Which one & why

I prefer the styling and handling of the Accord, and its conventional transmission. Nissan has tuned its CVTs to feel more and more like conventional transmissions in casual driving, but in aggressive driving they still sound and feel like CVT-based drivetrains.

I'd personally prefer the Accord with a manual transmission.

The main advantage of the Nissan is that it is somewhat more upscale and distinctive. How attractive it is depends heavily on your personal taste.

I'd expect the Honda to be more reliable in the long run. Up to 100,000 or even 120,000 miles I'd expect few problems from either.

Nissan has improved their CVTs but the torque converter still seems to fail, but now it is just over 100,000 rather than as prematurely as before.

Honda has had some problems with their turbo engines which is highly unusual with them but it is a new technology they have been adopted more widely recently to replace the higher output V6 on models.

Neither car is highly unreliablle but right now don't expect to get beyond 120,000 out of either car without a major repair as stated above. I needed AWD so I went with Subaru but you don't need that so ignore that option (living on a mountain with snow, it gets us home all the time and now has just over 100,000 after 6.5 years with no problems at all).

From an email: "Have changed to either a 2019 Accord Touring 2.0 or a Toyota Avalon XSE.Thinking the Toyota will be more reliable as uses the 3.5 V6....also over all the Toyota will last longer....Honda is still good but Toyota is better in longer term ownership?"

The Toyota will likely be more reliable if kept until its more than a decade old. But the Accord drives much better. I compared the two a couple of years ago, though 1.5T vs. 2.5.

The Avalon is a more solid feeling car after driving both the Accord and Avalon. But I prefer the driving experience of the Accord because it has some more steering feel and doesn't feel as big. The technology in the Avalon's interior is better thought out compared to the Accord, like the infotainment system and active safety features.

Like Michael said, the Toyota should last longer in any comparison for at least 200k miles with no major problems. I'd expect the Honda to have problems after 160k miles, and it would likely need more maintenance, too.

It would be hard to decide between the two, but look at a used Hyundai Genesis or Genesis G80 before you buy if you haven't bought one yet. They can be had for cheap and will likely be reliable. Nice cars too with the power you desire of the 2.0T and 3.5 V6.

The Mazda6 2.5T is definitely worth a look as well. It's one of the better handling and more luxurious options.