When I first got into cars a quarter-century ago, the second-generation Honda Accord was perhaps the hottest sedan on the market. Not because it was large--it was more compact than just about any competitor. And not because it was powerful: the sole engine available peaked at 75 horsepower. No, the Accord owed its success to a corporate design ethic that put high priorities on efficiency, ergonomics, and attention to detail. Honda's ad tagline back then: "We make it simple."

Fast forward 25 years, and Honda has just introduced an eighth-generation Accord. The new car isn't small. At 194 inches in length, it is not only 20 inches longer than the 1983 sedan, but longer than most competitors, even those from Detroit. Similarly, width is up eight inches, height four inches, and curb weight half a ton. Nor is the new car weak: the base engine puts out 177 horsepower, and the V6 268.

Clearly, Honda has gone over to the "bigger is better" school of thinking that it once disdained. But what about the attention to detail? Has that been lost along the way?

I took two 2008 Honda Accords, an EX-L with the 190-horse four and an EX with the 268-horse V6, for test drives to find out how the new car compares to past Hondas and present competitors.

Styling

I've been a big fan of the styling of the 2004 Acura TL and the 2006 Honda Civic. Both were innovative, coherent, and attractive. They suggested that, after a decade or so of boring designs, Honda was getting serious about styling.

Well, the 2008 Accord is less of an achievement. Perhaps Honda feared a repeat of its experience with the 2003. With the previous generation Accord, Honda's designers took some risks, and they were roundly criticized for the frumpy rear end that resulted. This rear end was revised for 2006, rendering the Accord's styling innocuous once more.

Compared to the 2006, the new 2008 Accord is more stylish and attractive. Most of all, it leaves a much more upscale impression. Credit numerous details lifted from BMW and Mercedes--from the rear quarter the new Accord especially resembles a 5-Series.

So what's not to like? Well, the front end. A distinctly un-Honda abundance of front overhang destroys the car's proportions. Some of this is an inevitable consequence of a transverse front-drive powertrain. But aside from the overhang being a bit longer than the previous Accord's, the hood is also much higher. So the area of the fender ahead of the front wheel appears much more massive, despite an attempt to disguise it through the usual trick, a large wrap-around front headlamp.

The nose also doesn't match the rest of the car. A swage that lightens up and lends some edge to the rear two-thirds of the bodyside stops at the rear edge of the front wheel opening.

Inside, the Accord’s instrument panel sweeps across the cabin like a 5-Series’ dash, and the interior like the exterior generally appears upscale. Unfortunately, the BMW's influence extends to the Accord’s ergonomics. The new controls include a slew of similarly-shaped buttons and a large iDrive-inspired eight-way knob. So much for “We make it simple.”

One thing remains simple: the instruments are clear and conventional. For the Accord's older customer base Honda probably realized that something like the two-tier partly digital instruments in the Civic might not play so well.

The interior materials are not as upscale as the appearance of the interior. The door pull is hard, ungrained plastic, and most of the surfaces inside the car are similarly unyielding to the touch. This is typical of the segment, but does keep the Accord from competing with higher priced cars. Likely by design, as otherwise why buy an Acura?

Interestingly not all surfaces are hard. I've come across one-piece instrument panels, and mosts often two-piece instrument panels. The new Accord's has three layers. This way they can make the middle layer, the one most likely to be touches, out of softer stuff. A downside: lots of cutlines.

I drove one Accord with leather and another with cloth. Though I usually prefer leather for a more upscale ambiance, the cloth used in the EX is attractive and much grippier than leather. There's more going for it than a lower price.

Accommodations

An unusually open view forward owing to an exceptionally low IP used to be a Honda trait. While this went by the wayside some time ago with the Accord, the instrument panel might still be a bit lower than the average. Thinner than average A-pillars aid forward visibility.

The Accord’s front seats are well shaped for both comfort and [a modicum of] lateral support, especially when clad with the grippy cloth. Thanks to the supersized external dimensions, the enlarged cabin is roomy enough for four large adults. Though shoulder room is up, as in just about every other sedan three across would be a bit of a squeeze in back. The rear seat is a bit higher off the floor than in the previous generation sedan, but remains a bit low for adult legs to receive proper thigh support.

The Accord’s rear seat folds in a single section to expand a slightly smaller than average trunk. Just about any competitor offers a split folding rear seat, but unusually intrusive rear strut towers defeat the purpose of a 60/40 split in the new Accord.

On the Road

The 1982 Accord was motivated by a mere 75 horsepower. For years Honda refused to offer a V6 as a matter of principle. Gen 8 Accord buyers can still opt for a four-cylinder engine, with either 177 horses ( LX) or 190 (EX). As recently as the 2002 the V6 only produced 200 horsepower, so 190 would seem to be plenty, right?

Not quite. The new Accord is considerably heavier than the old one, with the four-cylinder car topping 3,400 pounds and the V6 adding another 200. Against this mass, the four must rev to get the job done. And while the job gets done, the new car's upscale appearance calls for a more relaxed powertrain. The 21/31 EPA ratings, while competitive, aren’t class-leading.

