2018 Honda Accord vs. 2018 Toyota Camry. And the Winner is ... Not by a nose but by a tail!

Toyota and Honda’s most important offerings vie for bragging rights in this head to head battle for "Best of the Best."

Wayne Gerdes – CleanMPG – Sept. 28, 2017

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2018 Honda Accord Touring w/ the 1.5T I4 mated to a CVT – $34,675 to start incl. $875 D&H Charge while offering owners a 29/35 mpg city/highway rating.

2018 Toyota Camry XSE w/ the 2.5L I4 mated to an 8-speed AT – $33,464 incl. the Audio and Power Sunroof pkg., mats, and $895 D&H charge while offering owners a 28/39 mpg city/highway rating.

Anaheim, California -- While at the OC Auto Show, Honda's were being moved onto the show floor was a 2018 Honda Accord Touring trim with its full Monroney on display. The 192 hp and 192 lb-ft. of torque 1.5L-T mated to the CVT provided the large sedan a mediocre 29/35 mpg city/highway rating.

We have experienced more times than any care to count that Honda's EPA ratings are usually underrated. Still, the 35-mpg highway result stands out as rather mediocre in today’s hotly contested environment. It appears the 1.5L-T uprate to 192 hp from the Civics’ 174 hp 1.5L-T possibly gutted this excellent mills overall efficiency. A larger and heavier car is surely not helping matters which could explain some of the fall off but an almost 17 percent falloff from the Civics 42 mpg highway rating? That is a lot of pump visits going forward.

2018 Honda Accord at the Orange County Auto Show

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Both vehicles are based on 111" wheelbases providing class leading leg and knee room providing much more than their predecessors. Both provide ample performance and feature content. Lack of Android Auto an Apple Car Play notwithstanding on the Camry was a Toyota mistake as was the lack of the same on LX and Sport trimmed Accords which hurts both cars imho.

Where the rubber meets the road...

The Exterior(s)

The Camry receives a higher grade for exterior proportions.

2018 Honda Accord Touring


Not bad.

2018 Toyota Camry XSE


Meh...

2018 Toyota Camry XLE


Meh but more cohesive side to side.​

The 2018 Accord's flat face and tall upper chrome bar grille with integrated wraparound lamps has an edge on the 2018 Camry' XSE mesh and LE/XLE thin horizontal bar grille front ends. No question here.

The 2018 Accord Touring 19" alloys - I think they are 19's? - with low profile tires, lower rocker panel cutout, and chrome trim insert that swoops up through the rear quarter panel are better looking. The lower profile is really sharp and better looking in person than the pics portray.

The Accord's upper rear profile and rear end do not work well with the rest of the car. The profile's upturned chrome trim from the upper day light opening (DLO) transitioning to horizontal line into an expanded chrome section just behind the small rear quarter panel glass of the C-Pillar - I am not giving the Accord a D-Pillar here even though it looks like the case - like the Odyssey and the seemingly large rear overhang unbalances the car front to back. A lack of a clean chrome beltline does not help in this regard. A simple chrome trimmed day light opening (DLO) all the way around without that extension would have helped.

2018 Honda Accord Rear Exterior


Accord's badging is invisible, the rear lamps are too tall, and bulge out into the slipstream.

2018 Toyota Camry XLE Rear Exterior


The "C A M R Y" chrome badging and thin rear lamps stand out. A more elegant rear end including better balanced proportions front to rear.

2018 Hyundai Sonata Limited Rear Exterior


From a branding perspective, the new Hyundai Sonata rear design is the most modern and integrated of the three imho.​

Moving to the rear fascia, the Accord lacks any presence up top as the logo's and trunk face are nondescript and the thicker taillamps are not as modern. The lower diffuser with integrated dual exhausts and center body color trim provides a segment leading attractive touch although too low to grab attention.

The Interior(s)

The Accord has the edge but not without caveats.

2018 Honda Accord Touring Interior

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Kudo's for the safe bet Honda designers and product planners took on the all-new 10th gen Accord’s interior. At the same time, there is not much new. The floating 8” display audio touchscreen is modern in appearance and from the black “look” of the non-powered up car and supplied pics of the lit-up display, it appears to have higher contrast than the Camry’s all-new 8” display which provided harsh reflections under some very specific exterior lighting conditions. In execution however, the Accord’s floating display looks like it was added on at the last minute and does not integrate well with the rest of the dash. Fortunately, Honda did add both volume and tuning knobs so that controversy has been laid to rest. A tap to synch location on the dash now supposedly makes pairing a breeze. Honda's infotainment on paper specs have always looked good on paper but on the road, have proven to be buggy due somewhat to out of date OS back ends and poor coding integration. Maybe that problem is cured with the all-new 10th gen Accord?

The Accord’s high-end wood trim inserts did not feel fake and aesthetically looked like a higher end luxury car on first appearance. In addition, the three spoke wheel had a gap in the lower spokes that you could get your fingers into that the all-new 2018 Camry wheel did not. Toyota missed the boat on this one.

2018 Toyota Camry XLE Interior

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The more modern and dare I say risky Camry center dash with cascading central disapply surround intersects does not look as nice at first glance but after a few minutes, I liked the three-dimensionality of the contours over the Accord’s “safe” horizontal line approach. In particular, the Camry’s passenger side insert looks and feels like a high cost hologram. The Camry’s small long thin audio control buttons lose out to the Accord’s more robust and more standard larger knobs and buttons despite having a cleaner appearance.

