2018 Honda Accord Trim Levels with Comparisons & Configurations.

The mid-size sedan is a common sight on American roads and the Honda Accord is one of the most common mid-size sedans. It is engaging to drive, gets good gas mileage and offers plenty of space both in its comfortable interior and its sizable trunk. In addition to these basics, it also has a very good selection of comfort and technology features on both its standard and optional lists.

The 2018 Honda Accord is fresh off of a major redesign that has improved many of these aspects, as well as giving it a fresh new look that is attractive and modern in both interior and exterior. The different trim levels of the car have not changed and will be familiar to most Honda buyers, but the equipment that is offered in each one has seen some changes.

This article navigates through the different trim levels that the 2018 Honda Accord is available in, noting which options may be particularly attractive to different kinds of buyers.
 

Compare the 2018 Accord LX vs Sport Trims. What is the difference?

The LX is the basic entry for the 2018 Honda Accord, but you would probably not guess so sitting behind the wheel. The Accord LX not only includes the Honda Sensing suite as standard, but also comes with advanced comfort and technology amenities like dual zone climate control and driver drowsiness detection.

Honda Sensing includes all of the popular modern active safety standbys: dynamic cruise control with forward collision warnings and automatic emergency braking, lane departure warning with lane keep assist, road departure mitigation and traffic sign recognition. The only tip off that this is a basic model is the infotainment. On the LX, it has only a 7-inch non-touch screen with Bluetooth and a USB interface.

The Sport model’s biggest improvement over the LX is the upgraded infotainment. That includes an 8-inch touchscreen with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay and an 8-speaker sound system. The LX also comes with a spoiler and a power driver’s seat, as well as some sporty interior and exterior accents, like special pedals, chrome exhaust tips and 19-inch wheels.

The Sport is available in both a 1.5-liter engine configuration, like the LX, or with a more powerful 2.0-liter turbocharged engine. Both come with a standard six-speed manual, but are also available with an automatic for the same price. With a 1.5-liter engine, you get the same continuously variable transmission as on the LX, albeit with paddle shifters. The 2.0-liter model instead gets a 10-speed transmission, also with paddles.

If you are not particularly interested in having a modern infotainment system or the larger engine, the LX is a fine option thanks to its included safety features. At a $2,200 premium, a power seat and a touch screen can be hard to justify, but if you find yourself frequently using your phone on the go, whether for navigating to new places or business communication, then the smartphone integration of the Sport can be a huge quality of life improvement.

The Sport is also the least expensive option for the larger 2.0-liter turbo engine on the Accord, but those eyeing the 2.0T should keep in mind that it comes at a $4,500 premium. On higher-end models, the upgrade to the 2.0T is only $2,000, which makes the Sport 2.0T a somewhat low-value choice unless you don’t care about the other features offered on the EX-L or Touring models.

Compare the 2018 Honda Accord Sport vs EX Trims. What is the difference?

Where the Sport is a more performance-oriented upgrade over the LX, the EX is focused more on the creature comforts of the Accord. Just like the Sport, the EX includes the powered driver seat and upgraded infotainment with smartphone integration. On top of that, it adds blind spot monitors with a rear cross traffic alert, heated side mirrors, a moonroof, and a smart key with remote start that automatically locks the car when you walk away.

The EX does not have the Sport model’s larger wheels, using the same 17-inch ones as the LX, but they are available as an upgrade. And unlike the Sport, the EX is only available with the smaller 1.5-liter engine and a continuously variable transmission.

For $1,700, the EX offers quite a bit of an upgrade over the Sport model. Blind spot monitors in particular are a very popular safety feature, as they make highway lane changes much easier and safer. For drivers that are focused more on comfort, utility, and good ride quality, the EX offers a much better value than the Sport does. That said, if you are a manual transmission buff, then the Sport is definitely the better choice, as there is no manual transmission option on the EX.

Compare the Accord EX vs EX-L Trims. What is the difference?

The main difference between the EX and the EX-L is the L - Leather. The Accord EX-L comes equipped with very nice leather upholstery that by itself comes close to justifying the $2,500 increase in price compared to the Accord EX. On top of that, the EX-L comes with driver’s side memory functionality and adds power adjustment to the passenger seat. A 10-speaker, 450-watt sound system and an auto-dimming rearview mirror with a HomeLink universal remote round out the feature set for the EX-L.

A satellite navigation system is also available as an add-on for $1,000. Like the Sport, the EX-L is available in both 1.5T and 2.0T flavors depending on the engine choice. The larger engine adds $2,000 to the car’s list price, but also comes with the same 10-speed automatic transmission as on the 2.0T Sport.

The added features of the EX-L model are definitely worth the higher price point, so the choice between the EX and the EX-L really comes down to whether you want them or need them. The audio system of the EX-L is good quality and the leather is superb, but those features are more a matter of taste than the staples the EX offers like blind spot monitoring. That said, if you enjoy quality sound and seating surfaces and are willing to pay for them, then the EX-L is also a pretty good deal.

Compare the Accord EX-L vs Touring Trims. What is the difference?

The Honda Accord Touring is the pinnacle of the Accord lineup, and as such it serves as something of a halo model, showing off both high end luxury features and new technologies. The front seats of the Touring are ventilated in addition to being heated, while the two outboard rear seats also get seat heating.

Rain-sensing windshield wipers, mirrors that automatically tilt when you reverse and bright LED headlights are also among the useful convenience features. It also includes the optional navigation system as a standard feature.

More interesting is the cutting edge tech that Honda has put into the new Accord. There is a heads-up display that holographically projects speed and navigation data over the dashboard, a wireless phone charger, a Wi-Fi hotspot and a near-field communication chip that allows you to pair your phone to the car by simply tapping it on a certain spot on the dashboard. Like the EX-L, it is also available in both 1.5T and 2.0T configurations.

While the Touring offers a lot of cool toys for fans of technology to play with, as well as making life a little easier for everyone else, it does come at a price. It lists for almost $4,000 more than a similar EX-L. If you want to be on the cutting edge of in-car technologies, the Touring might offer some value, but most other drivers will get much more bang for their buck from the EX-L.

 

Final Thoughts

The Honda Accord is generally a vehicle that offers good value to its buyers. All of its trim levels are appealing, and picking the right one for you depends in equal parts on which features are must-haves for you and your optimal price point. In general, the middle trims of the 2018 Accord - the Sport, EX and EX-L - tend to offer the best combination of features and price.

Because of the important role that smartphones play in our daily lives, in can be difficult to go without the Android Auto and Apple CarPlay features that are absent in the LX and the lack of touchscreen controls can be jarring. On the other side of the spectrum, the Touring offers a good set of unique features that are very attractive and sophisticated together. However, none of them are must-have features in the same way as the infotainment system on the Sport, the blind spot monitors on the EX, or the leather on the EX-L. As such, the Touring’s high price can be difficult to justify.

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