The tenth-generation Accord may polarize opinion because it isn’t available with a V6. For the 2018 model year, the mid-size sedan went all turbo, with the 2.0-liter being the most stirring option because it’s related to the engine in the Civic Type R.
A member of the K Series family, the 2.0-liter turbo in the Accord develops 252 horsepower and 273 pound-feet of torque. Let that sink in for a minute, then bear in mind that Honda lets you match the engine with a good ol’ six-speed manual. For those who would rather let the transmission change gears by its own accord (pun intended), the 2.0-liter can be matched with a 10-speed automatic.
What is obvious is the fact that Honda doesn’t plan on Type R-ifing the Accord anytime soon, but Hondata did it with a simple re-flash of the engine control unit. Including the dealer re-flash, the FlashPro upgrade sold by Hondata is priced at $695 and includes the FlashPro Manager program.
Two preset tunes – Stage 1 and Stage 2 – are available for the time being, as both are described as being reliable and emission-compliant. Customers can expect considerable gains from the FlashPro, as in tunes that are extremely close to Civic Type R territory.
The Stage 2 wrings out 287 horsepower and 377 pound-feet according to the dyno sheet. That’s down on the Civic Type R in terms of horsepower (306), but considerably more in regard to torque (295). And as you’re aware, torque is a lot more important than horsepower in this application.
The Stage 1, as you’ll find from the dyno run at the end of the story, adds 10 horsepower and 40 pound-feet of torque for a total of 276 horsepower and 332 pound-feet. Being a software-based ECU mod, owners of the 2.0-liter Accord can uninstall the Stage 1 and Stage 2 tunes whenever they please.
On that note, Hondata’s dyno measured the 2.0-liter Accord at 266 horsepower and 292 pound-feet of torque in stock form (!!!).
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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