and Honda Sensing (the manual is now a no-cost option available in Sport trim with either engine, priced at $26,655 with the 1.5T, $31,185 with the 2.0T). EX trim runs $28,345 with the 1.5T, EX-L adds $2,500, and a new range-topping 1.5T Touring trim rings in at $34,675. The 2.0T engine adds $2,000 to the price of a 1.5T EX-L or Touring.

By and large our few chassis complaints did little to diminish our enthusiasm for this comprehensively competent new Accord. The richness of the interior materials, the Audi-esque feel of the switchgear, and the open airiness afforded by the thinner A-pillars and dramatically lowered instrument panel mass hark back to the days of the go-kart-like Hondas. Seabaugh cautioned; "Way to go Honda—you just made Acura irrelevant." Senior features editor Lieberman summed up our consensus view: "The new Accord feels like Hondas of old when Honda's gave you that special something, that little extra, that secret sauce, that X factor. I have no qualms declaring the new Accord the best car in its class—the best in some other classes, too. "

Quick Drive of the Hybrid

On paper, the hybrid powertrain appears unchanged, with identical power and torque numbers for the 2.0-liter Atkinson-cycle engine and electric motors. But there is newness and innovation. Those e-motors now incorporate permanent magnets that include no rare earth materials. The powertrain control unit shrinks in size by 15 percent and mounts atop the transmission, and the 1.3-kWhr battery pack shrinks by a third so that it now fits under the rear seat cushion ahead of the fuel tank. This means the hybrid now sacrifices no passenger or trunk capacity in the name of efficiency. Because all Accords now get paddle shifters, they're put to use in the hybrid to select among four different levels of energy recuperation during deceleration (pull the left one for more regen, the right one for less). There's also a Sport mode button that increases the car's max acceleration rate. It also seems to be more aggressive about topping up the battery any time you're not calling for max performance to ensure that there's always some electric oomph available to assist the combustion engine when the hammer is down. With 212 total system horsepower, expect Sport-mode acceleration to fall somewhere between that of the 1.5T and 2.0T automatics. We managed to coax the car up over 45 mph in EV mode for the short distance before the wee battery was expended. One more encouraging change for 2018—instead of starting at an EX equipment level, there will be a new, more basic hybrid offering closer to LX or Sport equipment levels. Expect pricing to be announced closer to the early-2018 on-sale date.

Civilizing the Civic Type R's Engine

How does Honda tame the winged and spoilered hot-hatch Civic Type R's engine for Accord duty? Counter-rotating balance shafts are installed in the block, and a dual-mass flywheel is fitted to reduce vibration. A smaller turbocharger is used to improve responsiveness, with boost pressure maxing out at 20.8 psi versus the Type R's 22.8 psi (if you were wondering, the Accord's 1.5 blows 20.2 psi). It's also tuned to run on regular gas instead of the Type R's premium. Peak output is therefore reduced from the Type R's 306 hp at 6,500 rpm and 295 lb-ft at 2,500 rpm to 252 hp at 6,500 rpm and 273 lb-ft at 1,500 rpm in its sedan disguise. Oh, and the Type R's six-speed manual transaxle gets taller gearing in fifth and sixth for quieter, more efficient highway cruising, and the R's rowdy 4.11:1 axle ratio is relaxed to 3.84:1. After a few time-consuming manual shifts, the Type R pulls ahead of the Accord at the quarter by 0.1 second and 3.1 mph.