Enter the new 268-horsepower, 3.5-liter V6. The extra displacement works wonders in the oomph department, and generates minimal torque steer in the process. Performance still doesn't produce an adrenaline rush--268 isn't as much in a 3.600-pound sedan as it would be in one tipping the scales at 3,200--but in everyday driving performance is effortless. Unlike with the four, you won't often see the tach zinging up to 5,000+ rpm. Because the engine can cruise on three cylinders and handle some acceleration on four, the fuel economy numbers are just a little worse than the four's.

Noise cancellation technology eliminates the odd noises produced by a V6 running on three or four cylinders. The transitions cannot be heard or felt--to know which mode the engine is in, it's generally necessary to rely on the "ECO" light.

That said, early in my test drive of the V6 I did notice a low frequency thrumming when cruising around 60 miles per hour. And the sunroof was closed. At first I wondered if this might be a by-product of the noise cancellation. But the noise eventually faded away, so I now suspect the tires. If the noise was endemic to the design, many people would find it too irritating to live with.

These engines deserve better partners. When hooked up to either one, the still-five-speed automatics didn’t behave well. They occasionally held a gear too long, or refused to downshift, or bumped when going from gear to gear. Maybe the transmissions needed more miles to adapt to my driving style. Maybe not. Fancy manually shifting the recalcitrant transmission instead? Buy an Acura. Unlike more and more competitors, the Accord does not offer this feature.

In the sedan, a manual transmission is no longer offered in the sedan with the V6. In the coupe, both engines are available with a stick.

Though the new Honda Accord’s steering feels nicely weighted and precise, and seems quicker than that in the previous Accord, the suspension is tuned for touring, not sport. Honda abandoned double wishbones in the Civic a few years back, but has retained the more expensive design in the Accord. Going around curves, these double wishbones paired with a multi-link rear suspension deliver most of the solid, tightly damped and thoroughly composed feel of a BMW--but without the Bavarian’s sporting edge. Many competitors such as the Nissan Altima and Toyota Camry offer the option of firmer suspension tuning, but Honda doesn’t believe in options. The Accord’s suspension settings are a deft compromise between comfort and control. It is, nevertheless, a compromise. Enthusiasts will not be well satisfied; everyone else will be. The car might not feel especially sporty, but it does feel sophisticated, and even expensive, through the steering wheel and the seat of the pants.

The Accord’s soft-core suspension tuning does have its advantages: banishing the bump-thump busyness that sometimes afflicted the previous Accord on patchy pavement. There’s still more road noise than you’ll find in many competitors, but it’s much less pronounced than in many past Hondas.

Honda Accord Price Comparisons and Pricing

Trims and feature levels have been juggled a bit--there is no LX V6 this year, but the EX V6 is now available without leather. Adjusted for feature levels, prices are very close to last year's. The EX V6 lists for $26,595.

When an Accord EX V6 and a Camry LE V6 are similarly equipped, their list prices are within $100 of one another. It should be possible to get a better deal on a Camry, though, as Toyota dealers enjoy much wider margins.

Prices change frequently, and differences will vary based on feature level. To quickly generate these and other comparisons with the specific features you want, visit my Web site, www.truedelta.com. (It's the only site that provides true "apples-to-apples" price comparisons.)

TrueDelta's page for the Honda Accord:

http://www.truedelta.com/models/Accord.php

Last Words

In many ways, I was highly impressed by the new 2008 Honda Accord. It's stylish, roomy, and powerful. Of perhaps greatest note, it looks and drives like a premium car. It's the closest a Japanese mainstream sedan has come to something from Germany.

And yet I must wonder why Honda has forsaken so many of its past principles. This car is so much larger and heavier than Accords used to be. In fact, it's larger and much heavier than the Detroit iron reviled by Honda's early fans. Yes, I hear over and over that Americans keep gettting larger and larger. Are we really that huge? And this factor cannot explain the overly complicated controls.

The new Accord may be right on target for mainstream America. But isn't there still space for a car like Honda used to make, one where the premium was on compactness, agility, and ergonomics? Perhaps this role has been entirely transfered to the Civic.

A Note on Honda Accord Reliability

I cannot practically cover reliability within the context of this review. However, many people are interested in such information, so I'm collecting my own data. Results are being posted to my site, www.truedelta.com, with prompt updates every three months. This can provide information on new designs such as the 2008 Honda Accord much more quickly--depending on how soon enough owners sign up.

Unlike other sources, TrueDelta will clearly identify what difference it will make if you buy an Accord rather than another vehicle by providing "times in the shop" and "days in the shop" stats (among others). You will be able to specify the number of years, annual miles, and types of repairs to include in Honda Accord reliability comparisons.

I need reliability data on all cars--not just the Accord--from people like you. To encourage participation, those who help provide the data receive free access to the site's reliability information. Non-participants will have to pay an access fee.

For the details, and to sign up, visit www.truedelta.com.

A link to this website and alphabetized links to my other vehicle reviews can be found on my profile page.
Amount Paid (US$): 25,695
Model Year: 2008
Model and Options: EX-L 4, EX V6