2021 Honda Accord vs 2023 Subaru Outback

What's the difference?

The Accord VTi-LX Hybrid might seem like an odd choice for those after a mid-size sedan, but Honda has done more than enough to justify its existence in its current stable.

Sure, the price is a bit high, but it comes fully loaded and has a cutting-edge powertrain to keep running costs down.

In a segment that is dominated by the Toyota Camry, Honda had to do something to stand apart, and pushing a little more upmarket with spec and refinement is definitely the right way to go.

The Subaru Outback AWD Sport XT has been a great car for my family this week. It was popular with everyone and for good reason. It has loads of space, it's easy to handle and now has the grunt under the bonnet to satisfy me as a driver. However, you are paying for that grunt with the thirsty engine and that could become tiresome with the rising costs of fuel. At this price point, I also didn't love the weird-feeling material on the seats but it still impressed with its practicality and the safety features.

My son enjoyed being in this and loved the green accents and cool 'army' green colour. It was also a great height for him to get in and out of unassisted.

Sedans might be as daggy as all get out right now, but we think the Accord actually looks pretty handsome (don’t @ me).

With its long bonnet and athletic profile, the Accord wears Honda’s current design language well, and thanks to the chrome touches on the outside, dare we say it even looks a little premium?

The chrome isn’t for everyone though, and we’d have liked to see darker accents like a ‘Shadow Chrome’ gunmetal grey colour that might age a little better than the ultra-reflective material.

In profile, the gently sloped roofline also adds to the aesthetic factor, while it's great to see Honda has opted for comfort in the 18-inch wheels rather than style, by going a few sizes bigger.

The rear end features unique wraparound tail-lights and a pinched derriere that slims things down a little, while the hidden exhaust outlet hints at the Accord’s green-car credentials.

Overall, the Accord is inoffensive, and certainly scores points for being much less common than the Toyota Camry and Mazda6, and a little less divisive in styling than the Skoda Octavia.

Step inside the Accord and it’s mostly a sea of soft-touch materials and plush leather.

The seats are especially notable because of their supportive design and wide base, ensuring driver fatigue doesn’t set in until you're several hours into a journey.

The 7.0-inch driver display is a little small, but the large head-up display is excellent at putting all the data you need front and centre.

As for the multimedia system, an 8.0-inch screen seems large, but because it is flanked by physical buttons and knobs, it actually looks a bit smaller than the units found in some rivals.

I did appreciate the old-school buttons, though, and the touchscreen is quick and snappy, even if the graphics and user interface are a little clunky and cheap looking.

Subaru has been pushing for sharper robust shapes lately and this is no different. It's a large car being 4870mm long and 1875mm wide but it still feels like a station wagon with that 1670mm height!

Everything is proportional and well sculpted with a long nose being complemented by sharper accents, like the rear tail-lights that jut out.

There are some areas of interest, like the green accents on the roof rails and black plastic body moulding, that tie in nicely with the contrasting green stitching of the interior trim.

The interior is pleasing to look at with the two-tone synthetic leather trim throughout, tapered cutaways in the dash and doors, plus stacks of soft touchpoints.

The only thing I don't really like is the 'water-resistant' material in the middle of the seats. It feels very synthetic and I wonder how it will wear over time.

Overall, it's a very handsome car, inside and out.

Measuring 4904mm long, 2137mm wide, 1450mm tall and with a 2830mm wheelbase, the 2021 Accord is actually pretty close in size to the Holden VF Commodore.

And it flexes its bigger dimensions with a roomy and spacious cabin, regardless of where you are sitting.

Up front, the electronically adjustable seats offer plenty of variability to get into the perfect position, and the driver’s seat also has a memory setting if you are sharing the Accord with different people.

The door bins are a little on the smaller size and struggle to fit a full-sized water bottle, but the centre console boasts a deep cavity, with two cupholders also featured next to the shifter.

The wireless smartphone charger position , which is between the shifter and climate controls, does eat up an entire storage hole because once you put your phone down, you don’t want to put your keys or wallet on top of it and risk scratching your screen.

it would have made more sense for the wireless smartphone charger to be placed under the armrest, like it is in BMWs, to retain another storage option.

In the rear, space is excellent for occupants of all shapes and sizes, affording plenty of head, shoulder and leg room.

The middle seat can be a little squeezy, but the soft-touch leather and seat shape offer plenty of support and would be supremely comfortable over long journeys.

In the back, there are two air vents, two charging ports and a fold-down centre armrest with two cupholders.

