Road Test Review – 2024 Honda Accord Hybrid Touring – Efficency Mixes With Honda Value To Create Distinct Package

by John Faulkner | April 29, 2024

Honda is looking to build on its reputation for fuel efficiency and engineering with the 2024 Honda Accord Touring Hybrid. The Touring promises to bring a high amount of standard features and fuel economy to buyers as the Accord Hybrid faces a growing pool of hybrid-equipped sedan rivals

The 2024 Honda Accord Hybrid sedan offers comfort for five with handsome styling foregoing sharp edges for a mature and finished look. Built in Marysville, Ohio with the engine coming from Japan, the Accord Hybrid carries with it the well-earned reputation of Honda quality.

But is this reputation and the impressive engineering that comes with it still enough for the 2024 Honda Accord to compete in a segment where rivals like the 2025 Toyota Camry are pushing the envelope both in fuel economy and style.

Two Efficiency Options

EX-L

2.0-liter non-turbocharged 4-cylinder

146 horsepower (hp)

134 pound-feet of torque (lb-ft)

EPA Fuel Economy: 51 city/44 highway/48 combined

Sport, Sport-L and Touring

2.0-liter non-turbocharged 4-cylinder

146 hp

134 lb-ft torque

EPA Fuel Economy: 46 city/41 highway/44 combined

The hybrid engines propel the front wheels through an electronically controlled continuously variable transmission, or CVT. With controls on the center console, the CVT has driver-selectable drive modes of Normal, Econ, Sport, and Individual. All-wheel drive is not offered.

In 215 miles driving, through Southern California, we averaged 44.8 mpg combined, with a 110-mile all-freeway run, using the adaptive cruise control set at 65 mph, the average bumped up to a healthy 46.5 mpg. Fuel economy numbers are non-scientific and represent the reviewer’s driving experience. Your numbers may differ.

Hitting The Road

The Accord Hybrid Touring performed well, with zero to 60 times around 6.6 seconds. The ride quality is refined, with the Accord’s handling providing the driver accurate steering feedback and enhanced confidence. The fastest corners didn’t produce body roll or shifting as the 3,532 pound curb weight always felt well controlled. The throttle response was linear (no turbo so no turbo lag!) and acceleration was peppy. The Accord Hybrid is not rated to tow. For a family car not marketed as a sports sedan it was fun to drive.

Handling was more than competent with electric power steering, MacPherson strut front and multi-link rear suspensions, and the Michelin Green X energy saver, 235/40 all-season tires mounted on 19-inch machined-faced, with gloss black insert wheels. Stopping was solid with four-wheel ABS, electronic brake distribution, and vehicle stability assist.

Premium Cabin

Clean smooth interior surfaces with premium materials greet you when sliding into the comfortable cloth, or as with our Touring trim, leather seats. Front visibility is excellent due to the rake of the hood, narrow A-pillars, and hidden rain-sensing windshield wipers. The dash, with a unique and attractive honeycomb mesh panel covering the air outlets, is covered in soft-touch materials with gloss black trim. The solid black interior had tasteful brushed aluminum touches on the leather-wrapped steering wheel and the door handles.

The heated and ventilated front seats have multiple internal structures to provide improved support across the entire body, with the driver getting 10-way power adjustments with memory, and the passenger 4-way power adjustments. The tilt and telescoping steering column has good range providing plenty of options to find a comfortable driving position, but uniquely for a car in this class, the steering wheel is not heated. The rear leather-trimmed heated seats comfortably accommodate two adults, three for short jaunts. The padded fold-down armrest, with cup holders, is part of the 60:40 rear seat that folds, providing a usable cargo space. The trunk opening is tall and wide, with a low sill, making for easy loading. Overall, the interior build and material quality are at a high level.

The cockpit design is driver-friendly with customizable a 10.2-inch digital gauge cluster, and a 12.3-inch high-resolution color touchscreen that is standard on the Sport, EX-L, Sport-L, and Touring trim lines. The LX and EX get a 7-inch color touchscreen. Our Touring model had the 12-speaker Bose premium audio system with Centerpoint and Surround Sound that filled the quiet cabin with excellent sound. The touchscreen handled the 3D navigation and rear-view camera, Alexa built-in, and for entertainment, the AM/FM HD radio, wireless Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and USB A and C ports, front and rear. Uniquely, again, SiriusXM is not available.

