by Julia Droz Serafine
DRIVE ACCORDINGLY
Holy sedan! When Bell Honda gave me the opportunity to test drive a 2018 Honda Accord EX-L, I couldn’t say yes, please and thank you fast enough! Since most of the cars, I test drive these days to include seating for nine, captain’s chairs (my fave), tons of cup holders and a lot of folding seat options, the idea of driving an unpretentious, yet fully loaded sedan made me squeal with excitement! It is sleek, stylish and seating is plentiful, especially for my family of five. Nine times out of ten, I have at least two out of three kids with me at all times and at the rate they’re growing, especially their attitudes, the space in the Accord definitely did the trick!
Can we start with the way the car looks? I was super impressed by the sophistication of the vehicle and how it’s changed over the years. Even the girls thought they were traveling in a limo for the weekend. When I would think of a sedan, I envision a four-door, boring, boxy vehicle. You know, what your retired parents might drive. Not so with the Accord’s case. The European-inspired fastback design along with 19- inch Glint Black Alloy wheels and Decklid Spoiler gives the Accord a fresh, younger look…similar to me after Botox!
I like to think that I’m an amazing driver, but as my children and husband have both pointed out to me in the past, it’s not exactly a strong quality (except when I’m test driving, of course!). The Honda Accord EX-L actually makes you a safe driver. It boasts a full suite of safety and driver assistive technologies such as LKAS (lane keeping assist system) – this will actually adjust the steering wheel to help you stay in your lane, RDM (Road Departure Mitigation System) – if you happen to cross over a lane without signaling, your vehicle will move you back to your starting lane, or provide braking (#drivinggoals). Add to that CMBS (Collision Mitigation Braking System), ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control), TSR (Traffic Sign Recognition) which displays speed-limit sign information to assist the driver while the vehicle is moving. The camera can recognize the speed limit sign for all to see…great for backseat drivers ages 4 through 8!
The 8- inch display audio touch screen does its job nicely and makes it so convenient to swipe my way through every Taylor Swift song until the right one is found, and listened to, over and over and over again and again.
Overall, the 2018 Honda Accord is one sedan I would own. The space is large enough for the family and the feel is impressive. And while I chauffeured my girls around town all weekend for girl scouts and birthday parties, I also filled the trunk with groceries, dog food, bicycles, and a great find at the consignment shop. I didn’t mind it a bit and neither did the girls as they mentioned several times, this is easy to get in and out of compared to your mom … it is also prettier and cleaner. Thanks, girls.
2018 Honda Accord EX-L – As tested M.S.R.P. $30,865
- The car was parked with the emergency brake on for photos
Vehicle provided by Bell Honda 7th Avenue and Bell Road – Moon Valley
