Honda Accord 2024 Review

Now only offered as a single petrol-electric hybrid model, the 2024 Honda Accord e:HEV RS is priced at $64,900 drive-away.

That compares to the old two-model 10th-generation line-up, which was priced at $57,900 for the VTi-LX 1.5-litre turbo-petrol and $61,900 for the 2.0-litre hybrid.

Logical opposition for the new Accord includes the dominant hybrid sedan on sale in Australia today, the Toyota Camry (which will soon be updated).

There’s also Camry’s luxury relation, the Lexus ES, the Hyundai Sonata N Line and, if you cast your net beyond internal combustion engines, the Tesla Model 3 and BYD Seal EVs.

The 2024 Honda Accord e:HEV RS is loaded up with gear.

Externally, you’ll spot the panoramic sunroof, the black-pack RS body skirts and spoiler and 18-inch alloy wheels.

Now, the latter sound a bit under-sized in this age, and they don’t add any heft to what is a pretty anodyne exterior. But there is an upside in the driving, which we will get to later.

The cabin is accessed without the need for a key and, once inside, you’ll find dual-zone climate control with rear vents, black leather interior trim with subtle red stitching, eight-way powered front seats, a push-button start, an electric park brake and ambient lighting.

There is no spare tyre, but nor is there any added charge for any of the four exterior paint choices.

The Accord comes with a five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty, five years’ roadside assistance and an eight-year battery warranty.

Not-so-generous 12-month/10,000km service intervals are balanced by capped-price servicing pitched at $199 each for the first five visits to the workshop.

There is no ANCAP rating for the 2024 Honda Accord e:HEV RS and no indication one is ever going to be awarded. In the US, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) gives it an overall five-star rating.

Under the Honda Sensing safety catch-all, the latest Accord includes new camera, radar and software systems. Autonomous emergency braking (AEB) can now detect pedestrians at night, while bicycles and motorcycles can be spotted in daylight hours.

The Accord also comes with adaptive cruise control with low-speed-follow traffic jam assist and a suite of features designed to keep the car centred in its lane and warn and counter-steer when you wander off-line.

It can become intrusive – especially on a wet road where it can get confused by false reads – but it is switchable through a readout in the centre of the digital instrument cluster.

There’s also the tendency for dramatic yellow hazard warnings to flash up in the cluster when the car thinks something is going wrong. Annoying and usually unnecessary.

The LED headlights automatically dip high beam and can now tailor the beam of each headlight to avoid dazzling oncoming traffic.

Other safety features include traffic sign recognition, a 360-degree camera, parking sensors and monitoring of blind spots, crossing rear traffic, driver attention and tyre pressures.

Along with front, front-side and curtain airbags, Honda has added knee airbags for both front seat passengers. There is no centre airbag.

There are three child seat top tether strap points and two outboard ISOFIX mounts in the rear seat.

Honda is making a big deal about a new-generation telematics and infotainment package in the 2024 Honda Accord e:HEV RS.

At its core is Honda’s first integration of built-in Google services. Built on the Android Automotive operating system (which is separate to Android Auto smartphone connectivity) and transmitting data via an embedded Telstra SIM card, it includes Google Assistant, Google Maps and the latest apps and services on Google Play.

Without connecting a smartphone, drivers can ask Google Assistant to adjust in-vehicle functions such as climate control and it also enables users to set their destination in Google Maps without taking their eyes off the road.

Google Play also enables users to download various third-party apps such as music, podcasts and audiobooks.

Built-in Google services do not prevent the use of cabled or wireless Apple CarPlay or Android Auto and does not require any form of Telstra membership.

The Accord also comes with wireless smartphone charging, plus AM/FM and digital radio. It broadcasts via a 12-speaker Bose audio system. There are USB-C ports front and rear.

Honda has paired its upgraded infotainment package with a new dashboard design including a 12.3-inch touch-screen, a shortcut ‘experience selection dial’, a 10.2-inch digital instrument panel and a larger 11.5-inch head-up display.

A new generation of Honda Connect app also features a new interface designed to be more user-friendly, improve response time and introduce a number of new features to Honda or the Accord.

They include a digital key and a remote immobiliser, remote vehicle control and automatic collision detection. A five-year subscription to Honda Connect is free.

The 2024 Honda Accord e:HEV RS powers its front wheels via the latest fourth-generation Honda plug-less hybrid system that debuted here in the latest Honda CR-V mid-size SUV.

The essential elements are a 2.0-litre DOHC direct-injection four-cylinder petrol engine tuned to the fuel-saving Atkinson cycle, two e-motors and a small lithium-ion battery pack.

One motor acts as both an e-CVT and traction motor, while the other operates purely to charge the battery.

Combined outputs of the system are 152kW and 335Nm. The Accord can run on electricity or petrol alone, or meld the two to operate as a hybrid. It does this automatically depending on the situation.

A ‘power flow’ graphic in the touch-screen and/or instrument cluster shows what’s happening. It’s kinda hypnotic.

An ‘e’ button allows the driver to switch between auto, EV and battery charge modes, while flappy paddles on the steering wheel simulate gear changes, with six levels of deceleration on offer.

There are also Normal, Econ, Sport and Individual driving modes to allow tuning of the throttle response, steering assist and even the introduction of a “sporty sound”.

The 2024 Honda Accord e:HEV RS claims a spectacularly good 4.3L/100km fuel consumption claim.

