2011 Honda Accord

The2011 Honda Accord receives the first significant updates for its current-generation platform. What midsize sedan should I buy? The answer to this question has long been Honda Accord. With impressive new competitors, the 2011 Honda Accord now has more serious rivals to compete against.

There is one bright spot for 2011, because the Accord’s engines choices are now more frugal. Thanks to aerodynamic tweaks, engine friction reductions and revised transmission gearing, the four-cylinder Accord now has an EPA rating of 23 city/34 highway, a rise of about 2 mpg that takes the Accord to the top of the fuel economy chart for family sedans. Unfortunately, the Accord’s interior hasn’t changed much for 2011. The Accord also comes in a sporty coupe body style, something that few other automakers offer in their midsize models. So we still recommend the Accord.

The 2011 Honda Accord is available as a midsize sedan and coupe. The sedan comes in LX, LX-P, SE, EX and EX-L trim levels, while the coupe comes in LX-S, EX and EX-L trims.

The LX-P trim adds 16-inch alloy wheels and an eight-way power driver seat. The SE adds leather upholstery, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, power-adjustable driver lumbar and heated front seats. The EX-L adds automatic headlights, dual-zone automatic climate control, heated front seats, leather upholstery, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, Bluetooth, a seven-speaker upgraded sound system, satellite radio and the option of a navigation system with voice control and a rearview camera. A V6-equipped EX-L also gains driver seat memory settings and a four-way power passenger seat.

The coupe’s LX-S trim is equipped similarly to the LX sedan, but gets 17-inch wheels and a six-disc CD changer. The EX coupe does not include the power-adjustable driver lumbar, but does get the EX-L sedan’s upgraded stereo without satellite radio.

The 2011 Honda Accord LX trims and SE are powered by a 2.4-liter inline-4 engine that produces 177 horsepower and 161 pound-feet of torque. With the automatic, EPA-estimated fuel economy for both LX and EX versions is 23 mpg city/34 mpg highway and 27 mpg combined. The Accord EX and EX-L can be equipped with a 3.5-liter V6 good for 271 hp and 254 lb-ft of torque (251 with the manual-equipped coupe). The coupe can also be equipped with a six-speed manual gearbox.

Every 2011 Honda Accord comes with antilock disc brakes, stability and traction control, front side airbags and side curtain airbags. In Edmunds brake testing, the various Accords we’ve tested over the years have stopped from 60 mph in about 130 feet — on the long side for this class of car.

In the government’s new, more strenuous crash testing for 2011, the Accord earned top five-star ratings all around for overall performance, front-impact protection and side-impact protection.