2018 Honda Accord (1.5T EX) 2018 Honda Accord 2.0T Sport 2018 Honda Accord 2.0T Touring POWERTRAIN/CHASSIS DRIVETRAIN LAYOUT Front-engine, FWD Front-engine, FWD Front-engine, FWD ENGINE TYPE Turbocharged I-4, alum block/head Turbocharged I-4, alum block/head Turbocharged I-4, alum block/head VALVETRAIN DOHC, 4 valves/cyl DOHC, 4 valves/cyl DOHC, 4 valves/cyl DISPLACEMENT 91.4 cu in/1,498 cc 121.8 cu in/1,996 cc 121.8 cu in/1,996 cc COMPRESSION RATIO 10.3:1 9.8:1 9.8:1 POWER (SAE NET) 192 hp @ 5,500 rpm 252 hp @ 6,500 rpm 252 hp @ 6,500 rpm TORQUE (SAE NET) 192 lb-ft @ 1,600 rpm 273 lb-ft @ 1,500 rpm 273 lb-ft @ 1,500 rpm REDLINE 6,500 6,800 rpm 6,800 rpm WEIGHT TO POWER 16.5 lb/hp 13.0 lb/hp 13.6 lb/hp TRANSMISSION Cont variable auto 6-speed manual 10-speed automatic AXLE/FINAL-DRIVE RATIO 5.36:1/2.17:1 3.84:1/2.63:1 3.55:1/1.84:1 SUSPENSION, FRONT; REAR Struts, coil springs, anti-roll bar; multilink, coil springs, anti-roll bar Struts, coil springs, anti-roll bar; multilink, coil springs, anti-roll bar Struts, coil springs, adj shocks, anti-roll bar; multilink, coil springs, adj shocks, anti-roll bar STEERING RATIO 11.8:1 11.8:1 11.8:1 TURNS LOCK-TO-LOCK 2.4 2.1 2.1 BRAKES, F; R 11.5-in vented disc; 11.1-in disc, ABS 12.3-in vented disc; 11.1-in disc, ABS 12.3-in vented disc; 11.1-in disc, ABS WHEELS 7.5 x 17-in cast aluminum 8.5 x 19-in cast aluminum 8.5 x 19-in cast aluminum TIRES 225/50R17 94V (M+S) Michelin Energy Saver A/S 235/40R19 96V (M+S) Goodyear Eagle Touring 235/40R19 96V (M+S) Michelin Primacy MXM4 DIMENSIONS WHEELBASE 111.4 in 111.4 in 111.4 in TRACK, F/R 63.0/63.4 in 63.0/63.4 in 62.6/63.1 in LENGTH x WIDTH x HEIGHT 192.1 x 73.2 x 57.1 in 192.1 x 73.2 x 57.1 in 192.1 x 73.2 x 57.1 in TURNING CIRCLE 38.1 ft 39.4 ft 39.4 ft CURB WEIGHT 3,177 lb 3,286 lb 3,424 lb WEIGHT DIST, F/R 60/40% 60/40% 61/39% SEATING CAPACITY 5 5 5 HEADROOM, F/R 39.5/37.3 in 37.5/37.2 in 37.5/37.2 in LEGROOM, F/R 42.3/40.4 in 42.3/40.4 in 42.3/40.4 in SHOULDER ROOM, F/R 58.3/56.5 in 58.3/56.5 in 58.3/56.5 in CARGO VOLUME 16.7 cu ft 16.7 cu ft 16.7 cu ft TEST DATA ACCELERATION TO MPH 0-30 2.8 sec 2.3 sec 2.3 sec 0-40 4.0 3.4 3.2 0-50 5.6 4.9 4.4 0-60 7.6 6.2 5.7 0-70 10.0 8.3 7.5 0-80 12.8 10.2 9.4 0-90 16.2 12.9 11.8 0-100 — 15.9 14.5 PASSING, 45-65 MPH 4.0 3.0 2.9 QUARTER MILE 15.9 sec @ 89.3 mph 14.8 sec @ 96.2 mph 14.3 sec @ 99.3 mph BRAKING, 60-0 MPH 135 ft 109 ft 116 ft LATERAL ACCELERATION 0.81 g (avg) 0.85 g (avg) 0.85 g (avg) MT FIGURE EIGHT 27.7 sec @ 0.61 g (avg) 26.4 sec @ 0.67 g (avg) 26.9 sec @ 0.67 g (avg) TOP-GEAR REVS @ 60 MPH 1,800 rpm 2,100 rpm 1,500 rpm CONSUMER INFO BASE PRICE $28,345 $31,185 $36,675 PRICE AS TESTED $28,345 $31,185 $36,675 STABILITY/TRACTION CONTROL Yes/Yes Yes/Yes Yes/Yes AIRBAGS 8: Dual front, front side, f/r curtain, front knee 8: Dual front, front side, f/r curtain, front knee 8: Dual front, f/r side, f/r curtain, front knee BASIC WARRANTY 3 yrs/36,000 miles 3 yrs/36,000 miles 3 yrs/36,000 miles POWERTRAIN WARRANTY 5 yrs/60,000 miles 5 yrs/60,000 miles 5 yrs/60,000 miles ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE 3 yrs/36,000 miles 3 yrs/36,000 miles 3 yrs/36,000 miles FUEL CAPACITY 14.8 gal 14.8 gal 14.8 gal EPA CITY/HWY/COMB ECON 30/38/33 mpg 26/35/30 mpg (mfr est) 23/34/27 mpg (mfr est) ENERGY CONS, CITY/HWY 112/89 kW-hrs/100 miles 130/96 kW-hrs/100 miles (est) 147/99 kW-hrs/100 miles (est) CO2 EMISSIONS, COMB 0.59 lb/mile 0.66 lb/mile (est) 0.72 lb/mile (est) RECOMMENDED FUEL Unleaded regular Unleaded regular Unleaded regular