New 2013 Accord Exterior: Exciting or Boring?

[xcel]

A more seductive presence thanks to its shapely profile that is far and away better than the that offered by the current generation.

Wayne Gerdes - CleanMPG - Aug. 8, 2012

2013 Honda Accord up front... A little lacking? Pricing and EPA have yet to be released.

Honda just this morning revealed the first images of its all-new 2013 Honda Accord Sedan and Accord Coupe, set to go on sale this fall. From the twitter buzz and slowness of the Honda New Server, apparently a lot of automobile outlets really like it.

In the PR, Honda correctly stated it is “The most sculpted Accord ever” which it is by a fair margin. The 3-dimensioanal character line running through the door handles and lower sill cutout swoop coming up through the rear quarter panel provides an attractive profile for an eye catching appearance. I see the Sonata's character line in reverse and have seen that lower rocker panel crease somewhere before as well?

From the rear deck lid, an edgy crease into the chrome garnish is a nice touch as well. After that however, the front end in particular appears awfully flat.

Honda did say the new Accord will have an even larger interior cabin which is already the “best-in-class” and rated as a large car by the EPA thanks to its 106 cu. ft. of passenger volume and 14.7 cu. ft. trunk. And they did it with a shorter wheelbase and overall length with far less overhang beyond the wheel cutouts compared to the ungainly current generation.

Where it gets really interesting however is the lightly discussed aerodynamic detail including an all-new nearly flush windshield glass, flush-mounted windshield wipers and careful under-body “fixes” to be named later that promise improved fuel economy which it so desperately needs given its current bottom of the mid-size class ranking.

2013 Honda Accord – Rear End


Cute or an also ran?

Honda also said it will arrive with LED DRLs, headlights and taillights in some trims. Read expensive trims.

You can see by the released pic the V6 badge meaning overly priced and gas guzzling trim that should not even be a consideration in this day and age.

In any case, it is a new design direction from the engineering magicians at Honda which is a good thing. While the rest of the automotive press drools all over themselves about the exterior which I find to be good but not ground breaking, it’s the mechanicals and pricing that will make this a car worthy of our hard earned $’s or not.

[RichXKU]

Very Infiniti-ish in the back. Would like to see the coupe version.
As far as boring... boring sells.

[PaleMelanesian]

Waiting on the drivetrain details. The exterior is fine, looks like a car to me. I'd take it or leave it depending on what's underneath.

[xcel]

Hi Rich:

Here is the 2013 Honda Accord Coupe’s exterior:

Wayne

[PaleMelanesian]

Ok, that's not bad. I like it better than the sedan. It pulls some good cues from the 06-11 Civic coupe.

[xcel]

Hi Andrew:

The only way the 2013 Accord will be mind blowing is if the hybrid drivetrain arrives matching the upcoming 2013 Fusion Hybrid's 47 mpgUS city (47 mpgUS highway now???) rating or if they install the 2.2L iDTEC. Think about that one for a second

If the new 2013 Accords arrive with a < 37 mpgUS highway rating from the base I4, Honda will have provided us with more questions than answers.

Wayne

[RichXKU]

Thanks for the pics. It looks good. Definitely not ground breaking, just par for the course as a Honda refresh. You can't be too edgy with a top seller.

Based on sales and typical buying patterns, Honda only needs to make it mildly competitive to the Camry and no more. I fully don't expect to be blown out of the water by their next non-hybrid offering.

[PaleMelanesian]

2012 Accord: 23/34
2012 Camry 25/35
2012 Sonata: 24/35
2013 Altima: 27/38 cvt
2013 Malibu: 25/37 eAssist

I'm surprised. I guess they've made quiet incremental improvements to the current Accord already. I thought it was farther off the mark than this.

Edit: it's true. See the progress here.
2009 Accord: 22/31
2010 Accord: 22/31
2011 Accord: 23/33
2012 Accord: 23/34

[chilimac02]

seems like a standard Honda upgrade. Not a lot of change. My Father in Law dislikes his 2012, and after riding in it, I hope the 2013 rides a bit smoother.

[wick1ert]

One nice thing about Honda and Toyota, is they never seem to do drastic cosmetic changes to their vehicles. Just think, if you always stick with the current fad, you probably wouldn't be able to claim higher resale value as easily, either. As much as I like the exterior of the Hyundai's and some of the Ford's now, I'd probably still stick with the Honda/Toyota less aggressive design approach for purchase unless something really jumps out to me spec wise on the others.