BYD Shark 6 vs Honda Accord

What's the difference?

BYD’s Shark 6 continues to break new ground with its work-focused Dynamic PHEV cab-chassis, which impresses with its quiet operation, spirited acceleration, excellent handling, single-digit fuel economy and generous standard equipment at a competitive price. However, its tow rating is one tonne less than PHEV ute rivals which could be a deal breaker for some.

Will the new Honda Accord e:HEV RS topple the SUV throne? Unlikely, but it proves sedans can still haul the family around in relative comfort and style.

The new Accord drives stupidly well and offers great ongoing ownership costs, even if it's price tag is a little steep. It's hybrid powertrain also offers fantastic efficiency and that's a big win.

The Shark 6 projects a bold grille and headlight treatment that appears to draw inspiration from full-size US pick-ups, but with an LED-enhanced ‘technical’ look consistent with its hybrid drivetrain.

Like its stablemates, the cab-chassis version rides on a 3260mm wheelbase with generous length/width/height dimensions similar to a Ford Ranger.

The interior with its synthetic leather seating has a high-quality look and feel, with brightly contrasting red air-vent/cupholder surrounds and exposed red stitching along numerous seams throughout the cabin adding to its visual appeal.

The design for the new Accord is powerful with a sexy silhouette that features a rear spoiler, black accents and sporty 18-inch alloy wheels.

The old chunky grille is long gone and at certain angles you almost get a Nissan 200 SX vibe, which is gorgeously retro and a refreshing take for Honda - which has been playing it safe for the last few years.

The interior is simply styled but looks timeless. The dashboard has clean lines and a featured honeycomb mesh that hides the air-vents. It's a feature which might not land with everyone but it adds personality.

The black upholstery looks plush and there are enough soft-touchpoints to make the cabin feel like it deserves a premium tag.

With its hefty 2600kg kerb weight (without tray) and 3500kg GVM, the Shark 6 Dynamic has a 900kg payload rating which, after deducting the weight of the aluminium tray (150kg) and towbar assembly (50kg) as fitted to our test vehicle, lowers the remaining payload to 700kg.

It’s also rated to tow up to 2500kg of braked trailer which is 1000kg or one tonne less than the category benchmark and all PHEV ute rivals. And with its 5750kg GCM rating (or how much weight it can legally carry and tow at the same time), towing its maximum trailer weight would leave 650kg of vehicle payload capacity which drops to 450kg after deducting the combined weight of the tray/towbar.

And that 450kg of payload could easily be used up by the weight of four large tradies before you could think about loading their gear, so it’s important to be aware of these weight ratings if you’re planning to tow heavy trailers.

The optional aluminium tray is designed in partnership and manufactured by Aussie aftermarket off-road equipment specialist, Ironman. According to our tape measure, its internal dimensions are 1680mm length and 1810mm width with 260mm-deep drop-sides.

It has a sturdy tubular aluminium front bulkhead topped by vertical load retainers on each side plus external rope rails and eight internal load anchorage points.

The driver's side lockable storage box tucked up behind the rear wheel is integral with the cab-chassis structure and therefore separate from the tray, which allows any tray or service body to be mounted above it without compromising the propulsion battery's charge port and trio of V2L three-pin sockets mounted inside. The matching passenger-side storage box differs only in being part of the tray structure and therefore removable.

Seating is spacious and comfortable for the driver and front passenger while the rear bench seat is equally accommodating, given I’m 186cm and when seated behind the driver’s seat set in my position I still have ample knee and headroom.

Head clearance is also sufficient when seated in the central position, which is enhanced with a flat floor to avoid having to straddle a transmission tunnel. However, shoulder room for a trio of adults is tight, so travelling with three in the rear seat is best limited to short drives.

Cabin storage for front seat occupants includes a bottle holder and bin in each front door, an overhead glasses holder plus a glove box and dash storage shelf on the passenger side. The centre console has wireless phone charging and two USB ports up front, a pair of cupholders in the centre and a lidded box at the back containing a 12V accessory socket.

Rear passengers also get a bottle holder and bin in each door, plus pockets on the rear of both front seat backrests and a fold-down centre armrest with two cupholders. The rear of the centre console offers adjustable air-vents, two more USB ports and another 230V V2L three-pin plug socket to power numerous domestic appliances inside the cabin.

The bench seat’s base cushion can be raised and stored vertically if more internal luggage space is required but there’s no under-floor storage.

Access to the cabin is great thanks to wide door apertures but the Accord is a low car to get in and out of with its 134mm ground clearance. Expect a couple of grunts when parked on a hill!

Both rows offer ample legroom but the front enjoys the best of the headroom. A 183cm (6.0ft) friend was lumped with the middle seat and spent the trip dreadfully hunched over and uncomfortable. Save the middle seat for kidlets.