The Bluetooth with voice recognition worked very well, as did the steering wheel-mounted audio controls and the Qi wireless phone charging. A wish list for the audio system would be to add a channel selection knob, which would join the volume knob. Both of these would make the system more user friendly, and convenient, as would SiriusXM.

Aerodynamically Efficient Exterior

Now in its eleventh generation, (first launched in 1976), the 2024 Accord went through a complete exterior re-imagination in 2023. With few sharp edges and smooth corners, the aerodynamics have been improved to achieve increased efficiency which is a key part of the clean redesign. The LED head and driving lights are sleekly integrated on the far corners, separating a properly sized grille.

The nose, front bumpers, and hood are designed to direct air flow down the smooth sides and over the roof. The trunk lid height, the diminutive integrated lip spoiler, the LED tail lights, and the rear bumper and fascia all are optimized with airflow in mind. It is obvious Honda spent a considerable amount of time with the Accord in wind tunnel testing.

Our Accord, painted in Canyon River Blue Metallic, had body color-keyed bumpers, door handles, shark fin antenna, and the heated power exterior mirrors. Chrome was kept to a tasteful minimum, only found around the windows and on the badging. Standard exterior pallet options include Solar Silver Metallic, Meteorite Gray Metallic, Crystal Black Pearl, and Canyon River Blue Metallic. Premium colors for an additional $455 are Urban Gray Pearl, Platinum White Pearl, and Radiant Red Metallic.

Safety and Convenience

All Accord models come standard with active and passive safety features. The driver and front passenger get front, knee, and side airbags, while the rear passengers get side and curtain airbags, the latter having a rollover sensor. Honda Sensing, their advanced driver assistance system, or ADAS include forward collision and road departure mitigation, lane keep assist, blind spot with cross-traffic monitoring, and front and rear parking sensors.

Additional safety and convenience features include a 6-inch Head-up display, adaptive cruise control, idle stop and go, automatic brake hold, one-touch power moonroof, remote keyless entry, security system, push-button start/stop, dual-zone automatic climate system, a tire pressure monitoring system, remote engine start, an automatic dimming rearview mirror equipped with Homelink, and an electric parking brake.

The Driver Attention Monitor is a helpful driving aid by detecting a lack of driver attention. Warnings begin with a cup of coffee graphic, then visual flashes are followed by an audio alert and the steering wheel vibrating. If you are nodding off, this system could save your life. The 2024 Accord is a Top Safety Pick+ from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), but it has not been rated by the US Government’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

Pricing

These 2024 Honda Accord Hybrid prices include the mandatory $1,095 destination charge.

Sport $33,990

EX-L $35,635

Sport-L $35,970

Touring $39,995

Warranties

Battery Eight years/100,000 miles
Powertrain Five years/60,000 mile

New Vehicle/Basic Three years/36,000 mile
Anti-perforation Five years/Unlimited miles
Roadside Assistance Three years/36,000 miles

Observations: 2024 Honda Accord Hybrid Touring

Fuel-efficient road trips and the full suite of advanced driver safety systems, rear seat passenger room that makes attaching a child car seat easy, and the trunk larger than expected to swallow gear, make the 2024 Honda Accord Hybrid a viable family alternative to an SUV.

To truly appreciate how good this car is, go into your Honda dealer and request a lengthy test drive that should include a highway run of at least 25 miles so you can check the fuel economy for yourself.

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Story and photos by John Faulkner.

John Faulkner is Road Test Editor at Clean Fleet Report. He has more than 30 years’ experience branding, launching and marketing automobiles. He has worked with General Motors (all Divisions), Chrysler (Dodge, Jeep, Eagle), Ford and Lincoln-Mercury, Honda, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Nissan and Toyota on consumer events and sales training programs. His interest in automobiles is broad and deep, beginning as a child riding in the back seat of his parent’s 1950 Studebaker. He is a journalist member of the Motor Press Guild.