WHO EXACTLY WILL THE 2008 ACCORD APPEAL TO?

The Honda Accord has gained critical acclaim with after market tuners, retirees and budget minded drivers as the best selling Japanese car in America between the years of 1982 and 1997. I personally liked the 2000 Accord http://www.flickr.com/photos/sulemanali/514279378/ when you add an aftermarket body kit to it. Normally, I would not have bothered to test drive an Accord because of my aversion to small import cars but, the recent launch of sedans with coupe counterparts, which I will dub, ”coupe wars”, which includes the Nissan Altima, the Accord, and the CTS has gotten me interested in these little vehicles. All of them feature edgy styling and artistic interiors at increasingly competitive prices.

2009 COUPE http://www.epinions.com/content_447442292356

2010 WAGON "CROSSTOUR" http://www.epinions.com/content_496249507460

I bothered to go to a Honda dealership nearby and trouble a salesman for test drives of two of their 08 Accord models. The Coupe, which I was really interested in was not available and is unexpected by the dealer for about 2 months but, I will definitely consider going back to see it.


For now there are a handful of 2008 Accord types to chose from. The base model “The LX” which starts at around $21,000, has cloth seats and plain steel wheels with boring hubcaps. The “LX-P” for about $2000 more comes with 16-inch alloy rims. “EX” models offer Honda’s alloy wheels, but choosing a V-6-powered “EX–L V” offers dual chrome exhaust, 18 inch alloys and a more pronounced front air dam for around $30,000. The rear exhaust and the air dam will allow you to spot top model Accords at a glance once you see enough of them on the roads.

The Accord offers six airbags which includes driver and passenger front impact bags and side curtain airbags. Other safety features include electronic stability and active head restraints for the front with passive head restraints in the rear.

The 2007 Accord looked not so dissimilar from an old Ford Focus, a Doge Neon or any other number of American or Japanese made base models. The 07’ to me was a bone thrown to the rent-a-car businesses of America quick to tell that customer on the phone: “yes, we have a large sedan for rent”. Now the 2008 model returns with a much more shapely interior but, it suffers from cheap appearance regardless the longevity of the materials and regardless the trustworthiness of Honda workmanship.
I had difficulty determining what Honda was trying to state with the Accord’s new styling. The car looks a lot like a BMW 5-series from the back and the center stack resembles a new C-class Benz due to the placement of the instrument control knob. Its similar to the Acura 08' RL but the overly plastic surfaces make it look infinitely cheaper.



WHAT’S SHE LIKE INSIDE?


Some people are going to love the interior redesign of the Accord and some people are going to think it looks flimsy.

Those who like it will appreciate the tightly seamed leather seats of the upper models, and if they have gotten the optional Navigation system, will like the ultra sporty, spaceship like appearance of the dashboard and the Navigation monitor.

The Radio/center stack of the EX model is a dizzying array of plastic buttons, mounted into an entirely plastic dashboard and trimmed with low grade plastic.

Now don’t get me wrong, I like plastic and metal interiors mostly because,, #1 they are inexpensive to buy and maintain and #2 they can be replaced without worry of damaging fine woods…but, there is plastic done right and plastic done wrong. For example, I would gladly take the hardened plastic interior of the Chrysler 300, The Dodge Avenger or the Ford Fusion over this. The Accord’s interior is so overly plastic that it looks cheap – and that is a big turn off. I noticed that the dealers offer optional wood trim inserts for the places where the plastic looks the worst. Most likely, the Acura for 2009 will feature a very similar Accord base with higher grade materials but, suffice to say, if you do intend on buying this car, make sure your dealer replaces as much of the paneling with better materials as possible because otherwise, you may be quite disappointed in your purchase later on.

I didn’t like the Navigation center console and radio system, even though the design showed some intelligent design. The Navigation screen is large, and mounted not far from eye-to-road level. On the road, you can quickly look at the screen and shift your eyes back to traffic. The problem is that it seems Honda has copied the worst elements of BMW’s iDrive and given you a rolling knob (made of plastic) with an enter button smack dab in the middle of it, which is a pain to adjust or use in a hurry. This is most problematic when you want to change radio stations as the buttons are not very intuitive if you are pressed to think.

I would suggest Honda drop the cluttered dashboard for a touch screen navigation unit. At least it wouldn’t look like the dashboard has been replaced with a computer keyboard.


A plus is that the Accord includes a nifty speech recognition system that allows you to press a steering wheel button, speak a radio station and go there quickly. The salesman had a Russian accent so I noticed that this doesn’t work very well unless you speak with good clarity – but, I had no trouble using it. It also works for dialing phone numbers through the Bluetooth system and can be trained for entering Navi destinations.

The steering wheel also has plenty of buttons for quick cycling through radio presets and cruise control manipulation.


SEATING in the 2008 Accord was disappointing to me. The car is 194.3 inches long (3.2 inches larger than the 07’) and nearly an inch taller than the 07’. Certainly, attempts were made to add more space to the 08’ model but I personally found more space in the 07 because the 07 had less of a bulky mishapen dashboard panel which digs right into your knees. The 08’s floor is about half an inch lower than the 07 and when I got in and tried to get a comfortable position, I peered into the rear seat and noticed that it seemed like the rear seats were higher than the front seats(like stadium seating). This would yield slightly more leg room for rear seat passengers but only if the driver and passenger seats were not tilted backwards. Unless all the people in your party are shorter than 6 feet, I do not believe the Accord is the car you should consider if you need a family sedan. This is the type of car small teenagers use to cruise around college campuses or take a date into the city on a Friday night but not much more. I would say, those looking for a family sized vehicle in this price range should look towards the Toyota Avalon or the Chrysler 300 because those vehicles will offer more comfort (the 300, being the largest).
Oddly, the 300 is only about 3 inches longer yet the seating is tremendously more comfortable than the Accord.
I am left wondering, just where has Accord's space gone?

