A few days ago, Honda released the 11th-generation 2023 Accord sedan. It’s elegant, technologically advanced, and very efficient. However, the popular 2.0-liter turbo motor has been deleted from the range. So could that mean Honda doesn’t want 250+ horsepower sednas, or is it secretly developing an Accord Type R?
At first glance, it looks really bad. In place of a big turbo motor, the 2023 Accord just gets a hybrid. Obviously, that makes the car more efficient, which is what many people want. However, there’s no shortage of sporty mid-sized sedans that will make the Honda looks slow.
We’ve actually seen a renaissance of the midsized sports sedan recently. Where you basically only had the Camry TRD before, now you get the Kia K5 GT and the Hyundai Sonata N Line powered by a turbocharged 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine that produces a healthy 290 horsepower.
Honda themselves took it to the next level with the Acura TLX Type S, which they describe as the embodiment of power and capability with a 3.0L turbo V6 that pumps out 355 hp. And taking all that into consideration, we actually don’t think the 2.0-liter VTEC Turbo is actually gone; it’s just going to be exclusive to a sports model.
That strategy is actually pretty smart if you think about it. For 2021, the Accord 2.0T Sport was criminally underrated. At about $33,000, it was the cheapest in the segment but could keep up or sometimes beat its rivals in a drag race, many of which claimed to make more power. This was, in part, to the brilliant 10-speed automatic transmission, which they also removed from the 2023 lineup.
This next rendering, created by the artist Theottle, puts the 2.0L VTEC Turbo power back into the sedan by creating a 2024 Accord Type R. It uses the same visuals as the new Civic Type R, including bigger wheels, wider fenders, a sporty 3-tip exhaust, and a full body kit. Gloss black air intakes feed the powerful engine, while the trunk-mounted wing creates extra downforce.
For the record, the Accord 2.0T Sport only made 252 horsepower, even though the engine is basically the same as in the Civic Type R, where it now makes 315 hp. Dyno tests of the $44,000 hot hatch have shown the output is even higher in reality.
Accord Type R or is the Type S more likely?
We believe Honda is more likely to stick the Type S badge on the back of its sports sedan. Firstly, the new Civic Type R was mostly developed in Japan, honed on the Suzuka track, whereas the Accord is more of an America domestic car.
They used to have an Accord in Europe and Japan, but it was more like the Acura TL than the American Accord. That car also had a Type S version unveiled in 2008 at the Geneva Motor Show and powered by a 2.2-liter turbo diesel engine of all things, though there was also a 2.4 VTEC.
Then again, the Accord Type R also existed and is a little-known JDM exotic. It had Recaro seats, a Momo steering wheel, a titanium gear knob, was a whole person lighter (60 kg / 132 lbs), and came with an H22 DOHC VTEC from the Prelude that produced 217 hp. Its successor is even less known, the “Euro R” with a K20 VTEC screaming to 8000rpm where it produced 220 hp.