The 2017 Honda Accord just hit showrooms on June 20, 2016, and with it came a new trim level dubbed the Sport Special Edition. As such, the new trim sits on the lower side of the spectrum, taking up the spot between the entry-level Accord LX and the Accord EX, so it’s not a trim you’re going to have to pay a fortune to position yourself in either. With that said, the Sport SE comes in three different versions – the first and cheapest comes with a six-speed manual, the mid-level includes a CVT transmission, and the third comes with a CVT and the Honda Sensing Safety Package. Don’t let its position in the Accord hierarchy fool you; this lower trim level actually comes pretty well-equipped.

Jeff Conrad, the Vice President for Honda division, said, “ Accord continues to set the bar in its class with customers making it the top retail selling car in America for three years running. We’re proud to offer an expanded lineup with the new Sport Special Edition and the 2017 Accord Hybrid as we continue to advance Accord’s position as a true benchmark in its class, offering an unbeatable combination of style, efficiency, fun-to-drive performance and connectivity in the midsize sedan segment.”

With that said, don’t get your hopes up thinking there are any drastic differences to the body or anything. On the outside, the general look remains the same, but that just means it has a good foundation. And, with the Accord’s 2.4-liter engine, it has decent power blended with decent fuel economy. There are eight exterior colors to choose from but just one interior color. So, let’s take a closer look at the new Accord Sport SE and see what all the hype is about.

Continue reading to learn more about the 2017 Honda Accord Sport Special Edition.

What makes the Honda Accord Sport Special Edition special

To start off, let’s look at the exterior of the Accord Sport SE. The first thing Honda did to make the model appealing was to add a body-colored rear spoiler and body-colored side sills, two features previously reserved only for the range-topping Touring trim. Otherwise, it comes equipped with a lot of the other standard features, like chrome door handles, taillights with an LED strip, and LED fog lights. To the rear, there is one more addition and that’s worth mentioning, and that’s the chrome dual exhaust outlets – previously only available on the EX-L V-6 and Touring trim levels. The car rides on 19-inch, five-spoke, alloy wheels. Available exterior colors include Basque Red Pearl II, Modern Steel Metallic, Crystal Black Pearl, Lunar Silver Metallic, Obsidian Blue Pearl, San Marino Red, Kona Coffee Metallic, and White Orchid Pearl.

The Sport SE isn’t all that different on the inside compared to the lesser LX. Comfort and convenience features like dual-zone climate control, power locks, vanity mirrors, floor mats, and side door pockets all carry over from the LX. But, the Sport SE does have a leather-wrapped steering wheel, a feature limited to the EX-L and Touring trims, and it has Aluminum pedals, a feature you can’t get on any other trim. The driver’s seat is electric with 10-way adjustment, and like the trims above it, it has 60/40 split folding seats with a center armrest. The audio system carries over from the LX, so expect Bluetooth and Pandora compatibility, MP3 compatibility, and speed-sensitive audio control. Unfortunately, there isn’t any availability for Android Auto or Apple CarPlay connectivity, so don’t expect to see that here. There are a total of four speakers with a total rating of 160 watts. The seats are wrapped in a decent leather, are heated, have red contrast stitching, and feature a “Special Edition” badge to round out the interior. It’s nothing extreme, but it’s equipped pretty damn well for a model that sits so low in the range.

The Sport SE is powered by a 2.4-liter, 16-valve, DOHC four-cylinder that produces 189 horsepower and 182 pound-feet of torque. There's no word on performance specs, but that’s okay – this is a family car, not a race car. Either way, it should be fairly quick and manage to achieve decent fuel economy, too. When equipped with the six-speed manual, expect it to return 23 mpg in the city and 34 mpg on the highway. Going with the CVT-equipped Sport SE will get you a small improvement to the tune of 26 mpg in the city and 35 mpg on the highway.

The Accord Sport SE gets all the same passive safety features as the rest of the Accord Lineup. Driver assist features are only available at a premium and are limited to a lane-keep assist system and adaptive cruise control. If you were hoping to get Honda Lanewatch or auto high-beam headlights, you’ll need to step up to a higher trim level.

If you’re thinking about snatching up one of these Sport SE models, don’t expect to pay too much over the LX. The Sport SE starts out at $25,265 with a six-speed manual – that’s just $260 more than the best-equipped LX model available. If you want the CVT instead of the six-speed, you’ll have to pony up $25,065. The best-equipped model with the CVT and Honda Sensing, which includes collision mitigation, road departure mitigation, forward collision warning, lane departure warning, lane-keep assist, and adaptive cruise control, will drain your bank account to the tune of $26,065. The pricing really isn’t that bad, plus you get aluminum pedals, right?

Honda Accord

Honda gave the Accord a pretty dramatic refresh for the 2016 model year, and for the most part, it carries over unchanged for 2017. Available with a 185-horsepower four-cylinder or a 278-horsepower V-6, the Accord is no longer as bland as it has been in recent years. On top of that, Honda recently announced the 2017 Accord Hybrid, which brings even better economy to the mix with the same sporty looks. Lower trim levels have Bluetooth connectivity, but the higher trim levels benefit from a better audio system that also include Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connectivity. As of this writing, the Accord starts out at $22,205 for the entry-level LX Sedan with a six-speed and climbs to as much as $34,680 for the Touring.

Read our full review on the Honda Accord here.