The Leather seating was very sexy- very sporty - easily looking like what you’d find in an Acura. The seat comfort all depends on how tall you are. If you are taller than 6 feet-2 inches, getting in and out of the Accord is a chore – like *scootqing* down to get into a go-kart. Once you are in there, so long as no one is behind you, you can adjust the seat to get maximum leg space but, I’d have to say, if the rear seats aren’t a huge priority, you might as well go for the coupe. You’re going to covet every inch of available space.


Accord will be fine for mom’s, senior citizens and college students who need a small car, good fuel economy and trunk space for whatever. The trunk by the way is quite deep and for extra money you can get an optional plastic guard that covers the floor and sides to protect from spilled groceries or oily car parts. This plastic piece is part of the “protection package” which costs about $500 and also comes with wheel locks.

HOW DOES SHE HANDLE THE ROAD?

The Accord will be sold with 3 engine configurations. The first is the 2.4 Liter 177HP Inline-4. The second is the 2.4 Liter 190 HP I4 and the last will be the 268 HP 3.5 Liter V6.
Unless you fork over enough money to procure the V6 model, you are likely to be one of the many people who are going to complain that this car does not have enough power.

I tested the 2.4Liter I4 (base model with cloth seating and almost no options) and went straight for the 3.5 Liter V6 later.

The 2.4 Liter produces a pitiful and disappointing acceleration even when you mash the pedal down to the floor praying for results. No, she won’t be beating any 2008 Cadillac CTS’s or any base model 2.7 Liter 300’s off the light, but what she will offer you is relatively high fuel economy. The lower model I4 engines do not offer the V6’s Variable Cylinder Management which is Honda’s answer to Displacement-On-Demand. Two or Three cylinders will be cut off during driving by the computer until gas-pedal inputs demand them. If your in city traffic, you should get above 20 Mpg in the city and around 30 on the highway. All the Accords are offered in a manual transmission with an automatic for around $800 ~ $1000 more and the manual will offer you the best mileage but, only at about 1 MPG extra.

The 3.5 Liter V6 with its 268 horses is the better way to purchase this car – the only choice I could possibly make. 0-60 in the 3.5 is about 6 seconds. ZIPPY !

If you go after a coupe model you are going to suffer a 5 MPG decrease with the manual transmission model as Honda decided not to offer it with VCM.
http://www.epinions.com/content_447442292356


VCM integration is very well done and its very difficult to feel it switching on and off. There is a little “eco” light that lets you know when it is activated. She will cruise at City speeds in 3-cylinders and add the 4th for highway speeds. Full power requirements will activate all 6 but even when you press this car to 80 MPH, you are left wondering if a few of those 268 horses were left out to pasture. Avalon's power output is much more confident.

Ride quality is decent – exactly what you’d expect from a car with 21st century technology. Honda claims to have lowered the car’s center of gravity, and indeed, there is very little body roll on curves. Bumps however are painfully harsh due to the car’s lower ground clearance. Speed bumps take careful planning and imperfect roads are a pure annoyance to maneuver.
What is noteworthy is the vehicle recovers quickly from harsh bumps instead of pitching wildly. On curvy roads you will feel some roll but for average driving conditions, the Accord is nice drive.

Even with the top of the line power however, this car is still considerably slower and smaller inside (for its dimensions and cost) than an equally priced Impala SS, a 300, or Dodge Charger SXT/RT, So if you are going to consider buying the car fully loaded, consider other options first before jumping in.

Previous versions of the Accord had rear drum brakes, but the 2008 model has disc brakes for all wheels. The EX-L V’s brakes are probably the worst of the bunch, requiring much more force to stop than the LX at a 50 – 0mph stop.


OVERALL

The Accord Sedan for 2008 failed to impress me on many levels.
For one, the base models are much too slow and weak to fit my interests unless my priorities were maximum fuel economy – at which point I’d be more likely to consider a Toyota Prius.

The Accord will be very impressing to people who are upgrading from lesser cars that lack the technology and the flash that the Accord presents but I’ve driven much better so I am not so easily moved. The Accord’s exterior styling looks best in a dark color because the lighter colors look cheaply made.

Regardless what I say, the Accord will probably not fail to attract loyal Accord purchasers from the past, but I just didn’t feel that this car was much more than a cheap car upgraded with a Navigation system and Leather seats which shift your focus from the feel of the materials.



THE COMPETITION

2008 Chrysler 300 http://www.epinions.com/content_405173603972

2008 CADILLAC CTS http://www.epinions.com/content_401977282180





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MERCEDES BENZ S550 http://www.epinions.com/content_252095073924



AUDI A8 L http://www.epinions.com/content_254135406212


AUDI S8
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CHRYSLER 300C http://www.epinions.com/content_249811668612


LEXUS LS460 http://www.epinions.com/content_278165753476
Amount Paid (US$): 32,000
Condition: New
Model Year: 2008
Model and Options: EX-L V6 with Navigation