2025 Honda Accord gets Honda Sensing 360+ in Japan – first mass-market Honda with “hands-off” driving

Honda may not be the first company that comes to mind when you think of autonomous driving, but the Japanese carmaker has quietly become a leader in the segment, being the first to introduce Level 3 autonomy with the Legend Hybrid EX in 2021. Now, the company is bringing some of that technology down to the mass market with the new 2025 Accord in its home market.

Set to go on sale early this summer, the D-segment sedan gets Honda Sensing 360+, gaining some functionality from the Honda Sensing Elite system in the Legend Hybrid EX. Key among these is an upgraded adaptive cruise control and lane centring assist that together allow for “hands-off” automated driving on highways. It will also scan for overtaking opportunities and, if the right lane is clear, it will “suggest” lane changes that it can perform automatically – including indicating – should the driver accept.

The 2025 Accord will be the first mass-produced Honda to support this feature – the Legend Hybrid EX was limited to just 100 units. One thing the car can’t do that the Legend could is “eyes-off” Level 3 autonomous driving, as it lacks Traffic Jam Pilot, so you’ll still have to keep your eyes on the road. A camera-based driver attention monitor and a capacitive touch sensor on the steering wheel have been added to facilitate this.

Another feature added as part of the 360+ system is a predictive curve departure warning, which detects if the car is speeding into a too-sharp corner, warns the driver to slow down and automatically decelerates if no action is taken. There’s also an emergency stop assist that senses if the driver is incapacitated, stops the car in its lane and calls emergency services. A door opening warning is also included; it’s odd that it took introducing a highly-advanced ADAS system for Honda to add such a basic feature, but we digress.

Enabling these functions is a suite of sensors and cameras that include radar sensors on the front and the bumper corners (five in total) and multiple GPS antennas, along with high-definition maps. They augment the features already present as part of the regular Honda Sensing 360, such as front cross traffic alert with auto brake, blind spot collision prevention, lane change assist and curve speed reduction.

Models equipped with Honda Sensing 360+ are differentiated through black door mirrors, a glossy Berlina Black finish for the 18-inch two-tone five-spoke alloy wheels and a white leather upholstery option. No changes to the mechanicals, so the e:HEV hybrid powertrain has been retained with a 184 PS/335 Nm electric motor, juiced by a 147 PS/182 Nm 2.0 litre Atkinson-cycle engine that can also clutch in to drive the car at higher speeds.

Honda Sensing 360+ was supposed to be introduced in China last year, but the system has not appeared in the Middle Kingdom as yet, with Japan instead being the first market to debut it.

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