Honda just dropped a release into Drive On’s Inbox saying the 2011 Accord, due in showrooms mid-August, will have interior and exterior tweaks and a new mid-lineup Special Edition (SE) model. It will continue to have a coupe as well as a sedan and it will still offer a V-6 as well as a 4.

Better aerodynamics, engine friction improvements and restacked transmission gear ratios raised the EPA fuel-economy ratings for Accord 4-cylinder sedans with automatic by 2 mpg to 23 in the city and by 3 mpg to 34 on the highway.

Erik Berkman, V.P.. of Corporate Planning and Logistics for American Honda Motor, said, “For 2011, the Accord evolves again with sharpened styling inside and out, fuel economy gains and a broader application of popular features.”

Read on, Honda fans, for some more details from the company:

• New styling: The sedan gets a new front grille, front bumper and rear deck lid, all meant to be more upscale, along with a new wheel design. The coupe goes bolder with a new front grille, front bumper shape, enhanced brake light pods and a new wheel design for V-6 models.

• New model: Trying to split the difference between value price and luxury, the SE Sedan will have features from the LX-P, plus leather-trimmed heated seats, driver’s power-lumbar and a leather-trimmed steering wheel.

• New features on various models: Steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters on the Accord EX-L V-6 Coupe, a USB interface on all coupes and EX and EX-L sedans, and a rear-view camera on sedans equipped with the optional Navigation2 system. EX-L V-6 models will have a two-position memory for the driver’s seat.

• Interior updates: All models with cloth seats get new fabrics, and the instrument panel and interior accents have gotten upgrades, says Honda. Among them: The most-frequently used climate-control buttons are now on the left side of the center stack, nearer the driver, and less-used buttons are moved to the right.

Here is the engine lineup: A 190-hp, 2.4-liter 4-cylinder engine is standard in the EX and EX-L sedans and LX-S, EX and EX-L coupes. A 2.4-liter, 177-hp. four-cylinder comes in the LX, LX-P and SE sedans.

Optional is the 3.5-liter, 271-hp V-6 that has Variable Cylinder Management to deactivate up to three cylinders under light load for more mpg’s. Preliminary EPA fuel-economy ratings for the 2011 V-6 sedan are 19 city/30 highway, each up one mpg.

A 5-speed manual is standard with the 4’s; 5-speed automatic is optional with the 4’s, standard with the v-6 .is available.

A 6-speed manual transmission is available on the EX-L V-6 Coupe, which also has its own 3.5-liter V-6 that does not have the cylinder shut-off and does have a more performance-tuned valvetrain and intake and exhaust system.

Honda says 95% of Accords sold in the U.S. are assembled Marysville, Ohio, and Lincoln, Ala. Marysville is the global source for Accord coupes.

Source: [USA Today]