Honda Accord goes high-tech

Honda introduced a fresh-faced 2016 Accord in the US last week, bringing a number of new features including Apple CarPlay and Android Auto multimedia functionality.

Honda Australia, which has just launched the Accord Sport Hybrid, has not confirmed when the upgraded Accord will go on sale here, but says it will offer Android Auto and Apple CarPlay in its vehicles sooner rather than later

Boasting a mild visual update and new safety features, the mid-life upgrade is expected Down Under by mid-2016, within about three years of the current model's local release in May 2013.

In North America, the updated visuals for the Accord, which was originally released in 1976, are headlined by a revised front-end comprising fancy new headlights festooned with giant LEDs, a redesigned front bumper with more brightwork around the grille, an aluminium bonnet with "sharper character lines" and 19-inch alloy wheels.

Honda's designers have also tweaked the rear-end design via updated tail-lights, which again boast a plethora of LEDs within reworked lenses that may have been influenced by the BMW 5 Series.

Honda chose Silicon Valley in California as the location for the 2016 Honda Accord's US debut, chiefly to help spruik its new technologies led by the integration of Android and iOS smartphones.

"Where else to introduce the most technologically advanced mid-size sedan, the 2016 Accord, than in Silicon Valley," said John Mendel, executive vice-president of Honda motor company (cars).

"Customers want their vehicles to be more intelligently integrated with their smartphone-powered lives, and we are committed to delivering that experience starting with Accord, retail car buyers' most popular vehicle the past two years."

The smartphone integration works via a re-tooled version of Honda's Display Audio infotainment system, which features a 7.0-inch touch-screen and uses Apple CarPlay and Android Auto to essentially mirror many phone functions on the larger screen via Bluetooth connection.

Enabling swipe, tap and pinch inputs, the system is touted as an in-car tablet that will play music, respond to voice commands and use Google Maps and other popular apps.

There are already some cars available in Australia with Android and iOS smartphone compatibility, which is expected to dominate new-car infotainment systems in the coming years, including Skoda's new Fabia and Hyundai's new Tucson.

The 2016 Accord also gets a new safety suite dubbed Honda Sensing. Not unlike Subaru's EyeSight system, Honda Sensing comprises driver aids including autonomous emergency braking (AEB), adaptive radar-based cruise control and lane departure warning and assistance. In other words, the car can accelerate, brake and steer by itself in some circumstances.

Many of these features are already offered on Australian-market Honda Accord vehicles, including the left-hand 'head-check' camera that flicks on when you indicate left.

Engine options for the US Accord are similar to the Australian market, with a 2.4-litre four-cylinder engine worth 129kW225Nm and a lustier 3.5-litre V6 that bangs out 206kW/339Nm, plus the petrol-electric Accord Sport Hybrid flagship.

Sales of the Accord in Australia have dropped dramatically year-on-year, with a 41 per cent slump to 576 registrations.

In the absence of the recently discontinued Accord Euro, Honda's presence in the mainstream mid-size segment is dwarfed by the locally-made Toyota Camry with 10,426 sales (although four-fifths of those sales went to businesses) and the Mazda6 – Australia's most popular privately-purchased sub-$60K mid-sizer with 2857 sales.