2011 Honda Accord Overview Change Vehicle

This 2011 Honda Accord overview explains changes for the model year, provides a summary of the Accord, and includes Honda Accord safety, reliability, and fuel economy information for the 2010 Honda Accord.

Honda aims to keep buyers interested in the aging Accord by refreshing the exterior styling and rolling out a new Special Edition version of the LX-P sedan that has leather interior trim and heated front seats. Fuel economy is also improved for 2011, thanks to tweaks to the engine, transmission, and vehicle aerodynamics. Other changes include revised climate controls with frequently used functions located closer to the driver, new wheel designs for EX Sedans and V6-equipped Coupes, automatic headlights for EX models, a USB port for all coupes and EX/EX-L sedans, and a rearview camera system on Accords with navigation. Interiors feature minor refinements and new cloth upholstery, EX-L V6 models gain a two-position memory driver’s seat, and the EX-L V6 Coupe has paddle shifters this year.

Honda sells the Accord in coupe and sedan body styles, with a choice between four- and six-cylinder engines, manual or automatic transmissions, and numerous levels of trim.

Save money by selecting the LX Sedan, which has everything you need in a family sedan. Air conditioning, cruise control, power windows, power mirrors, power door locks with remote keyless entry, a tilt and telescopic steering wheel with audio controls, a CD player, and an auxiliary input audio jack come standard. The LX also includes floor mats, auto-off headlights, an anti-theft system, and a height-adjustable driver’s seat. The worst thing about it are the 16-inch steel wheels with cheap-looking plastic wheel covers.

For 2011, there are two upgrades available between the LX and EX trim levels. Alloy wheels come standard on the LX-P Sedan, which also adds an 8-way power driver’s seat and an automatic transmission. The new Accord SE (Special Edition) Sedan builds on LX-P content with leather interior trim, heated front seats, and power lumbar adjustment for the driver.

The Accord EX Sedan is the next big step up from the LX-P, with 17-inch alloy wheels, a standard 6-disc CD changer, a USB port, automatic headlights, a power sunroof and heated side mirrors. When you add a V6 engine to the Accord EX Sedan, you also get fog lights.

With leather upholstery, heated front seats, and dual-zone climate control, the Accord EX-L is the top trim level. A premium 270-watt audio system, XM satellite radio, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, a compass, an outside temperature display, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, and a Homelink programmable universal remote system are also included on this model. A navigation system with Bluetooth hands-free calling is optional on the Accord EX-L.

Switching to the Accord Coupe, the LX-S is the base two-door model, equipped with the same stuff as the LX Sedan plus a 6-disc CD changer, a USB port, 17-inch alloy wheels, and Active Noise Control to hush the cabin. EX and EX-L Coupes get the same upgrades as the EX and EX-L Sedans, though a premium 270-watt audio system comes on EX trim while an 8-way power driver’s seat is included with the EX-L Coupe. The EX-L V6 6MT Coupe is the performance-oriented version of the Accord, equipped with a 6-speed manual transmission and unique 18-inch alloy wheels.

A 2.4-liter, iVTEC four-cylinder engine generating 177 horsepower comes standard on the Accord LX, LX-P, and SE Sedans, paired with a 5-speed manual or 5-speed automatic transmission that sends power to the front wheels. Fuel economy is improved this year, rated 23 mpg in the city and 33 mpg on the highway with the manual, and 23 city/34 highway with the automatic, according to the EPA. In some parts of the country, this engine can be rated a Partial Zero Emission Vehicle (PZEV) with the automatic transmission.

For more power with no fuel economy penalty (applies only to sedans), choose the Accord LX-S, EX, or EX-L. They still have a 2.4-liter iVTEC four-cylinder under the hood, but this version makes 190 horsepower due to a less restrictive exhaust system. Choose between a manual or an automatic transmission, but remember that the PZEV rating is only available with the automatic transmission, and only in certain regions of the U.S. In the Accord Coupe, this engine gets 23 city/32 highway with the manual transmission and 22 city/33 highway with the automatic.

The Accord EX and EX-L feature an optional 3.5-liter iVTEC V6 making 271 horsepower, connected to an automatic transmission. It’s got a Variable Cylinder Management (VCM) system, which allows the engine to operate on three or four cylinders when cruising on the highway. According to the EPA, this engine gets 20 mpg in the city and 30 mpg on the highway when powering the sedan, and 19 city/29 highway when installed in the coupe. Like the four-cylinder engines, the V6 receives a PZEV rating in certain states.