The electric front seats offer decent comfort for a longer trip but it's disappointing that only the driver’s side gets lumbar support.  

The rear row enjoys well-padded seats and amenities, like retractable sunblinds, reading lights, two USB-C ports and directional air vents but it took a while for the back to cool down on hot days which my kid made known. Loudly. 

Storage consists of a large glove box and middle console (which can accommodate a small handbag), a sunglasses holder, four cupholders, four drink bottle holders and two map pockets. There is also a dedicated phone tray but a few extra cubbies up front would be welcomed.

The boot offers plenty of space with its 570-litre capacity, which is great for the class, and you can also open up storage options with the ski-port door, if need be. The powered boot release is a handy feature.

The touchscreen multimedia system looks nice but is a pain in the butt to use until you set some time aside to get to know it. It’s just not intuitive but the screen is responsive and it's a bonus that you get the built-in sat nav and Google apps. 

The new Accord gets wired and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto but it took a few beats to get the wireless CarPlay to work.

The charging options are good throughout the car with four USB-C ports, two 12-volt sockets and a wireless charging pad to choose from.

The model line-up has been streamlined for the new Accord and there’s only one variant available, the e:HEV RS model.

The new Accord is well-specified but misses out on some luxurious extras most of its rivals sport, like heated and cooled front seats, a heated steering wheel and heated rear outboard seats.

Which might all seem superfluous at first but maybe not when you consider the new Accord's $64,900, before on-road costs, price tag sits just shy of the more expensive Skoda Superb top model, which is $65,590, before on-roads.

The next two rivals are more affordable with the Mazda 6 Atenza priced at $52,590 MSRP and the new Toyota Camry SL at $53,990 MSRP.

The standard equipment list for the new Accord includes leather-appointed upholstery, electric front seats, lumbar support for the driver's side and a panoramic sunroof.

There's also keyless entry and start, adaptive LED headlights, a powered tailgate and a host of high-end technology throughout.

That includes a new 12.3-inch touchscreen multimedia system with satellite navigation and built-in Google apps, wired/wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, the Honda app (with over-the-air updates), a 10.2-inch digital instrument cluster, dual-zone climate control, a wireless charging pad and a 12-speaker Bose sound system.

The hybrid drivetrain provides permanent all-wheel drive courtesy of its two electric motors, with the front motor producing up to 170kW/310Nm driving the front wheels and the rear motor providing up to 150kW/340Nm driving the rears.

These motors are teamed with a 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine producing up to 135kW/260Nm, which serves dual roles as a generator to maintain charge in the 29.58kWh ‘Blade’ lithium-ion battery and to assist with driving the front wheels as required. It can also perform both roles simultaneously.

Charging of the propulsion battery is assisted by regenerative braking served in a choice of standard or high strength, along with three energy management settings from pure EV mode to full Hybrid (HEV) mode.

The combined official output is up to 321kW/650Nm. There are also three drive modes comprising Eco/Normal/Sport plus different all-terrain settings to optimise performance in Mud/Sand/Snow/Mountain.

The plug-in propulsion battery can be charged using either the AC Type 2 (7.0kW) port or DC CCS/2 (55kW) port.

Our test vehicle features a traditional body-on-frame chassis design, combined with double-wishbone front and rear suspension which enhances ride and handling. There’s also rack-and-pinion steering and four-wheel disc brakes.

The turning circle is a compact 11 metres, combined with off-road credentials including 230mm of unladen ground clearance with 31 degrees approach/17 degrees ramp-over/19.3 degrees departure angles.

Its standard wading depth is capped at 530mm (compared to the ute's 700mm) to allow for the lower height of the electrical components located in the driver's side storage box.

Our test vehicle has an electric continuously variable transmission and features a new self-charging hybrid powertrain that couples two electric motors with a 2.0L, four-cylinder petrol engine that combine to produce 135kW of power and 335Nm of torque.

Only being available in one powertrain may limit its audience but the combo delivers decent performance for a sedan of this size.

BYD claims combined average fuel consumption for the petrol engine as low as 2.0L/100km with 25-100 per cent SoC (State of Charge) which spikes to 7.9L/100km when SoC drops below 25 per cent.

It also claims a battery-only driving range of up to 100km and up to 800km when the dual motors and battery are assisting the petrol engine in hybrid mode. However, these figures are based on NEDC certification, which is renowned for its optimism compared to more realistic WLTP ratings.

We covered 352km during our test comprising a mix of city, suburban and regional roads plus some highway driving, of which about one third was hauling a near-maximum payload.

