Platform: The Accord likely won’t get much more than some cursory stiffening measures to its structure and slight suspension tweaks for 2016, but it doesn’t really need more than that. Lending a more athletic look to each of the models seen here are new grilles, bumpers, decklid garnishes, headlamps, and taillamps—including multi-element, Acura-style LED headlamps on the Touring model that prove that the sexy lights on the Honda Civic Coupe concept shown last month at the New York auto show were no fluke. Here’s hoping they appear on the production 2016 Civic, as well. The Accord’s wheel designs are also new, and we particularly like the big five-spoke pieces seen in some of the shots.

1. What It Is: Exclusive spy photos of the latest version of Honda’s perennial Car and Driver 10Best Cars–winning family sedan, caught
completely undisguised and in multiple trim levels: four-cylinder Sport, V-6, and V-6 Touring. The hybrid and plug-in-hybrid models
weren’t in attendance, so we’re not sure what updates they will receive for 2016.
Why It Matters: While the increasing popularity of crossovers has taken a bite out of the sales of traditional passenger cars, the
spacious and swell-handling Accord is still hugely important to Honda—and a huge seller overall. This refresh addresses at least one of
the Accord’s major shortcomings: dull styling. The 2016 Accord also likely will get significant powertrain updates, particularly in V-6
guise, ensuring that the six-cylinder models are efficient and relevant in an age of ever-stricter fuel-economy standards.
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Platform: The Accord likely won’t get much more than some cursory stiffening measures to its structure and slight suspension tweaks
for 2016, but it doesn’t really need more than that. Lending a more athletic look to each of the models seen here are new grilles,
bumpers, decklid garnishes, headlamps, and taillamps—including multi-element, Acura-style LED headlamps on the Touring model that
prove that the sexy lights on the Honda Civic Coupe concept shown last month at the New York auto show were no fluke. Here’s hoping
they appear on the production 2016 Civic, as well. The Accord’s wheel designs are also new, and we particularly like the big five-spoke
pieces seen in some of the shots.
Powertrain: Expect the Accord V-6 to adopt direct fuel injection and offer the new nine-speed automatic transmission that’s found in
the 2016 Pilot crossover’s upper (Touringand Elite) trim levels. In the Pilot, the direct-injected six-cylinder pumps out 280 horsepower
and 262 lb-ft of torque. Were those numbers to carry over here, it would offer only a slight bump in output (2 hp, 10 lb-ft) over the
current V-6, but the engine likely will have improved responses across the rev range while also delivering a modest gain in fuel
economy.