What makes it all the more impressive is it achieves that in the real world.

Over more than 400km on this launch drive through town and country, freeway and backroad, the fuel tank gauge grimly fought gravity.

It uses the cheapest 91RON fuel too, which just adds to the cost-saving potential. Unsurprisingly given its frugality, the Accord’s fuel tank is just 48 litres.

That’s still a potential 1000km between refuels.

If ever you want an argument against SUVs and utes, then driving the 2024 Honda Accord e:HEV RS is it. Behind its bland and homogenous exterior lurks a capable and impressive drive.

It’s no RS in the way Porsche or Audi might define that badge, but it’s just so pleasant, comfortable, assured and engaging on the road it shames just about any high-riding truck or wagon.

The downside is looking at all those ute and SUV bumpers from your low-slung seating position!

A further development of the previous generation rather than all-new, the latest Accord is a substantial vehicle measuring up at 4976mm long, 1862mm wide, 1449mm tall and with a 2830mm wheelbase.

The underpinnings are quite straightforward. Basically updated from the old model rather than being all-new, they include MacPherson strut front suspension, a multi-link rear-end, dual-pinion electric-assist steering with a variable gear ratio and a set of disc brakes (ventilated at the front).

However, the Accord weighs in at a lithe (for the 21st century) 1609kg and that surely is one of the keys to it feeling nimble and responsive.

Steering is a tad remote but entirely incorruptible. The claimed 11.4-metre turning circle is fine, but it did seem to run out of turning lock a bit soon when manoeuvring in a car park.

The 18-inch Michelin e-Primacy tyres support the Accord’s handling balance but also have enough sidewall to help provide a truly comfortable ride. That’s the worthy pay-off for the less aggressive look.

Their only downside is some roar on bitumen, but this is a quiet way to go about your motoring. Maybe not true luxury, but not far away.

Honda also points to a new system called Motion Management, which reads like a form of torque vectoring by adjusting powertrain torque and applying brake force in certain cornering conditions.

The powertrain provides more palpable assistance. The outputs might not be spectacular but the e-motors ensure the ever-present supply of electricity to fill out any ICE delivery holes.

It’s a smooth, quiet and frisky delivery, only getting a bit odd when the engine is recharging the battery and hanging at a steady-state speed unrelated to what’s going on with the road.

By the way, the lithium-ion battery pack is only 1.3kWh, so don’t expect sustained EV running.

The e-CVT is mostly transparent and the flappy paddles an involving way to utilise brake regeneration. It’s certainly better than the set-and-forget buttons accessed through the touch-screen most electrified cars utilise.

While the driving talents of the 2024 Honda Accord e:HEV RS are a pleasure, it’s more of a mixed bag in the cabin.

Taller rear seat passengers are going to find themselves a bit constricted for headroom because the roof slopes noticeably at the outboard edges. But legroom and elbow-room is truly sprawling.

You are maybe going to struggle to figure out the value of the experience selection dial, which carousels through a set of common function choices such as temperature control, audio and lighting alone or in pre-selected combinations. I’m yet to decide whether it’s a gimmick or a good idea.

Same goes for the Google Assistant. It worked well and quickly, but it’s pretty easy just to plug in your smartphone and go with that.

No trouble giving the head-up display the thumbs up. It’s got brilliant clarity and projects the key info in a way that’s not too distracting.

The new instrument cluster is configurable through four designs of which traditional faux analogue – comprising round speedo and power/charge dials – works the best and most clearly.

The new touch-screen uses up a heap of its added space to permanently display air-con temperatures and some other information, so its advantage in terms of providing larger map and camera displays is limited. Clarity is, however, excellent.

Happily, there are physical buttons to set air-con temps and adjust the volume. So much better than drilling into the touch-screen.

Seats are comfortable front and rear, in-cabin storage space is adequate without being especially generous, while the boot is a huge 670 litres without having any cubbies or nets and only two hooks.

Split-folding rear seats increase space so a full-size mountain bike can be comfortably fitted with the front wheel removed.

Interior presentation is predominantly dark, soft to the touch and with the signature Honda mesh insert crossing the dashboard.

The cabin has a conservative look with no huge sweeps of glass-faced monitors or avant-garde furnishing.

Built in Thailand, at first inspection the Accord appears well-assembled.

If you are unconcerned about fashion, can put up with exterior conservatism and appreciate a cohesive, comfortable drive then the 2024 Honda Accord e:HEV RS might just be your car.

Its attraction is in the way it goes about doing well all the important things motor vehicles are meant to do. Unless you think making a strong exterior statement is vitally important.

It’s also very cool to see Honda back in form. The ZR-V, CR-V, Civic and now the Accord have all impressed.

Pricing of the Accord is undoubtedly an obstacle. Substitute some of the fancier features like the sunroof, leather and sound system with more basic fare, chop $10,000 off the price tag and this mechanical package looks really good. Then it might stir up more interest.

But even then the reality is not many 11th-generation Honda Accords will find homes in Australia.

That’s sad, but I’m still glad it’s here to remind us how good sedans can be.

2024 Honda Accord e:HEV RS at a glance:
Price: $64,900 (drive-away)
Available: Now
Powertrain: 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol-electric
Output: 108kW/182Nm (electric motor: 135kW/335Nm)
Combined output: 152kW/335Nm
Transmission: Continuously variable automatic
Fuel: 4.3L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 98g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Not tested