2023 Subaru WRX vs 2023 Honda Accord Hybrid

The 2023 Honda Accord midsize sedan enters a new model year refreshed and rejuvenated, if not exactly revolutionized in comparison to the previous version of Honda’s long-running and highly regarded family sedan. With this, the 11th-generation of the new Accord, Honda wisely didn’t attempt to rewrite the rulebook in how the company set about improving one of its most important and popular models.

In Canada, the new 2023 Accord Hybrid is available in two trims: Sport Hybrid, and Touring Hybrid. Pricing for the Accord Hybrid ranges from $41,000 to just shy of $45,000 not including an $1,830 destination charge, taxes, and other fees. This starting MSRP is higher than its key hybridized five-seat sedan rival, the Toyota Camry, and on par with the Hyundai Sonata Hybrid. That’s before digging into the dizzying array of small and midsize SUVs available with hybrid powertrains, including the Toyota RAV4, Ford Escape, Hyundai Tucson, Kia Sportage, and even Honda’s own CR-V.

Does the new Honda Accord Hybrid make enough of a splash to be worthy of consideration in such crowded and hotly contested markets? After a shorter drive at the start of the year, a week-long test drive this summer provided the answers.

Subaru's image is centred around rugged station wagons, outdoor activities, and cute dogs, but the automaker also has a sporty side—exemplified by the 2023 Subaru WRX.

The WRX first appeared in the 1990s as a homologation special for the World Rally Championship (WRC), which at the time required cars to be closely related to production models. Subaru viewed rallying as the perfect way to show off its all-wheel drive (AWD) vehicles so, after a trial with the Legacy midsize sedan, it launched the Impreza-based WRX with the goal of becoming more competitive. It worked: Subaru has won multiple rally championships and the WRX has endeared it to car enthusiasts.

Subaru didn't begin selling the WRX in North America until the 2002 model year, but it's remained a fixture of the automaker's lineup ever since, competing against other sporty compact cars like the Honda Civic Si, Hyundai Elantra N, Volkswagen Golf GTI and Jetta GLI, and other derivatives of those models.

The current, fourth-generation WRX was introduced for the 2022 model year, so there are no changes to report for 2023. The lineup in Canada includes base, Sport, and Sport-Tech trims. For this review, we drove the U.S. WRX GT trim, which is closest to Canada’s top Sport-Tech grade.