There’s a new Honda Accord!

Yep, we know, it’s hugely exciting. But all jokes aside, the Accord is a pretty important car for the Middle East. Honda sells bucket-loads of Accords in this region, mostly because it’s well-priced, well-equipped, reliable and half-decent to drive.

So, while the new one was launched in the Middle East just this week, you can probably expect to be seeing a lot of them in the wild over the next few months. This thing will sell properly well.

And plus, the Accord was due an update. This may be the tenth generation of the Accord (the car has been going since 1976!), but the last one was so good that Honda hasn’t updated it since 2013.

So what do you get with the new Accord? Well, Honda says it’s all-new, built from the ground up with new technologies and interiors. The new car offers a wider, lower stance, a lighter and more rigid unibody structure, a new chassis, two new engines, a new, 10-speed automatic transmission, a totally redesigned interior, and a whole bunch of safety tech.

What does all of that mean? Well, the wider and lower stance helps with both the looks and the drive. And, to be honest, we’re pretty impressed with the looks. Okay, it’s still obviously an Accord, but that sloping line from the B pillar to the rear is very svelte, in our opinion. It’s not an aggressive look, otherwise, but you do get some semblance of sportiness in there.

And the handling should also be aided by a lower and wider track. Handling will also be helped by the new multi-link rear suspension, which will also pay dividends with the ride. Sportier models, Honda says, will come with firmer springs to provide “improved responsiveness and a more connected feel”. The lightness of the new frame will also help with the handling, and it’ll make the car more fuel-efficient, too.

Engine-wise, at launch you can have a new turbocharged, 1.5-litre four-cylinder, or a 2.0-litre turbo four-cylinder. Both offer power that you wouldn’t expect from such small displacements. The 1.5-litre is an evolution of the 1.5 that was introduced in the latest Civic, but it’s been tuned so that it now develops 198 bhp. That’s 9 bhp more than the outgoing Honda’s 2.4-litre. And it’s more fuel-efficient.

The 2.0-litre is where the real action is, though. It develops 247 bhp and 370 Nm of torque, and power is available across the rev range, Honda says.

In terms of gearboxes, the 1.5 is mated to a CVT gearbox, while the 2.0-litre comes with a new, 10-speed automatic. Honda says that the tenth gear is “exceptionally tall”, meaning very low revs when cruising at motorway speeds.

On the inside, you get what looks like a pretty nice interior that improves rear legroom by 48 mm and adds over 70 litres of overall interior space. You can spec an eight-inch touchscreen as the main display, and a TFT digital driving display in place of the traditional dials. Plus, the top-of-the-range 2.0T Sport model comes with a six-inch head-up display.

There’s all kinds of active safety tech, too, including pedestrian detection, whiplash prevention, driver attention monitoring, anti-collision warnings, adaptive cruise control and active lane-departure assist.

So, what do you reckon? Would you have this over a Toyota Camry or Nissan Altima?