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New Accord is a winner

Attractive, high-performing car comes with discount for E20-compatibility

Published on January 16, 2008

The new Honda Accord has grown up into a more executive but also more dynamic vehicle.

Last November, Honda became the second carmaker in Thailand to offer a model with an engine capable of running on E20 gasohol.

The Accord mid-sized sedan was Honda's first model to be E20-ready, and although the fuel, which contains 20-per-cent ethanol, may not yet be widely available here, it represents an important boost for Honda in terms of attracting customers.

That's because of the cut in excise duty for automobiles that can run on E20.

The 5-percentage-point cut - from 30 per cent to 25 per cent - results in savings of more than Bt100,000 for cars like the Accord. When the model was first launched late last November, Honda announced an initial retail price of Bt1.76 million for the Accord 2.4 EL Navi featured in this report. Surprisingly, it didn't offer the E20 prices right away. Honda said customers who wanted the discount would have to wait until January 1, when the tax cut would take effect.

Now that the cut is valid, the new price of the 2.4 EL Navi is Bt1.647 million. That's an instant discount of Bt113,000, and it still applies, even if customers don't use E20. They can stick to unleaded 95-octane petrol if they want maximum performance from the car. Although E20 is cheaper to use, you can't expect the same level of engine performance and fuel economy.

On top of the price discount, the new Accord is also a pretty attractive car. It's like a tiger with wings in the mid-sized passenger-car market.

The test drive of the new Accord was held at Krabi, and it was a pity that conditions there did not allow the car to be fully driven. Nevertheless, we were able to catch a glimpse of how the new car is superior to the model it replaced.

It seems that customers always want a car with a more spacious interior, and Honda has answered that demand with a bigger Accord. Compared to the old model, the new Accord is 80mm longer and 24mm wider, while the wheelbase is 60mm longer. The tread is also 35mm wider, or 25mm wider if it has 17-inch wheels.

Honda says the new car has 3.2 per cent more cabin volume than the outgoing model, and much has also been done to give it a stronger body shell, without it suffering from a significant weight increase. This results in improved crash safety and it rides and handles better.

In terms of exterior design, the car is definitely a head-turner. Only a few of the journalists at the test drive event didn't like it much. For me, the previous Accord looked dull and weird (think of the rear end of the minor-change version), so any design change was welcome.

The new Accord looks bold and powerful, and has become a sedan with expressive styling, just like the BMW 5 Series. Oops, did I say 5 Series? Well, if you look at the rear side profile of the Accord - from the B-pillar to the rear bumper - you can't miss the resemblance.

Honda brings its engineers and designers to every test drive and I always ask them why they have to give us the same design as European makes, such as BMW. Look at the CR-V and you can see the BMW design slapped on its side profile, as well. The response was that it is sometimes helpful to make use of designs that have already proven successful in the real world. That got me thinking about mobile phones. If you go to a mobile-phone shop, it is almost impossible to distinguish one brand from another. They all have flip phones, slim phones and slide phones, to name just a few, but without a badge, you wouldn't know which brand was which.

But this was a car, and if I were going to buy one I wouldn't want it to look like a Japanese BMW. I would want exclusivity; I would want a Honda. But then, I might be one of those customers who are never satisfied.

The new Accord's more spacious interior also has a futuristic look about it. Fortunately Honda's designers did not use a digital speedo, like they did in the Civic. Accord drivers are older and they don't want to pilot a spaceship. There is no push-start button for the engine, nor is there a smart-entry system. Perhaps these are reserved for the minor change.

The interior gets a thumbs up for design and spaciousness. There is plenty of legroom for rear passengers, thanks to the longer wheelbase, as well as more headroom and space between passengers. There are air vents for rear passengers and, hey, ashtrays on the rear door panels for executive smokers, as well.

Other attractive features in the new Accord are a built-in navigation system and a 270-watt audio system that comes with a 40GB hard disc, allowing you to download your favourite music from CDs.

There is also a USB port, so you can download music directly into the audio system from an MP3 player.

Unlike those in other Japanese cars, the controls for the navigation system are not via a touch screen, but through an interface dial, so there are no fingerprints messing up your screen. There is a big collection of buttons on the centre console, including navigation, audio and climate control (which is dual zone and fully automatic), but I'm sure you'd get used to them in no time. There is also a Bluetooth connection module on the driver's-side A-pillar which, I must say, looks like a hasty last-minute addition. What I like most about the new Accord isn't its spacious cabin or navigation system, but its fun-to-drive character.

In the 2.4-litre model, power comes from a DOHC i-VTEC engine capable of producing 180 horsepower (10hp up from the previous model) and 222Nm of torque. Maximum horsepower comes at 6,500rpm and it is great fun to redline this Honda engine through the gears. Transmission is a five-speed automatic with shift paddles mounted on the steering wheel. It comes with a shift-hold system that prevents upshifts to fourth and fifth gears on winding roads where the throttle may repeatedly be released and the brakes applied. It makes the car pretty entertaining to drive fast on winding roads.

The front double wishbone and rear multi-link suspension and the variable gear ratio steering - which has 2.56 turns lock-to-lock compared to 2.98 in the previous model - combine to make the drive even more entertaining. Honda says the centre of gravity has been lowered by 18mm, while the roll-centre characteristics have also been flattened out considerably. The results are less body roll in corners and better passenger comfort.

The new Accord corners with more sharpness and more grip, although at very high speeds (like 180kph) it starts to feel a little unstable and the steering feels too light. This is where Honda should be trying to achieve what BMW sedans can do.

Over dinner, I raised the subject with the Honda engineer who was responsible for the suspension design, and he agreed, but said it was a tough job when Beemers sold for three times the price of Hondas.

Stopping power comes from four-wheel disc brakes with an anti-lock braking system (ABS) and electronic brake force distribution (EBD), as well as brake assist. It all offers good performance. The new Accord also has a vehicle stability assist system, but unfortunately the public roads for the Krabi test drive were filled with slow traffic, motorcycles and pedestrians, and there was no place to test it.

The 2.4 EL Navi comes with dual front intelligent air bags, side air bags and curtain air bags, along with active front head restraints.

Honda has done a great job with the new Accord. It's got an expressive design, spacious cabin, lots of gadgets and an improved driving performance. And the icing on the cake is that E20 price reduction. Who can ask for more?

Specifications:

Honda Accord 2.4 EL Navi

Engine: Four-cylinder DOHC

16-valve i-Vtec

Displacement: 2,354cc

Compression ratio: 10.5:1

Bore and stroke: 87mm x 99mm

Maximum power: 180hp at 6,500rpm

Maximum torque: 222Nm at 4,300rpm

Transmission: Five-speed automatic with manual-shift mode

Ratios: 2.651/1.516/1.037/0.738/0.566

Final-drive ratio: 4.437

Fuel consumption (litres/100km):

Not available

Suspension (f/r): double wishbones, stabiliser/multi-link, stabiliser

Brakes (f/r): vented discs/discs

Steering: powered rack-and-pinion

Minimum turn: 11.28 metres

Wheels: 17-inch alloys

Tyres: 225/50R17