Opening the boot reveals a cavity that will accommodate 570 litres of volume, but the back seats can be folded down to stow longer objects.

The rear seats are one piece, rather than split fold, meaning you’ll have to choose between having rear passengers or taking that trip to Ikea.

There is a lockable ski tunnel through the middle, though, which means long and narrow items can be carried without folding down the rear seats.

Two bag hooks are found in the boot, which helps keep your groceries in the bag and not all over the boot floor.

I love how roomy the interior is. Taller occupants will be singing its praises (from both rows).

The 213mm ground clearance also makes this the perfect height to get in and out of, for my six-year old all the way to my 72-year old father. No grunts or complaints were heard this week!

Individual storage is great with a large glove box, middle console with a shallow shelf, two cupholders and drink bottle holders in the first and second rows plus double-sleeved map pockets in the second row.

Boot storage is good with 522L of capacity and a level load space – perfect for sliding in a pram or luggage.

There's no underfloor storage because of the full-size spare tyre but there are little pockets on the side of the wheel arches for smaller items. You can bump up the storage to 1783L when the back row is folded flat.

Considering Subaru's sponsorship of the ski fields, I was surprised that the back row only has a 60/40 split fold configuration and not a 40/20/40, which would allow for internal stowage of longer gear… like skis. However, you do get strengthened roof racks with anchor points for bigger gear.

The amenities in each row are pretty good, too. The rear seats enjoy directional air vents, USB ports, reading lights and heated outboard seats.

I enjoyed using the tech this week, it's easy to use and looks good. My favourite combo.

The 11.6-inch touchscreen multimedia system has built-in satellite navigation and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. It was ridiculously easy to connect my iPhone and I like the Bluetooth connectivity, too.

There is a USB-A and USB-C port and (unusually) an 'aux' port in the front row, but backseat passengers can also stay charged up with two USB-A ports. There are two 12-volt sockets for other charging options but basically, you're sorted with outlets.

The Sport XT will cost you $52,190, before on road costs, but you get a lot of features fitted as standard, which makes it feel like you're getting your money's worth.

Some of those features include, electric heated front seats, heated rear outboard seats, powered tailgate, dual-zone climate control, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, satellite navigation, Bluetooth connectivity, 18-inch alloy wheels, a full-size spare tyre and a large 11.6-inch touchscreen multimedia system.

And that's just a 'few' of the features! Even the entry-grade has great specs, if you didn't want the extra power from the turbo-engine.

Powering the Accord VTi-LX Hybrid is a 2.0-litre petrol engine and dual-electric motor combo, for a total output of 158kW/315Nm.

Drive is sent to the front wheels via a continuously variable automatic transmission.

Compared with the Camry Hybrid, the Accord is down 2kW in power, but out in the real world it is very hard to tell the difference in outputs.

Being a petrol-electric hybrid powertrain, there is no need to plug in the Accord Hybrid as the petrol engine works to charge the battery.

Our model has the new 2.4-litre, four-cylinder, turbo-petrol 'boxer' engine with a maximum output of 183 kilowatts and 350 Newton metres of torque. That's a big step up in power from the previous non-turbo engine.

The continuously variable auto transmission is relatively smooth and the combo means this handles open-road and urban conditions well.

One key to the Accord VTi-LX Hybrid’s appeal is its ultra-frugal fuel consumption figure of just 4.3 litres per 100km, and low 98 grams of CO2 emitted per kilometre.

In our week with the car, we managed an average of 6.1L/100km in a mix of varying drive modes, including ‘Sport’.

No doubt if we were hypermiling that figure would be much closer to the official numbers, but our time with the Accord consisted of various short inner-city trips (where the hybrid powertrain excels) and a blast down some country roads (where the hybrid powertrain does not excel).

Regardless, the fuel economy figure is still a respectable one for a hybrid, especially one of this size and with this much practicality.

The Accord VTi-LX Hybrid is both more fuel efficient and less pollutant than the top-spec Toyota Camry Hybrid SL, which returns 4.5L/100km and 103g/km respectively.

It's also worth nothing that it’s 48-litre fuel tank will be enough to get around 1000km of driving range before requiring filling with 91Ron petrol.

The official combined fuel cycle figure is 9.0L/100km. Real world testing saw my figure at 9.6L/100km but that was after heavy open-road driving this week.

Unfortunately, it's thirsty and urban-dwellers will feel that the most at the bowser, but the upside is getting the extra grunt from the turbo.

