The ‘new’ Accord has been with us since
last year’s Bangkok International Motor Show (on March
26-April 4), but is only now really being noticed in the
southern hemisphere. Down-under they actually have two
Accords, one called the ‘Euro’ and the other the same as
we get here.
Honda
Accord
Let us see what the Australians made of
‘our’ Accord, what we think of as the real Accord, the one
we’ve come to know over six previous generations.
“The seventh generation Accord is a
bigger, cushier car than the more compact Euro - which is also
an Accord, but appeals to a quite different customer. The
latest version’s styling is skewed towards an American
understanding of what a mid-size compact car should be (and
little wonder, because the USA has for many years been the
Accord’s heartland), favouring interior space, smoothness
and silence of operation, safe styling and the odd bit of fake
wood.
“The new model is bigger than the
previous Accord, but not hugely. The wheelbase is up 25mm,
while overall body length has crept up slightly less, by 20mm.
This partly explains an increase of interior cabin length and
means there’s slightly less overhang than before.
Practically all of the massive 127mm increase in internal
length goes into improving front-seat legroom. Perhaps
unexpectedly, internal shoulder width is slightly down on the
previous car.
“Weight doesn’t seem to have gone up
significantly though, roughly around 50 kg over comparable
versions of the previous model, while the aerodynamics have
improved to a quite creditable drag figure of 0.30Cd.
“The Accord looks quite big on the road,
which is no surprise because it is edging closer to cars like
the Chevrolet Lumina and is bigger than a Toyota Camry.
“Honda says the new Accord achieves very
high levels of refinement, with particular emphasis on
improved passive safety and overall road performance. In V6
form (the 2.4 litre four cylinder is also available) the
Accord is a very smooth, quite powerful car that emphasizes
comfortable cruising rather than driver oriented, point to
point athleticism. In fact, the VTEC V6 is a gem, spinning
quietly and with amazing silkiness while delivering a surge of
real power. The 177 kW is real.
“Although the all alloy engine is a
development of the previous, also 3.0 litre V6, it has been
substantially reworked to be almost 9 kg lighter and 25mm
shorter. The single overhead camshaft drives a four valves per
cylinder system and the exhaust manifolds are integrated into
the cylinder heads - a neat feature that improves packaging
and helps allow optimal positioning of the catalytic
converters.
“The VTEC system provides continual
adjustment of the valve timing, while also varying the lift of
the valves according to engine speed - more lift at higher rpm
for maximum gas flow and less at lower rpm.
“The V6 is also in a harmonious
partnership with the five speed automatic transmission - one
ratio more than previous Accord autos. It is a smooth
shifting, nicely intuitive box incorporating Honda’s
“Grade Logic” system that senses when the car is on an
incline and, if the moment is appropriate, will downshift
accordingly, tending to hold a chosen intermediate gear rather
than “hunt” around for the correct ratio. The compact
transmission is claimed by Honda to be similar in size to a
regular four-speed auto. It doesn’t offer sequential
shifting though - which is something of a strange omission,
although it perhaps underlines the non-sporting nature of the
car.
“The Accord proceeds smoothly on all
types of road surfaces, non-compromised by any real
pretensions about being a lively-handling car. The 16 inch
alloy wheels run cushy 205/60 tyres, aimed more at comfort
than maximum grip. The steering is light - a shade too light -
and the car heels over on bends, with an unmistakable tendency
to understeer. It’s all quite controlled though, and the car
always signals the driver if it’s about to run short of
grip.
“The cabin, as you’d expect with the
more generous overall dimensions, is quite roomy and
comfortable. Up front, there’s certainly plenty of room even
for tall passengers, both in terms of fore-aft stretch and
shoulder width. The same applies in the back, although the
front seats will intrude on legroom if all the generous travel
is used. The base, velour-trimmed V6 model tested here
(there’s also the entry level four cylinder VTi and the
top-of-the-line V6 Luxury) is generally restrained in monotone
grey, broken by a slab of fake wood on the centre console.
“The front seats are new, and appear to
offer decent support although there’s not a lot of lateral
location. In the base V6, the driver gets electric height
adjustment as well as adjustable lumbar support. The steering
column also adjusts telescopically as well as vertically, so a
decent driving position can be achieved.
“Honda talks a lot about the Accord’s
zero offset driving position - the driver is directly in line
with the axis of the steering column, rather than located
slightly to the right or left as is the case with some cars -
and this adds subtly to the feeling of comfort and symmetry.
“Storage areas are abundant, with a
decent lidded cubby at the front of the console, a small (also
lidded) container behind the gearshift and a two-level box
below the front centre armrest. The back seat conceals a
ski-port behind its centre armrest and the backrest folds down
in one piece to complement the decent size, 446 litre boot.
The load-through aperture is small though, and the hinges
intrude into boot space. All doors have parcel trays and those
in front are able to store drink bottles vertically.
“Standard gear includes climate control
air-conditioning (without external temperature readout), a
really good six-speaker sound system with in-dash six disc CD
stacker, cruise control, a sunglasses holder above the centre
rear-view mirror, power mirrors and windows. Dual front and
front side airbags are also standard.
“So what we have with the latest,
seventh-generation Honda Accord is a natural progression from
the previous model. Smooth, inoffensive style, a nicely
trimmed but conservative interior and inoffensive dynamics
with a marked tendency to favour a long distance cruise over a
satisfying blast on a twisting mountain highway.”
(In Thailand, the V6 Accord is around 1.6
million baht, while the four cylinder is around 300,000 baht
cheaper. Dr. Iain.)
Alonso
and Trulli
Klien
and Webber