The Accord Coupe EX-L V6 6MT is as close to a muscle car as Honda builds, according to a PR spokesperson. With a 3.5-liter VTEC V6 engine and a 6-speed manual transmission, this model foregoes VCM technology and PZEV ratings, but doesn’t provide additional horsepower. Fuel economy drops to 17 mpg in the city and 26 mpg on the highway.

All 2011 Accords are equipped with six airbags, stability and traction control, and four-wheel-disc brakes with ABS and brake assist. Honda also designed the Accord’s body structure to its ACE (Advanced Compatibility Engineering) safety standards, a process intended to make it more compatible with vehicles of varying size and bumper heights.

In National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) crash tests, which have been revised for 2011 and are more stringent than before, the Accord Sedan receives a perfect 5-Star rating across the board. This result is interesting, because last year the Accord Sedan got a 3-Star rating for the rear passenger in the side-impact test and Honda did not redesigned the car for 2011. The NHTSA has yet to run the Accord Coupe through its new testing procedure.

Meanwhile, over at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the Accord receives Good ratings for offset frontal, side-impact, and rear impact crashworthiness, but the car’s roof crush strength receives an Acceptable rating, which precludes it from achieving Top Safety Pick status.

This year, Consumer Reports is predicting the Accord will return average long-term reliability, a downgrade from last year’s more favorable opinion. J.D. Power and Associates appears to be heading in the opposite direction; the market research firm predicts that long-term dependability will be among the best in the midsize car class.

This year, Vehix sampled two versions of the 2011 Honda Accord, the new SE Sedan and the sporty EX-L V6 Coupe. Each drive revealed the Accord to be comfortable, communicative, and capable, exhibiting a degree of refinement and sophistication that is sometimes lacking in vehicles twice its price. We also found out that Honda’s 3.5-liter V6 proved more fuel-efficient than its standard 2.4-liter four-cylinder. That’s right. We managed to get 23.1 with the Accord SE Sedan, and 24.5 with the Accord EX-L V6 Coupe.

Granted, we did not drive the cars the exact same distances on the exact same roads under the exact same conditions, but the Accord SE’s lack of power meant that we spent lots of time revving the engine to make the car go, while the EX-L V6’s abundant power allowed to drive in a more relaxed fashion. On our test loop, the Accord SE required constant prodding to power up and over the mountains, while the EX-L V6 zoomed along without working hard. The same holds true when accelerating up a freeway on-ramp, or powering away from an intersection. That’s our experience, anyway.

We also found the EX-L V6 Coupe to be a more dynamic performer in terms of handling and braking, thanks to its bigger 18-inch wheels and stickier P235/45R18 Michelin Pilot tires. With the SE Sedan’s smaller 16-inch wheels and basic tires, the Accord displays modest levels of adhesion, even if its suspension tuning is perfection. We also discovered that the SE’s brakes would fade and shudder under repeated use. Not so with the EX-L V6, which, as long as you scrub speed prior to corner entry, can be pitched into and almost rotated through a corner. And while the brakes on the Accord Coupe did suffer a hint of fade after a particularly punishing portion of our test loop, zero shudder came through the pedal.

Otherwise, each of these cars displays typical Honda driving characteristics. They are tautly sprung but not punishing in terms of ride quality, they steer with precision and accuracy, and they are incredibly refined. They’re also loud inside, but the SE Sedan with its hard-working four-cylinder engine seemed to be more so.

As for comfort, each of these cars contained leather-wrapped seats offering superb support if just a touch too much lumbar protrusion even when dialed down to its lowest setting. The Accord Sedan contains a spacious and roomy rear seat, and though the rakish rear window limits the Accord Coupe’s rear headroom, occupants sit high with good thigh support and decent legroom.

Forward visibility is excellent in both cars thanks to super thin windshield pillars, but the Accord Coupe’s rear window suffers from significant glare and reflection at certain times of the day. The Accord’s control layout is refreshingly simple in the SE Sedan, a collection of giant buttons and knobs that are clearly marked in English. The EX-L V6 Coupe’s center stack was a bit more crowded, but still easy enough to navigate. If nothing else, every stalk, button, and knob in the Honda Accord exhibits astounding attention to detail in terms of tactile refinement. But for a company so interested in maximizing fuel efficiency, we find it odd – and even irritating – than neither of our test vehicles had an average fuel economy indicator.

Clearly, we enjoy driving the Accord. Sadly, Honda doesn’t build the one we’d want to park in our own driveway: an EX-L V6 Sedan equipped with the Accord EX-L V6 Coupe’s wheel-and-tire package. With enough extra cash, that would be easy enough to fix.

Cars are rarely as good as this one. Refined and safe, roomy and comfortable, fun-to-drive yet fuel-efficient, durable and a great value, the 2011 Honda Accord is highly recommended.