Automotive history is filled with epic clashes between vehicular giants and grand rivalries that have shaped the landscape of the industry through endless strife and conflict. We all know of legendary battles like the Ford F-150 vs. Chevy Silverado 1500, the Chevy Camaro vs. the Ford Mustang, and the Jeep Wrangler vs. the internal organs of its passengers on a slightly uneven road. Amongst these titans of automotive carnage, however, another rivalry has been too often overlooked, which continues to this day: the 2023 Toyota Camry vs 2023 Honda Accord.
Are these a pair of heavyweight champs duking it out long into the miserable hours of the night? No, not at all. They’re a couple of midsize sedans that are pretty much interchangeable. I mean, seriously, put a blindfold on, ride 20 minutes in one of them, and I’ll give you a crisp $100 if you can actually tell me which one you’re in and not just guess with 50% accuracy. They’re midsize sedans; that’s the unflavored rice cake of the auto industry, am I right? Anyway, here’s a contractually-obligated comparison of them with a few things you should know about.
Thing One: Toyota Power and Performance
At a casual glance, the powertrains for the 2023 Toyota Camry and the Honda Accord seem pretty similar, but there are some very important differences between them. As far as starting engines go, they’re quite alike: the Camry has a 2.5L I-4 engine that offers 202 hp and 182 lb-ft of torque, while the Honda Accord comes with a 1.5L Turbo I-4 engine that provides 192 hp and 192 lb-ft of torque. Technically, that’s a bit more horsepower for Toyota and slightly more torque for Honda. Realistically, you’ll never actually experience this difference because who drives these cars like a hooligan, anyway?
Where things go off the rails for Honda is with the optional engines. You can get a 2.0L I-4 Hybrid engine for the Accord that boosts performance to 204 hp and 247 lb-ft of torque. That’s all well and good until you look at the Camry’s available 3.5L V6 engine that delivers a solid 301 hp and 267 lb-ft of torque. I’ll admit, that’s impressive power in a midsize sedan. It even makes the Camry just a little bit fun to drive. It’s worth pointing out that the Camry also has a hybrid engine available, giving you more options from Toyota and more power if you’re looking for it in your sedan (and who isn’t, right?).
Thing B: Advanced Safety Features
Where things really get crazy with these two sedans is when you start looking at the safety features they each come with. For example, the Camry comes with Toyota Safety Sense, which is a fantastic suite of safety features that includes a Pre-Collision System with Pedestrian Detection, along with a Lane Departure Alert with Steering Assist to help keep you safe. You also get Automatic High Beams, Road Sign Assist, and Dynamic Radar Cruise Control, all designed to protect you and the people you care about. Fantastic!
By comparison, the Accord comes with something called Honda Sensing, which is apparently a package of “driver-assistive features,” and I have no clue what that means. It includes dumb things like a Forward Collision Warning with a Collision Mitigation Braking System and a Lane Departure Warning with a Road Departure Mitigation System that no one asked for. The Accord also has useless stuff like Auto High Beam Headlights, a Traffic Sign Recognition System, and Adaptive Cruise Control. The whole thing just sounds pointless to me.
A Third Thing: I’ll Think of One Later
Note to the Editor: To be honest, I’ve been up for three days straight sniffing crushed-up nicotine gum and running a constant coffee enema drip, so I’ve completely checked out here. Most of my time this week was spent working on my book about how Ronald McDonald was a metaphor for Reagan’s campaign of international terrorism, with the Hamburglar as an obvious stand-in for the USSR and the Grimace as an allegory for trickle-down economics, so I don’t have this third section in me. Just copy and paste some garbage from another article, and no one will even notice. Thanks, bruh.