The Outback has a relatively small 63L fuel tank for its size and only takes premium fuel (95 or higher).

While the Accord was once a nameplate that delivered a dynamic and engaging driving experience (remember the Accord Euro with its wonderful K24 engine?), it seems Honda’s mid-size sedan has matured somewhat in its older age.

Its petrol-electric hybrid powertrain is designed for frugality, not fun, so being aware of this before purchasing an Accord is vital, particularly if you're an enthusiastic driver.

In this regard, the Accord VTi-LX Hybrid is a safe and predictable car, never surprising with understeer or tyre squeal, but also delivering a comfortable and cosseting experience.

You kind of know what you are getting out of the box, which is certainly no bad thing for anyone after a quiet and calm driving life.

Tipping the Accord into a corner, the steering wheel feels light, progressive and unsurprising, but offers plenty of feedback for what the front-drive sedan is doing.

The suspension also feels much more geared towards comfort than sportiness, with bumps and road imperfections soaked up with ease.

The quietude of the cabin is what probably stands out the most when behind the wheel of the Accord VTi-LX Hybrid, thanks to the electrified powertrain and clever active noise cancellation.

When running in EV mode (available, depending on conditions, at the push of a button), the Accord is a serenely quiet and comfortable place to be, even rivalling premium marques like the Lexus IS200, let alone the mainstream Toyota Camry Hybrid.

Three driving modes are on offer – Eco, Normal and Sport – and with the electric motor assist, even in the Eco setting, the Accord still offers decent punch off the line.

Sport mode turns things up a little, but the CVT tends to feel a little elastic with the throttle pedal pinned.

Our recommendation is to drive the Accord in Eco mode and reap the benefits of a low fuel-economy, figure rather than trying to relive the glory days of Honda’s high-revving, VTEC-laden sports sedans.

I thoroughly enjoyed driving this. The engine is powerful enough to easily handle winding mountain roads, always a plus in a big family car, but the pick up is also good and you can zip across traffic or overtake when needed.

The cabin is delightfully quiet and the suspension creates a smooth ride without being floaty.

The tight 11m turning circle and accurate steering means cornering feels concise and controlled.

It's pretty easy to manoeuvre this around but you'll miss having front parking sensors in a tight car park because the nose is deceptively long.

I like how crisp the image is from the reversing camera but it's disappointing that it doesn't have a 360-degree view camera for where this Sport XT sits in the model range.

The safety features are well-stocked in this and it has items I always like to see on a family car, like LED daytime running lights, automatic emergency braking, rear emergency braking, lane departure alert, lane keeping aid, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, a reversing camera and rear parking sensors, but not front parking sensors, which you'll miss.

A highlight is the 'Driver Monitoring System' which is a fantastic feature.

The system literally watches you and scans your face for signs of drowsiness and distraction. If it detects them, it will sound an alert and a pop up comes on in the instrument panel.

I tested the sensitivity a lot this week and couldn't stump it. Thumbs up.

The Outback has seven airbags, but it is missing the newer front centre airbag, which is a shame.

It's been awarded a maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating from testing done recently in 2021.

There are ISOFIX child seat mounts on the outboard rear seats and three top tether child seat anchors.

The back seat is wide enough that, with the right seats, you should be able to fit three side-by-side.

There is enough room for front occupants when a 0-4 rearward facing child seat is installed.

Like all new Hondas, the Accord comes with a five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty plus six years of anti-corrosion assurance.

After the first free 1000km service, the scheduled maintenance intervals for the Accord VTi-LX Hybrid are every 10,000km/12 months, whichever occurs first.

According to Honda’s tailored service price guide, the first five years/50,000km of ownership will total $1816 in maintenance costs, which averages out to be about $363 per year.

While the 10,000km service intervals are a little short compared with the Camry’s 15,000km period, the Accord is actually quite cheap to get serviced.

Each of the Honda’s services for the first 100,000km costs only $312, with costs going up depending on additional service items.

However, the Toyota Camry Hybrid still edges ahead with its longer intervals and $220 per service costs for the first five years, although the numbers increase dramatically after that.

The cheap service pricing combined with the excellent fuel economy of the hybrid engine mean the Honda Accord VTi-LX Hybrid keeps running costs down.

On-going costs are always something to consider and the Outback comes with a five-year/unlimited km warranty, which is standard for the market.

You can choose either a three- or five-year capped-priced servicing plan, the services average on the more expensive side at $515 annually on the five-year plan.

Servicing intervals are pretty good at every 12 months or 15,000km, whichever comes first.