Filling the gap left by the Camry, this is the all-new 2023 Honda Accord; most powerful, techiest ever

• More powerful 2.0L hybrid system, 204 PS / 335 Nm
• Biggest touchscreen ever in a Honda, Google integration
• Longer legroom, bigger boot space, better Sensing

This is it, the all-new 2023 Honda Accord that's just debuted in the United States of America. Lots can be said about it, but one thing is glaringly clear – the Accord has traded market places with the Toyota Camry.

  Where the Camry is now, as Toyota describes, a controversial 'beautiful monster', the 2023 Honda Accord is a bland but safe choice, the common denominator that will appeal to the widest group of buyers in middle-class America - the Accord's most important market. Along that lines, Honda's created the most powerful, techiest Accord ever.

Powertrain: No more 2.0T, more powerful hybrid

Integral to that is its hybrid powertrain. Fittingly so, as the Accord hybrid models are positioned at the top of the 11th generation Accord lineup, representing about 50 percent of sales in the States. The pure-ICE turbo powerplants haven't been ignored too as these have been further refined.

Along the way of the dodo goes the manual transmission, and together with that the powerful 2.0-litre turbocharged engine of the old model that was available in the US (252 PS / 370 Nm). 

Perhaps this deficit will not be so sorely felt as the new hybrid powertrain makes more power and almost double the torque of the old one (143 PS / 175 Nm), so that's some good news.

Also read: More than half of all Toyota Camry and Honda Accord sold in Thailand are hybrids

The engines feature updated direct fuel injection, upgraded crankshaft and oil pan, plus a new cold-active catalyst to reduce engine noise and bump up smoothness.

Dimensions: Longer, better legroom

Power aside, there's more familiar numbers in the dimensions. The 11th-gen Accord retains the same wheelbase, height, and width figures, if only growing a little longer. Not sure how this'll fare for turning radius, but here's how they stack-up, US-spec to US-spec:

The extended body results in a spacier cabin, netting a 103.6 cm rear legroom (an average three-year-old can lie between your legs and the front seat), while boot space is a great 473 litres.

Interior tech: Honda's largest touchscreen, OTA updates

Beyond the smooth looks – perhaps divisive? – the inside comes with its own load of tech also. Standard on the Accord is a 10.2-inch digital instrument cluster, with top trims getting a 12.3-inch infotainment (Honda's largest touchscreen ever) with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

Also read: 2022 Toyota Camry vs Honda Accord – Will the real winner please stand up?

The range's top banana, the Touring, nets Google integration which brings Google Assistant, Google Maps, and Google Play capability. Sort of like Volvo and their Android Automotive system, this integration allows for Over the Air (OTA) software updates to nearly all vehicle computer modules. Bose has thrown in their 12-speaker setup in here too.

For lower-rung models there's a 7-inch headunit with wired connections. Differences aside, the rangewide similarities between variants is a minimalist cabin, Piano Black trims, and new Body Stabilising Seats that are touted to reduce fatigue on long drives.

Safety: Better Sensing, new airbags

Standard class-leading safety features include a new Honda Sensing safety and driver-assistive technology, next-gen front airbags, as well as new front knee airbags and rear side-impact airbags.

For the first time too, the Accord features standard knee and rear-passenger side impact airbags.

The Accord's Sensing ADAS suite is enabled by a new camera with a wider 90-degree field of view and wide-angle radar with a 120-degree field of view.

Also read: From foggy roads to congested cities, Honda Civic’s Sensing is one of the best

This wide angle improves collision prevention performance by boosting its ability to recognise attributes of objects, such as a vehicles or pedestrians, as well as white lines, road boundaries like curbs, other vehicles, pedestrians, bicyclists, motorcycles, and road signs. The wide angle also enables expanded control range for the Accord at intersections.

Blind spot information (BSI) has been expanded, now with 82 feet of radar range. Also new is Traffic Jam Assist (TJA), which is a first for Accord. Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) with Low-Speed Follow, and Lane Keeping Assist (LKAS) have been updated to feature more natural responses.

Traffic Sign Recognition (TSR) is also standard, and Low-Speed Braking Control is available on the top-spec Touring variant.

Conclusion: So much to look forward to

There you have it; a round up of the all-new 2023 Honda Accord. For now everything is centred on the US-spec model, and so far there hasn't been indicative pricing or when exactly it'll go on sale, so it's tough to predict its Malaysian entry.

Nonetheless you'll know more about it as soon as we have something to share. For now though, the 10th-gen Honda Accord is still available in Malaysia, and your pick of the lot are as below:

• Honda Accord 1.5 TC - RM 187,400
• Honda Accord 1.5 TC-P - RM 197,400

Also read: Review: 2020 Honda Accord 1.5 TC-P - 7 Series space and tech for under RM 200k