In the eight generations since it first hit the streets in 1976, Honda's Accord has grown in size, performance, sophistication and model range, expanding at various points to include sedan, wagon and coupe body styles.
It was better-equipped than most and its reliability became legend. It's grown in sales, too, leading the mid-size sedan field for many years.
Now comes the ninth generation, available in sedan and coupe. The former is on sale now, the latter on Nov. 1.
Final pricing hasn't been announced, but the base LX sedan is expected to start at about $24,000. Pricing for the coupe will be revealed closer to its launch date.
Shoji Matsui, project leader on the new Accord and a 30-year veteran of the company, did not exactly criticize the eighth-gen car, called bland by critics.
But he wanted a car that excels in all areas, which pretty much meant starting from scratch. The 2013 Accord is about as new as it gets.
The body is smaller (by 70 mm overall, 25 in wheelbase) and lighter (by about 11 kg), in the interests of better performance, handling and fuel economy.
Total passenger volume is down by 50 litres, although key dimensions such as rear seat legroom and trunk space are improved.
Although many cars employ a rising beltline (the sill of the side windows) to convey a sense of forward motion, Matsui favours a flatter line, to improve outward visibility.
It still looks a bit rakish, but it doesn't catch the eye like Kia's Optima does. Accord has a typical Honda grille, with more than a hint of BMW 5 Series in the reverse rear roof pillar kink and tail lights.
There's a bigger step-up inside - perhaps the most impressive improvement in the entire car. Classy design and upgraded materials, especially in the so-called "touch zones" - door pulls, steering wheel and shift knob.
The instrument cluster has a three-dimensional layered look, with the speedometer literally front and centre, flanked by tachometer on the left and fuel and temperature gauges on the right.
A standard eight-inch touchscreen enables a host of standard or available features, including audio, cellphone, and HondaLink, a system containing applications such as an online music system, Facebook and Twitter.
The automatic door-locking can be disabled by the driver. Thanks, Honda.
Accord offers a lane-departure warning system, a forward-collision warning system and Lane Watch, wherein a camera in the right side-view mirror pod automatically displays a picture of your "blind spot" on the centre stack screen if it detects a car there.
If all this fails, Honda's "Advanced Compatibility Engineering" (ACE) body structure has been revised for better crash performance.
Honda is staying with a two-engine strategy - a four and a V6. A plug-in hybrid follows next summer.
The description of the four sounds the same as before - 2.4 litre twin-cam 16-valve with I-VTEC (variable valve timing and lift) and counter-rotating balance shafts.
But it is an all-new engine, with a lighter aluminum block, redesigned pistons and several friction-reducing technologies.
The big news is the adoption of direct fuel injection, which helps boost power by 4 per cent and torque by 12 per cent.
That means 185 horses and 181 lb.-ft. of torque. The Sport's more open exhaust system boosts those numbers to 189 and 182.
Fuel consumption is excellent, although not quite as good as the Altima's non-direct-injection 2.5 litre. Honda engineers admit they're stumped as to how Nissan gets its numbers.
The 3.5 litre V6 continues as the one-up option. It, too, has been reworked for improved power, torque and economy.
Bigger news still is the adoption of a continuously variable transmission (CVT) as the automatic option on the four (a six-speed manual is standard fitment on lower trim levels. V6 models offer a six-speed conventional automatic or, on the V6 coupe, a six-speed manual).
A CVT has a wider spread of ratios - higher high; lower low - and allows the engine to remain in its most efficient rev band for a greater percentage of the time, leading to better fuel consumption.
There is also no jerkiness between shifts because there are no "shifts" as such.
CVTs typically do have drawbacks, though. Most drivers are used to a stepped transmission, and the continuous variation feels unnatural. And there can be jerkiness when switching from Drive to Reverse.
Honda has incorporated a torque converter into its CVT, which essentially eliminates the latter issue and also helps allow for shift programming to feel more car-like, even if it costs a count or two on the efficiency scale.
The double-wishbone front suspension is replaced with a seemingly less-sophisticated MacStrut. Honda insists the new system, combined with electric power steering and a fluid-filled bushing on the lower control arm, provides more precise handling and greatly reduced vibration for a smoother ride. It also saves weight and cost.
The rear suspension remains multi-link, although revised again for a smoother quieter ride.
I spent most of my time during this one-day driving preview in a four-cylinder CVT sedan, because that figures to be the most popular version, by far.
The 2013 Accord is a huge step forward, as you'll note when you step inside: Big, comfy seats, fine finish and detailing, and a much more luxurious ambience.
The impression remains when you fire up and drive off. That cheaper suspension does a surprisingly good job of controlling body motions - the lighter body makes it easier.
Electric power steering is light. But enthusiasts should be able to dig down and feel that the feedback and precision are surprisingly good.
The engine is already pretty quiet. Active Noise Cancellation is said to reduce interior noise even further, although without an off switch, it's impossible to determine by how much.
Personally, I have never minded the unusual characteristics of a CVT, because the things we have got used to - the steps in a transmission - are only there to cover up the failure of an internal combustion engine to generate sufficient torque over a broad enough rev range to be useful in a car. A CVT simply works better, under most conditions.
The rear seat - one strong point of the outgoing Accord - is still spacious, despite the smaller overall cabin. If rear seat room is your primary criterion, you won't look further than the VW Passat.
In this competitive segment, Accords have the built-in advantage of 37 years of history, leaving it with a huge, deliriously happy customer base. The wide range of attributes on the new one will surely tempt newcomers, too.
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