Honda revealed today the brand new 2011 Accord, a revised model that received new styling and increased fuel economy. Set to go on sale in mid-August, the 2011 Honda Accord Coupe and Sedan receive significant updates such as the addition of a new leather-equipped Special Edition (SE) trim level as well as an enhanced exterior and interior styling.
So, for 2011 model year, the new Accord sedan features a new style for the front grille, front bumper and rear deck lid, along with a new wheel design. Regarding the design of the coupe version, this model also received a bolder front grille design, new front bumper shape, enhanced brakelight appearance and a new wheel design for V6 models.
Certain models include new features such as steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters on the Accord EX-L V6 Coupe, a USB Audio Interface on all coupe models and Accord EX and EX-L Sedans, and a rear view camera on sedans equipped with the available Honda Satellite-Linked Navigation2 System.
The Accord EX-L V6 models receive a two-position memory system for the driver's seat. Inside, we have front seats designed to provide generous lateral support and to complement the Accord's sporty side; the rear seats now offer cargo-carrying versatility and also include a lockable pass-through for long items like snow skis; new seats fabrics on models with cloth seats.
Also, new for 2011, the climate-control buttons are now positioned on the left side of the control stack, closer to the driver for ease-of-use, and less-frequently used buttons are now positioned on the right side. Under the hood we find a choice of two engines: a 2.4-liter, 16-valve DOHC i-VTEC 4-cylinder and a 3.5-liter, 24-valve SOHC i-VTEC V6. The 2.4-liter engine delivers 190 hp and is standard on the Accord EX and EX-L Sedans and Accord LX-S, EX and EX-L Coupes. In the Accord LX, LX-P and SE Sedans, the engine produces 177 hp.
The more powerful 3.5-liter engine delivers 271 hp and uses the Variable Cylinder Management (VCM) technology which means that to half of the cylinders can be deactivated while cruising to improve fuel economy. Preliminary EPA fuel-economy ratings for the 2011 Accord V-6 Sedan are 19 city/30 highway mpg, an improvement of 1 mpg in highway driving.
The performance-oriented Accord EX-L V6 Coupe comes with a 6-speed manual transmission while a 5-speed manual transmission is standard on 4-cylinder models and a 5-speed automatic is available. A 5-speed automatic transmission is standard on V-6-powered models.
The EPA fuel-economy ratings for Accord 4-cylinder sedan models equipped with an automatic transmission improve by 2 miles per gallon (mpg) in the city and 3 mpg on the highway, for a city/highway rating of 23/34 mpg. Regarding the safety, don't worry as Honda has you back covered with systems such as Advanced Compatibility Engineering (ACE) which represents an exclusive body design that enhances occupant protection and crash compatibility in frontal crashes.