2021 Honda Accord Hybrid

We won’t bury the lede. The 2021 Honda Accord is still a stupendous sedan and arguably the best in its segment. The car was completely revamped for 2018, and none of its competition have overtaken it since. Some among us will contend that the Mazda6 is top dog for pure driving enjoyment, but the Accord stands tall alongside the Mazda and is only getting better as this latest generation is treated to its mid-cycle update. That said, there is one specific change that does have us bummed, and that’s the loss of the manual transmission. With a take rate of just 2%, Honda decided it wasn’t worth the trouble anymore. Guess you’ll just have to buy a Civic Type R. In typical Honda fashion, changes are subtle enough that you may not notice them without a deeper look. The biggest appearance switch-up is a larger and restyled grille. It looks grander than before, even if you’d be hard pressed to tell the 2020 apart from the 2021 at first glance. Honda also redesigned the LED headlights for better illumination (likely the result of IIHS testing). Lastly, designers reduced the size of the fog light openings and added new wheel designs. Tech enhancements are more abundant, and they’re nice enough that you may want to spend the extra dollars on a 2021 over a potentially discounted 2020. Even the base trim now gets Honda’s 8-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. And if you snag an EX-L or Touring (or EX on Hybrid models), CarPlay and Android Auto are upgraded to wireless connectivity — a Honda first. It worked flawlessly for us, never crashing or failing to load. Even when running navigation and streaming music with our phone on the wireless charger, our phones never overheated, which is something we can’t say for BMWs. Honda also added two rear seat USB ports. You shouldn’t notice any differences in driving the unchanged standard 1.5-turbo four-cylinder (192 horsepower and 192 pound-feet of torque) or the upgrade 2.0-turbo four-cylinder (252 horsepower and 273 pound-feet of torque). However, the Hybrid model that we drove has been updated. Total system output is still 212 horsepower and 232 pound-feet of torque, but Honda says it has retuned the hybrid system “for a more direct and immediate throttle response with a more natural acceleration feeling as engine revs climb in concert with the driver’s throttle input.”  To fully understand that, we’ll give you a quick refresher on how the Accord Hybrid’s powertrain works, because it’s rather unusual in operation. In most circumstances, the electric motor solely powers the front wheels. Its battery pack is then replenished by regenerative braking and the naturally aspirated 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine acting as a generator. The benefit here is that you get supremely smooth acceleration with an unnoticeable switchover from electric to “gas” power. Plus, the Accord Hybrid is significantly quicker than all of its competitors. Only when you’re cruising at highway speeds does a clutch engage allowing the engine to directly …
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