The extinction of dinosaurs was quite beneficial for mankind, as the gift of fossil fuel was no less of a gold mine, free to exploit.
The extinction of certain species was definitely a bummer. But there’s one thing on the verge of extinction, that would hurt the most in the future. It’s the manual transmission. Yet some generous automakers are still pleasing purists and enthusiasts, equipping manual transmission in affordable nameplates. The 2021 Honda Accord was one of these kinds.
Yes, you read that right, “was”. The recent mild refresh sees the retreat of manual transmission on the 2021 Honda Accord along with the addition of some new features.
Besides the grievance on the 2021 Honda Accord’s 6-speed manual transmission has been gone. The automaker even wrote what read as an apology to the shrinking number of driving enthusiasts who bought manual-transmission Accords in just enough numbers over the years to keep the stick option alive.
Keeping the loss behind, the 2021 Honda Accord was hit with a mild refresh in conjunction with its competitive rival, the recently refreshed 2021 Toyota Camry.
The 2021 Honda Accord was already a hot thing in the market, with subtle yet impacting design, smooth body lines, and an elegantly sloping roofline. But the mild refresh has some mild, indistinct styling cues. Starting from the front, the grille gets wider, the fog light gets smaller, and higher-end models wear new LED headlights. Besides, the look-ravaging radar sensor for Accord’s standard adaptive cruise control and automated emergency braking functions now hides behind the grille better. Winding up, there are no major changes to the pretty front fascia of the Accord.
The 2021 Honda Accord has some obscure change in the rear side too. There is new trim along the up-kicked body crease that runs from under the front and rear doors and wraps around the rear bumper. The brand has also tweaked the lower rear valance, next to exhaust outlets. Besides these barely perceptible tweaks, the refresh 2021 Accord will now wear new wheel designs for every trim, the size ranging from the 17-inch units on the base Accord LX to the 19s on Sport and Touring models.
The major tweaks have been made to the base trim of the 2021 Honda Accord. The last indelible redesign dates back to 2018. Yet the base trim was always the best-value-for-money. For just $25,000 the buyers were fortunate to have excellent driving and handling, elegant and handsome interiors, best the list of safety features coming standard in the Honda Sensing suite and more standard facets. Yet some people are never grateful for the things prone to them. But these people are the reasons that manufacturers ameliorate. Even Honda tried to fill in gaps with the refresh from the 2021 Honda Accord. Features like smartphone integration(Android Auto and Apple CarPlay mainly) were repelled from being standard on the base Accords and were limited to next-level-up Sport trim and beyond.
The recent refreshed 2021 Honda Accord now features both Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, though there’s a slight price hike. Starting with a price tag of $25,725, the 2021 Honda Accord LX now adds a rear-seat reminder that alerts the driver to check the back seat for a child or some valuables before leaving the car( who leaves their child in their cars anyway?), rear seat belt reminder along with improved adaptive cruise control and lane-keep programming for smoother operation. The base Accord continues hosting a 192-hp turbocharged 1.5L 4-cylinder engine block paired with continuously variable automatic transmission.
The 2021 Honda Accord also adds a new Sport SE trim, that bolts on the same 1.5 4-cylinder block( also the non-hybrid EX trim is gone for good). The new trim sits just above the Sport trim, which saves some bucks from availing the pricier Sport 2.0T, which fits the powerful 252-hp turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine (and 10-speed automatic) with the range-topping Accord Touring. This means less price but more power and aggressive styling cues like bigger 19-inch wheels, wider tires, LED fog lights, full-LED headlights (the LX has LED low-beams only), chrome exhaust tips, paddle shifters, and 180-watt eight-speaker audio system, but adds remote engine starting, leather seating, heated front seats, and a four-way power front-passenger seat.
Though the base 2021 Honda Accord now looks chock-full, yet there are a handful of features still reserved for upper trims, nicer Accords. For instance, essential like blind-spot monitoring still restrained for EX-L, Sport 2.0T, or Touring. Fancy things like wireless Apple CarPlay, wireless phone charger, a premium 450W audio system, and a moonroof are still bunched under the optional list. Minor additions like dual 2.5V USB ports for the rear are now equipped in EX-L, Touring, and even Hybrid EX trim. Besides, every Accord sees its front-seat USB ports move from a cubby ahead of the shifter, under the dashboard, to the center console for easier access.
