Honda Accord the 9th generation

The all-new 2013 model brings direct injection, a new CVT, MacPherson struts, safety advances, and a plug-in hybrid version.

For a lesson in how to evolve a vehicle and create an industry icon, look no farther than Honda's Accord. When first launched in 1976, the Accord was a 2000-lb (907-kg), three-door hatchback engineered on a stretched Civic platform. It was 162 in (4115 mm) long and packed all of 68 hp (51 kW). Thirty-six years later, Accord enters its ninth generation as one of the industry's longest-running nameplates and one of the most popular vehicles in North America.

Now officially a full-size sedan according to the U.S. EPA's interior metrics (the coupe remains midsize), the 2013 edition measures 189.2 in (4806 mm) long, has a mass of 3186 lb (1445 kg) in its base configuration, and offers a base 185 hp (138 kW). While the only things vaguely common between the two Accord bookends are front-wheel drive and a standard I4 engine, the nameplate's success stems from a development process that is among the most consistent and thorough in the industry.