Ultimate Sedan Showdown: 2018 Honda Accord 2.0T vs. Toyota Camry V6 Buyer’s Guide [Video]

Family sedans have waned in the market against crossover, but the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry still put up massive sales numbers.

If you’re anything like us, you’d be forgiven for thinking we’ve been completely inundated by crossovers. Indeed, some manufacturers are shifting away from ordinary sedans entirely, and it seems like every other story we publish is about a new crossover model. Ah, but that’s not true with these two. Honda and Toyota are still running strong with their bedrock sedans – the Accord and the Camry. In fact, while sales have dipped a bit in recent years, both cars sell in greater numbers than they did at the beginning of the decade.

Last year, Toyota moved nearly 387,081 Camrys in the U.S. During the same period, Honda managed to shift 322,655 Accords. Those are rockstar numbers for any car. Furthermore, it shows consumers aren’t ready to abandon these two beloved nameplates just yet. Which is just as well, since both manufacturers brought out new models for 2018. In today’s video, we pitch the 2018 Honda Accord 2.0T Touring agains the 2018 Toyota Camry V6 XSE. Both have improved over their previous generations, but which one is better?

2018 Honda Accord 2.0T Touring
2018 Honda Accord Touring 2.0T. [Photo: Honda]

How does the 2018 Honda Accord 2.0T and Toyota Camry V6 compare on Space?

To compensate for flagging sales, sedans are more stylish than ever before. Take these two: with more aggressive front end design and sloping rooflines, they are appealing options against their crossover counterparts. However, how much do the styling elements, including the fastback-like roof in the Accord, take away from usable interior space?

The 2018 Honda Accord 2.0T actually offers similar headroom to the previous model. 2017 models offered up 37.6 and 37.0 inches of front and rear headroom on Touring models. New Touring models provide 37.5 and 37.2 inches of front and rear headroom, respectively. So while the front headroom does suffer a bit, the rear headroom has actually increased. So, too, has rear legroom. Honda has taken away some front legroom (42.3 inches in 2018 models versus 42.5 in the previous generation). However, there is 1.9 inches more rear legroom (40.4 inches) than before (38.5 inches). Honda achieved that by stretching the wheelbase from 109.3 to 111.4 inches.

The 2018 Toyota Camry V6 XSE offers 37.5 inches of front headroom with a moonroof, and 38.0 inches in the back. That means 0.4 inches less headroom in front than the previous generation, but rear headroom is unaffected. However, passengers may feel a bit cramped on legroom. While front legroom has gone up (42.1 inches vs. 41.6 in the previous generation), rear legroom has decreased 0.9 inches (38.0 versus 38.9 in previous models). Shoulder room is a bit tighter as well: 55.7 inches in the 2018 model, versus 56.6 inches in the previous generation.

2018 Toyota Camry V6 XSE
2018 Toyota Camry XSE. [Photo: Toyota]

How do they compare on speed?

The 2018 Honda Accord and Toyota Camry take on different philosophies when it comes to performance. While the new Accord has a 2.0-liter turbocharged engine, this Toyota Camry sticks to a 3.5-liter naturally aspirated V6.

Honda squeezes 252 horsepower and 273 lb-ft of torque out of that turbocharged unit. By comparison, the 2018 Toyota Camry V6 XSE makes 301 horsepower and 267 lb-ft of torque. Which will win in a drag race: more torque, or more power? It’s also important to note the turbocharged Accord’s advantage, as we’re a mile above sea level. Watch the video above to see the results!

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