2024 Honda Accord Debuts In Japan With Different Climate Controls Than US Model

The 2023 Honda Accord made its US debut in November 2022 with a fresh new design, a hybrid powertrain, and tech upgrades in the cabin. It is time for the 2024 model to arrive but it is not ready for America yet. Instead, the 2024 Accord makes its Japanese debut, possibly previewing some of the changes the US-spec sedan will also receive later this year.

The available photos depict the car without visual changes on the outside where the front fascia features slim LED headlights and a hexagonal grille. At the back, the taillights retain their coast-to-coast design with lighting strips extending close to the Honda badge in the middle. Bigger changes can be seen inside, though.

There’s a dashboard with a new shape for the upper part of the cabin, which now hosts a new bezel for the digital instrument cluster. And while the size of that screen remains unchanged, there are tweaks to the trim that surrounds it and Honda says there’s now also an available 10.5-inch head-up display.

Move left to the center console, and you’ll find the same 12.3-inch center touchscreen as the 2023 Accord in the US but below that, there’s a large round knob that replaces the climate controls. The previous layout with 12 buttons and 3 small knobs is gone and there’s something that Honda calls Experience Selection Dial or at least this is its rough translation from Japanese. It’s a multi-function dial that controls the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning of the car, as well as other essential functions that can be also pre-set for each user of the car.

A quick comparison with the 2023 Accord in the United States unveils yet another change. The area in front of the armrest on the center console is now cleaner thanks to the lack of a traditional gear shifter for the automatic transmission. Instead, it is replaced by four buttons replicating the P, R, N, and D positions. Behind are the buttons for the drive modes and the electronic parking brake.

The Japanese automaker says the 2024 Accord has “a newly developed” two-motor hybrid system but judging by the available information, it’s most likely the 2.0-liter electrified mill that was launched with the eleventh-generation model last year. In the US, it peaks at 204 horsepower and 247 pound-feet of torque. There’s no mention of the 2.0-liter turbo unit, which was retired with the 2023 Accord, though.