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"  On-Sale Date: Sept. 19 (sedan), Oct. 15 (coupe), early 2013 (PHEV) Price: $21,680\u2013$33,430 Competitors: Toyota Camry, Nissan Altima, Chevy Malibu, Ford Fusion, and Hyundai Sonata Powertrains: 2.4-liter I-4, 185 hp, 181 lb-ft; 3.5-liter V-6, 278 hp, 252 lb-ft; 2.0-liter PHEV, 196 hp total system EPA Fuel Economy (city/hwy): 27/36 (I-4 CVT), 24/34 (I-4 MT), 21/34 (V-6) What&amp;#039;s New: For each of the past eight generations, Honda&amp;#039;s midsize sedan stalwart, the Accord, has always grown larger. The reason? Money being equal, Americans want everything bigger. But no more. It seems as though the midsize sedan has grown to the perfect size. In fact, the new 9th-generation Accord sedan is actually shorter than the old one by 3.6 inches and weighs nearly 60 pounds less, and yet engineers have carved out more room inside, including the larger 15.5-cubic-foot trunk.  The Accord sedan and coupe ride on a new chassis with, for the first time, a MacPherson strut front suspension. Honda says the new suspension, which replaces the more sophisticated and tunable multilink design, saves weight, improves ride comfort, and improves handling. We suspect it&amp;#039;s also less expensive. The rear suspension remains a multilink design similar to the one used on the outgoing model. The front of the Accord&amp;#039;s new chassis has a steel and aluminum bonded subframe that uses 55.8 percent high-tensile steel. Honda hopes the new Accord will receive the highest rating, a &amp;quot;good,&amp;quot; in IIHS&amp;#039;s new small overlap barrier crash test. The Accord might be smaller than its predecessor, but it feels spacious on the inside. Part of that comes from the larger greenhouse. The Accord has a lowered beltline (the bodywork below the glass) to expose more area for windows. The result is a cabin that feels airy with great visibility. A large 8-inch central information display is standard, and the interior generally looks and feels less plasticky than the old Accord&amp;#039;s. Under the hood there are three powertrain choices, with a fourth on the way. Most Accords will roll off the Marysville, Ohio, assembly line with the new direct-injected 2.4-liter four-cylinder mated to a CVT transmission. Although only a handful will use a slick new 6-speed manual instead, we applaud Honda for keeping the option available. The 3.5-liter V-6 essentially remains the same but gets a small bump in power. The big news is that for the first time the Accord will have a Plug-in hybrid (PHEV) model with a 6.7-kWh lithium-ion battery pack that delivers an EV driving range of 10 to 15 miles. Honda says it can recharge to an 8-mile electric range in just 30 minutes, and that overall the gas and electric system can provide a total range of 500 miles. The fourth version of the new Accord, a traditional hybrid, comes later.  Tech Tidbit: This Honda has a full suite of optional safety features including adaptive cruise control, forward collision warning, and lane departure warning. And a new system, Lane Watch, uses a camera mounted below the side mirror to show a wide-angle view of the passenger&amp;#039;s side of the car, which it displays on the dash. Now you&amp;#039;ll be able to see that car hiding in your blind spot. Driving Character: Compared to the outgoing Accord, the 2013 felt smaller and lighter on its feet while driving the sun-soaked country roads near Santa Barbara, Calif. It provides the sensation, at least dimensionally, that you&amp;#039;re driving a smaller Accord from the early 1990s, rather than the cumbersome (dare we say a little bloated) outgoing model. Typically, we like the feedback of hydraulic power steering over electric assistance, but the steering in the old car is just too heavy. The new Accord&amp;#039;s steering is pleasantly light, and while the system won&amp;#039;t deliver Miata-like feedback, its not egregiously numb either.  The base four-cylinder is equipped with a typical CVT: It isn&amp;#039;t particularly fun to operate, but it reaps fuel economy benefits. The hot rod of the lineup is the V-6 coupe\u2014it really hauls. With the six-speed automatic in &amp;quot;S&amp;quot; mode, it aggressively downshifts. On the Streets of Willow racetrack in Rosamond, Calif., we found the new Accord to be an engaging player compared to many in its class. We especially enjoyed the four-cylinder Sport model equipped with a six-speed manual\u2014it&amp;#039;s one of the best transmissions and coolest shifters in the industry. This is the true sport sedan of the group. It reminded me of a less expensive version of the Acura TSX. Favorite Detail: The Accord PHEV has a discreet &amp;quot;HV&amp;quot; mode button on the console that stops the battery from going into pure EV mode and instead lets it perform within the parameters of typical hybrid (blended gas and electric) operation. IT gives the driver control over when to deploy full EV mode. Driver&amp;#039;s Grievance: We like the new sheet metal, but the rear of the Accord is a dead ringer for the Hyundai Genesis. We had a hard time distinguishing the two on the road.  The Bottom Line: The new Accord is a smaller, quieter, more fun to drive and more refined package than the outgoing model. It&amp;#039;s a clear nod to drivers who appreciated past Accords but thought the sedan grew a little too large. The broad range of models is impressive, and we can&amp;#039;t wait to spend more time with the Accord PHEV and the upcoming Accord Hybrid.  But when it comes to fuel economy, the Accord doesn&amp;#039;t offer best-in-class numbers. The four-cylinder CVT offers solid economy at 36-mpg highway. But the competing Nissan Altima delivers 2 mpg more (though if you&amp;#039;re shopping V-6 sedans, the Accord beats the Nissan by 3 mpg on the highway). We&amp;#039;ll have to test both sedans back to back in the real world to see if those fuel economy numbers hold up. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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