2011 Honda Accord

The 2011 Honda Accord is available in five trims. The price starts at $21,380 for the manual transmission of the LX and goes up to $29,930 for the EX-L trim. The base LX trim is equipped with 16-inch steel wheels, power accessories, cruise control, and more. The LX-P trim brings 16-inch alloy wheels, an eight-way power-adjustable driver seat, and more. The SE adds power-adjustable lumbar, leather upholstery, heated front seat, and more. 

The EX-trim brings a more powerful four-cylinder engine, sunroof, heated mirrors, and other improvements. The Most expensive EX-L adds Automatic Headlamps, Dual-zone automatic climate control, and many more. The EX-L also gets a V6 engine option and is the only trim that comes with Bluetooth as standard.

The 2011 Honda Accord engine is a 2.4L in-line four-cylinder unit that produces 177 hp along with a torque of 161 lb.-ft. The engine is adequately powerful and produces a good amount of torque with both automatic and manual transmission. The manual transmission is quite enjoyable while the automatic is smooth and easy to drive in bumper-to-bumper traffic. The EX-trims of the 2011 Accord get a more powerful version of the base four-cylinder engine and produces 190 hp of power. 

The 2011 Ford Fusion gets a 2.5-liter four-pot motor and generates slightly lower power and more torque than the Accord. It is also marginally quicker than the Accord as well. The Hyundai Sonata dishes out some impressive power and torque figures for the segment and is the quickest one here too. The Mazda 6 is average at the most in terms of power and torque output but is sportier than the Accord.

The 2011 Honda Accord gas mileage figures are impressive especially with the base I-4 motor. Fuel economy is rated at 23 mpg for city and 34 mpg highway with five-speed automatic. The five-speed manual offers 23 mpg city and 33 mpg highways. 

Even the V6 engine’s mileage ratings stand at 20 and 30 mpg in city and highway respectively, making it desirable for many.

Even though the Honda Accord was the mileage champion for many years and the mileage was improved with minor tweaks to the engine and transmission, it still falls short of the Hyundai Sonata that averages 28 MPG. The Ford Fusion returns marginally fuel efficiency ratings for cities, highways, and combined respectively, thanks to its smaller fuel tank that can hold 17.5-gallons. The Mazda 6 disappoints the most with its sub-par fuel economy ratings despite being not as powerful as the Sonata and covers the least range of 555 miles on the highway.

The 2011 Honda Accord interior gets minor updates and new features. The cabin is spacious, light, and airy, with a nice layout. Everything feels right for the price and seems where one would want it. The Accord delivers pleasing design and materials. The leather is perfectly tailored and is of high quality. The standard tilt and telescoping steering wheel provide a good range of adjustments and compliment the driver seat adjustments to find a perfect driving position for everyone. The Accord provides a wide range of convenience features that are not exclusive to higher trims. The door lock has multiple functions like raising and lowering the windows and opening or closing the sunroof. 

The interior of the car feels big, accommodating the driver and passengers. The seats are supportive and comfortable with plenty of legroom. The Hyundai Sonata takes the second position in terms of spaciousness and is quite stylish too as compared to the rivals here. The Ford Fusion and the Mazda 6 are equally spacious and have a similar amount of trunk capacity as well over 16 cubic feet, while the 2011 Accord has a total trunk volume of 14 cu.-ft.

Standout interior features:

• Dual Zone Climate control and air filtration system
• Power adjustable front seats with power lumbar support
• Leather-trimmed seats
• Heated front seats
• Tilt and telescoping steering system

How Intuitive is the 2011 Honda Accord’s infotainment system?

The infotainment unit on the 2011 Honda Accord is basic with MP3, Windows Media Audio Playback capability, USB Audio Interface, and SiriusXM Radio. The unit features a Navigation system with a rearview camera. However, there are some restrictions to the feature list. The Navigation System is offered with leather seats and Bluetooth hands-free, remaining exclusive to EX-L trim. On other trims, Bluetooth is a dealer-installed feature. The controls for audio and navigation sit below the navigation screen and center dash vents. There are a large number of switches and need some getting used to. 

Standout infotainment features:

• 160 watts or 270 watts audio system
• MP3 / Auxiliary input jack with Windows Media Audio Playback Capability
• USB audio interface
• SiriusXM radio
• Honda Satellite-Linked Navigation System
• Controls with Voice commands

The 2011 Honda Accord exterior gets a subtle makeover to enhance the aerodynamics in order to make the sedan more fuel-efficient. The front end has that smart appeal with a sleek grille and stretched dual-barrel headlamps. The side profile is neat with a sculpted line running along with the doors towards the rear fenders. The rear end remains the same as before with a smart appeal as the front and a unique tail light design.

The Ford Fusion has a vaguely similar front-end design to the Accord but has a bigger and more pronounced grille design and has a unique wheel design as well. The Hyundai Sonata follows a completely different design approach as compared to the Accord and the Fusion. It gets the brand’s new fluidic design language and has a bigger-than-life appeal from the outside. The Mazda 6 is, perhaps, the best-looking sedan in the segment. At 72.7 and 58.1 inches, the Honda Accord is the widest and tallest sedan and sports the highest ground clearance of 6.1 inches. On the other hand, the Hyundai Sonata shares a similar wheelbase of 110 inches with the Honda, while the Mazda 6 is the longest at 193.7 inches.

Standout exterior features:

• One-touch moonroof with tilt
• Remote entry system with power window control
• Fog lights
• Chrome exhaust
• 17-inch alloy wheels with all-season tires
• Double wishbone front suspension with Independent multi-link rear suspension.

The 2011 Honda Accord is a top performer when it comes to safety. It includes a robust set of safety features as well as an almost perfect set of crash test results. In the tougher and revised tests, the 2011 Accord has been given a perfect 5 star by the NHTSA and a Good rating by the IIHS for frontal, side, and rear tests. The only non-perfect rating is an acceptable rather than a good in IIHS roof strength. The Accord has a low center of mass and is less likely to be tripped and rollover.

Standout safety features:

• Anti-Lock Braking System 
• Electronic Brake Distribution 
• Vehicle Stability Assist 
• Advanced Compatibility Engineering (ACE) Body Structure
• Tire Pressure Monitoring System 
• Comprehensive airbag system

The 2011 Honda Accord is a strong competitor in the segment owing to its excellent value-for-money features at an aggressive price point. Additionally, its safety and reliability ratings are solid. The Accord offers a spacious cabin, comfortable seats, excellent fuel economy, and comfortable ride quality. To top it off, the sedan also comes with an optional V6 motor to woo the enthusiasts out there as well. Overall, the sedan poses as a great alternative to its immediate rivals in the segment.