Since the late 1990s Honda has been producing two different Accords - a larger Accord for North America market and a smaller one for Japan and Europe. Although they share some vital components, such as suspensions, steering, electronics, gearbox and some engines, their similarities are no more than, say, a Volkswagen Passat relates to Golf. The American Accord is seen as a big car that most American families ask for. In contrast, the European Accord is more elegant, agile, efficient and seen as a contender in the league of BMW 3-Series and Audi A4 rather than mainstream family cars... at least in the viewpoint of Honda. As a result, Honda sells it in the USA as Acura TSX to take advantage of its premium image. Nevertheless, until now few people are convinced that the Accord or Acura TSX is a match for German premium cars. No matter driving dynamics or packaging, it is still closer to mainstream family cars than premium cars. To raise the game, this time Honda did a lot of improvement to the new car...
First of all you will notice that it is considerably larger than before - 60 mm longer overall, 35 mm longer in wheelbase and 80 mm wider. The emphasis here is not interior space - as head and legroom are virtually unchanged, only shoulder room is significantly increased - but to provide better handling. The much wider tracks and 5 mm reduction of height enhance cornering stability. A stiffer chassis also helps. Torsional rigidity has been increased by 15 percent thanks to the use of more high-strength steel and structural reinforcement. The retuned double-wishbone / multi-link suspension has improved geometry and new mechanical adaptive dampers. Not so great news is the use of electrical power steering instead of hydraulic one. Although it is claimed to be developed from the one used in NSX, and it works better than most electric systems on the market, it still fails to match a hydraulic or electro-hydraulic steering for communicatiing with the front tires. Nevertheless, it incorporates a new function called "Motion Adaptive". When the car senses instability, say, excessive oversteer under braking, its electric motor exerts a torque to the steering to assist correcting the oversteer. As the assistant torque acts as a supportive role, it will not override the driver control like BMW's Active Steer.
On the road, the new Accord has both ride and handling improved over its predecessor. Its ride quality is especially superb, smoothing out the irregularities that would have unsettled Audi A4. The wide tracks result in flat cornering. Steering agility is also pretty good. However, to say the Accord matching BMW 3-Series in dynamics is overstated - its front-wheel drive chassis will never allow that. Even in the front-drive field it still lags behind Mazda 6 and Ford Mondeo, because the Honda trades some sporty handling with ride comfort. The numb steering is also a reason. The new European Accord is about 70 kilograms heavier than the car it replaced. This extra weight offsets the slight power gain of its three engines and results in unchanged performance, sadly. Base engine is still the 156-horsepower 2.0-liter DOHC i-VTEC (though now complies with Euro 5 emission standard). The 2.4-liter DOHC i-VTEC with twin-balancer shafts gains 10 horsepower thanks to higher compression (from 10.5:1 to 11.0:1), lighter intake valves, revised cam timing and smoother exhaust. Still, 201 horsepower and 172 lb-ft of torque is not enough for a compact premium car these days. A Ford Mondeo 2.5ST runs a turbocharged five-cylinder engine good for 220 hp and 236 lb-ft. Comparatively, the Honda's short of low-down torque makes it feel slower than its 0-60 mph figure (est 7.5 seconds) suggested. On the positive side, the Honda engine is smooth and free-revving, and the light-clutch / slick gearchange of the 6-speed manual / seamless shift of the 5-speed automatic are as good as you would expect for a Honda.
The final engine is the 2.2 i-DTEC (what a misleading name as it has no relationship with VTEC) turbocharged diesel engine. Now it features piezo multi-injection and Honda's innovative exhaust cleaning technology to comply with the most stringent US Tier II Bin 5 emission standard without resorting to urea addictive like Mercedes' Bluetec. It produces 150 horsepower and 258 lb-ft of torque, 10 hp and 7 lb-ft more than before. Nevertheless, it is not the best diesel engine in the class. The German has some engines producing more power from less capacity yet being more frugal. Besides, the Honda diesel engine produces more vibration at low rpm. Japanese still trails European in diesel technology. The Japanese car also trails German for design and packaging. Although the European Accord looks more stylish and elegant than its American sister, it does not stand out from the mainstream crowd and the rest of Honda's lineup. Inside, the cabin employs generally high-quality materials, but the design is busy and the overcrowded center console is a nightmare for ergonomics. Rear seat space could be a disappointment beside Ford Mondeo, as it won't accommodate people over 6 feet tall.
The European Accord is not a bad car, far from it. The problem is, in our eyes it has no areas particularly outstanding. To a premium car this is a serious problem. Without a strong image, a premium price tag won't be easily acceptable. |
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| The above report was last updated on 13 Apr 2008. All Rights Reserved. |
