Honda Accord Interior: Color It a Worthy Also-Ran

The ’18 Honda Accord is not one of Wards 10 Best Interiors winners this year. But it came so close.

The Accord finished just out of the running in this year’s throwdown among WardsAuto editors, earning overall praise for comfort – particularly the leather seating and second-row legroom – and ease of access to driver information. It also got kudos for its well-executed faux woodgrain trim.

“From the front seats at least, this interior looks and feels like a luxury sport sedan, not a family car,” enthused one editor, who went on to commend the Accord for the “Audi-like feel” of its surfaces and seat firmness.

It lost points for some fit-and-finish issues, and a couple of editors were put off by what one called a “weird and unnecessary mix of metal finishes.” And in a year when we saw automakers pouring more color into their interiors, our Accord stuck with a black dashboard, IP and doors along with light gray seats, console and headliner, relieved somewhat by metallic trim and that deep-brown faux wood.

We drove the top-trim-level Touring edition with a base price of $34,690. With it came a head-up display, wireless smartphone charging, Wi-Fi hotspot, 12-way driver’s seat, lots of driver-assistance technology and even rain-sensitive windshield wipers. The driver’s seat slid back upon exiting the car and stayed put, making it easier for different-sized drivers to enter.

The ʼ18 Accord delivered more roominess, which is synonymous with comfort. Ours had an additional 2.5 cu.-ft. (70.8 L) of cabin space, 0.9 cu.-ft. (25.5 L) of cargo space and that praiseworthy 1.9 ins. (6.4 cm) of rear legroom.

The infotainment system even improvised speech. I received a text message from my wife saying, “Come home first XOX” (a term of endearment rendered as primitive emoji). The text-to-voice system read back the message through the audio system as, “Come home first zox.” (Systems in other cars did the same thing, but we noticed it first in the Accord.)

Some editors thought Honda packed a lot of tech into this Accord, making it a great value. One of its direct competitors, the Toyota Camry – a 10 Best winner – stickered higher at $39,253. But the Camry’s surprising use of red leather was no small factor in our subjective polling.

Better luck with your next new Accord interior, Honda. And don’t forget that for many of us, this one deserved some zox.

Faux wood accents highlight of Accord interior.