2018 Honda Accord 2.0T Touring: Lower, wider, longer, better

Ask your ancient daddy bear friends and lovers and they will tell you of a time when The Beach Boys sang of Little Hondawhen it was just a motorcycle and not a car.  And when it did become a car in the United States, it was such a small car that no one took it seriously.  Why would anyone name a car ‘Accord’ or “Civic’? There is nothing stealth about those names, like Impala or Jaguar or Mustang.

Sure enough, all these years later, Honda is now a classic American car company and the Accord has been around for so long that most of you can’t remember a time when it was not a part of your classmates’ lives. To be sure, it used to be a rolling shoebox, barely large enough for you, your one semi-precious friend, some textbooks, a laundry bag and a lava lamp. Now it is a midsized car that really does take up a lot of room.  Like most of us, it keeps getting lower, wider and longer (as described by Edmunds.com) with age, and Honda is boasting about that this year, as the Accord is completely redesigned for 2018.

I like the Accord and you can’t go wrong with it, especially if you get the upgraded 2.0T(urbo) Touring trim, which I tested that starts at $35,800 and comes with 252 horses. (The base Honda Accord starts at $23,570.) The Accord is what I would consider a ‘family’ car, meaning that if you don’t have a family, you really need to like Hugh Jass cars to want to have one.  Okay, it’s not that big, but you sit low in it and that makes it feel like a Hugh Jass car, which also impedes visibility a bit. I will admit, as of late with 2018 models, I have gotten used to riding tall in the saddle, so to ride low to the ground where I am at ‘street level’, yeah, well… I prefer being above it all. It’s still a great ride, though.

The boys at Car and Driver really like the Accord 2.0T Touring, and it’s always a trip to read all their geeky reviews about how much these cars give them a boner.  But apparently they employ a number of men of size who test out the cars as well. Take note:

“Drivers of all shapes and sizes will find it easy to arrive at the perfect seating position, and those on the larger end of the spectrum will welcome the surplus of head and shoulder room despite the presence of a sunroof.”

They speaketh truth. I did get some Hugh Jass friends in the Accord and it went smoothly, albeit having to step low to get in and push up to get out. For us bears, this is a big consideration.  While over the generations, people have indeed gotten bigger and taller, bears have outpaced them.  That means that we encounter snugness often, especially in out motor carriages. With the 2018 Honda Accord, problem solved.

As 2018 draws to a close, we hear at Bear World Magazineknow you have many friends for whom you have to buy gifts and many choices on which you can spend your money.  We aren’t saying that you should buy your friends a car. No, buy yourself a car first, and only if you are truly loaded (with money) should you consider being so generous.

Also make sure they have a valid driver’s license.  Hey, you gotta check these things….