This included an initial 67km in pure EV mode, which depleted the battery’s charge from 92 per cent (when we collected the vehicle) to 34 per cent. It then automatically switched to HEV (hybrid) mode for the remainder of the test during which the engine charged the battery to its 70 per cent limit (for engine charging) set by BYD.

At the completion of testing the onboard computer claimed average petrol consumption of 8.1L/100km and a remaining hybrid range of 282km, suggesting a real-world driving range (including some heavy load hauling) of around 650km from the 60-litre petrol tank.

The new hybrid powertrain means lower outputs and the official combined fuel cycle figure is just 4.3L/100km! Which is only beaten by the Toyota Camry's 4.0L/100km.

The on-test figure pops out at 5.1L/100km after doing a some urban stuff but mostly open-road driving. Which is where hybrids tend to be the least efficient, so the fuel usage is excellent.

Based on the official combined (urban/extra-urban) fuel cycle and 48L fuel tank, you should see a theoretical driving range of up to 1116km, which is a little less than the Toyota Camry but still an amazing range for a family car.

That range figure drops to around 940km using our real-world average consumption number.

Large handles on the A- (and B-) pillars assist climbing aboard, where most drivers will find a comfortable and supportive seating position enhanced by a large left footrest and thick-rimmed leather-wrapped steering wheel.

It’s not only quiet to drive but feels refined and solidly built. It also has excellent ride quality and agile handling thanks to the disciplined tuning of its double-wishbone suspension and nicely weighted steering which belie the fact you’re riding high in a 2.7-tonne all-terrain ute.

Near-instant torque from the dual electric motors also helps to mask its bulk which combined with permanent all-wheel drive allows triple-digit speeds to be reached in less than six seconds.

We did most of our test in the ‘Normal’ (default) drive mode, as it provides a happy medium between the heightened response of ‘Sport’ and the slightly subdued ‘Eco’ modes.

To test its GVM rating, we loaded 650kg into the load tub which with driver and about half a tank of petrol was lineball with its payload limit. The rear suspension compressed almost 60mm with the upper rear suspension arms close to nudging their rubber bump-stops, but there was no hard bottoming-out detected on our test route.

As displayed live on the energy management screen, the petrol engine maintained the minimum battery charge needed to feed the electric motors while also providing drive to the front wheels as required. At times the 1.5-litre engine sounded like it was working very hard doing this, but it did prove effective in performing these dual roles.

The heavily-loaded test vehicle also made light work of our 13 per cent gradient, 2.0km set-climb, which was no surprise given we had up to 650Nm of torque to work with.

However, the hybrid system with its single-speed transmission produces minimal engine-braking (even with the maximum regenerative brake setting) which is an important consideration if you regularly carry and/or tow heavy loads, particularly in hilly terrain.

Power delivery for the new Accord is pretty punchy and, in most scenarios it’s responsiveness is great. But occasionally, when you’re getting up to speed, there can be a small lag before things kick in.

The Accord handles like a dream and feels firmly planted on the road in corners. Even in high winds, the car feels stable and sure of itself. Delightful.

The cabin is quiet and engine noise is at a minimum most of the time. Around town, the Accord sounds and behaves like an EV. Only once you hit the open road do you get some road noise but it never intrudes on chatting.

It might also be one of the easiest sedans to park and it's got a lot to do with the top-notch 360-degree view camera system and direct steering.

The new Honda Accord hasn’t been assessed by ANCAP yet, but it has eight airbags, which includes a knee airbag for the front passenger, but you miss out on a front centre airbag.

Standard active (crash avoidance) safety tech includes blind-spot monitoring, driver attention alert, rear occupant alert, forward collision warning, tyre pressure monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, lane departure alert, lane keeping aid, traffic sign recognition, intelligent seatbelt warning, a head-up display, adaptive cruise control and a 360-degree camera system as well as front and rear parking sensors.

There are two ISOFIX child seat mounts and three top tethers. The rear seat is wide enough to easily accommodate two big booster seats but you might get lucky with three smaller seats.

Comes standard with a six-year/150,000km vehicle warranty (Ford has recently topped this with seven years/unlimited km if Ford dealer serviced) and separate eight-year/160,000km propulsion battery warranty. There’s also 12 months of complimentary roadside assistance from the date of purchase.

Scheduled servicing is every 12 months/20,000km, whichever occurs first. Capped pricing for the first six scheduled services totals $2945 or an average of $491.00 annually. BYD has an evolving national network of around 120-150 dealerships spanning all states and territories, including many regional areas.

The Accord comes with a five-year/unlimited km warranty, and an eight-year battery warranty, which are now normal terms for the class.

You get a five-year capped priced servicing program and it costs just $199 per service, which is very competitive.

Servicing intervals could get annoying if you put a lot of kays on your car as they're set at every 12-months or 10,000km, whichever occurs first.