Where the Camry takes the lead is wheel controls. Long gone is the Toyota CC stalk thankfully, and the control switches are laid within their own surrounds providing a bit more tactile feel and less side to side movement than the Accords. A personal preference here but it is an area the Camry does not receive the credit it is due imho.

Seating is also personal, and the Accord receives a slight edge due to better lower thigh support. The Camry for less intrusive bolster edges. Neither match the Sonata’s or Passat's simple and more comfortable seat geometry and contours however. I threw that one in as a curve ball in the hope that both OEMs will improve their seats going forward.

2018 Honda Accord trunk


Almost 17 cu. ft. of trunk space is huge but the wheel well shrouds cut into usable volume.

2018 Toyota Camry trunk


15.1 cu. ft. trunk by comparison. Smaller volume but more usable width and a flat floor.​

The Drivetrain(s)

Where it gets interesting is the Camry's normally aspirated (non-turbo-charged) 206 hp and 186 lb-ft. of torque 2.5L mated to the standard 8-speed AT in the XSE is surely a more reliable engine/drivetrain while offering more performance, better efficiency, and a lower cost. The Accord's somewhat low EPA highway numbers were a surprise if they are in fact actual final results. A big "IF" here. I am not even talking about the 29/41 mpg rated 2018 Camry L trim with the 203 hp I4 mated to the same 8-speed AT.

2018 Toyota Camry 2.5L I4

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I do not have pics of the 2018 Accord's 1.5L-T as both display vehicles hoods were locked down.

If Honda is going to use the 16/17 Civics’ Radar Cruise Control (RCC) system, it will fall woefully short of the "best in the world" 2017/2018 Prius/Camry RCC system.

Adding, Camry's have always been able to be picked up for less than Accord's with similar trim and equipment. Lacking the OEM cost of the turbo, plumbing, and engineering, I am sure Camry has a $300+ OEM cost advantage on the Accord as well. The retail pricing bears this out.

In the midsize segment, efficiency, std. safety, and general appearance go to the 2018 Camry. Driver comfort, std. infotainment, and price go to the refreshed 2018 Sonata. Aggressive front end and "cool alloys" go to 2018 Accord. I have not yet driven the Accord but like all popular midsize sedans, 98 percent never explore the edge of the envelope. Even when they do, the new Camry is no slouch in the twisties either.

All in, it has been a long time coming but I am giving the all-new 28/39 mpg rated 2018 Camry XSE the nod over the 2018 Honda Accord Touring. This is a big deal as I am rating the new Camry the better vehicle over the new Accord for the first time IN FOREVER! And this comes from a former Accord owner!

As we approach the Accord's final spec release, it is the hybrid segment where war is going to be waged for consumer acceptance among efficiency enthusiasts. And this is where the all-new Accord may still come out on top. Until the 51/53 mpg city/highway rated 2018 Camry Hybrid LE was introduced, the 49/47 mpg rated 2017 Honda Accord Hybrid was the most efficient mid-sized sedan available to us in the U.S. Pricey and raucous at higher speeds, it was still darn efficient below 65 mph. Will the all-new 10th gen Accord Hybrid using a reworked second gen, heavily atkinsonized, 40+ percent thermodynamically efficient 2.0L I4 paired with electric motors with no heavy rare-earth metals, it "may" topple the now class leading 2018 Camry LE Hybrid? The outcome of that battle is yet to be determined as the all-new #2018HondaAccord and #2018ToyotaCamry continue to send salvo after salvo of rounds at one another to achieve midsize segment supremacy. Stay tuned as the winner from the consumers perspective is far from over.

And a parting shot across the bow. What the all-new 2018 Accord Hybrid needs to beat.

51/53 city/highway mpg rated 2018 Toyota Camry Hybrid LE first measured drive


An 82.7 mile morning rush hour commute on the infamous Southern California 5/405 between Carlsbad and Torrance.​

• Quick Look at The All-new 10th Gen 2018 Honda Accord
  
• 2018 Honda Accord World Debut
  
• New 2018 10th Gen Accord is Nearing
  
• 2018 Toyota Camry Hybrid and non-Hybrids First Drive
  
• 2018 Hyundai Sonata Pricing through First Drive

#Honda #Accord and #Toyota #Camry

 

Hi Wayne,

I have no idea what has been going on at Honda over the last ten years but someone needs to tell them that retro styling is a thing of the past with the Accord.
They got it right in the new Civic this time, but we all remember the last make over. What was it one or two years before a total redo of the bland Civic which is totally unheard of in the automobile industry?

The Accord isn't a bad looking car but it looks like something that was left in the design studio back in 2012.

Wayne I got the same impression with a 2017 Prius loaner that you got with the new Camry. It was different on the inside, and at first I wasn't too thrilled but after a few hours it grew on me.

For the record I'm not a fan of the 1978 Cylon helmet grill treatment on the new Camry.

Al

 

Hi Al:

Good analysis of Honda's hits and misses over the past few years.

As I was circling the all-new 2018 Accord parked within the Honda footprint and then the all-new 2018 Camry in the Toyota area, I was beginning to dislike both vehicles open mouthed front grilles. Remember it was Ford copying Aston Martin that started this large flat grille opening with Audi jumping on the bandwagon almost immediately afterwards. To this day, I have to give the Ford team the edge for cutting edge front end design that is not overbearing. Even today the 2017 Ford Fusion gets my vote for best looking front end in this lava hot competitive midsize segment.

2017 Ford Fusion Energi

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Wayne