|
By
EWAN KENNEDY
3 March 2008
New generation Accord has grown again and is now the
largest to ever carry that respected name. In fact it’s now
approaching Ford's Falcon and Holden's Commodore in its
dimensions, so is far from being the small-medium car it once was.
Accord comes in a large number of variants, one of them
starting at a smidgen under $30,000. That’s for an Accord with a
four-cylinder engine, there is also a six-cylinder option. Thus
Accord competes with everything from the Mazda6 and Toyota Camry,
right up to the aforementioned big Aussie sixes.
Accord experts will be aware the car is sold in Australia in
two distinct variants. One termed simply the ‘Accord’ and
aimed chiefly at the American market. The other, ‘Accord Euro’
is designed for – well, the name says it all. The American car
is larger and slightly softer than the European one.
This just-introduced model is the American Accord, but has been
firmed up in its suspension and handling characteristics to bring
it closer to Australian/European standards than previously.
On the road during our initial test drives in Victoria we found
it to have a pleasant feel, good handling balance and to provide
the sort of dynamics that will appeal to many drivers. The full-on
driving enthusiast will need to wait until the middle of the year
before the new Accord Euro arrives. Honda Australia chiefs tell us
it will be even sportier than the existing version. So it should
be worth waiting for.
We test drove both the four-cylinder 2.4-litre Accord, with 133
kW and 222 Nm, and the 3.5-litre V6 (up from 3.0 litres on the
outgoing model) that produces 202 kW and 339 Nm. The smaller
engine has enough power, but only just in our opinion. If asked to
carry a big load and/or operate in constantly hilly conditions it
may prove to be less than adequate for some. Then again it should
prove economical and that $29,990 price tag really is
mouth-watering.
Four-cylinder Accord is also offered in Luxury format, with a
power sunroof, automatic headlights, foglights, leather trim
including the steering wheel wrap, powered and heated driver’s
seat, heated front passenger seat, and side curtain airbags, at
$36,490.
The V6 is a fascinating unit in that Honda's engineers have
designed it so that it can run on six, four or three cylinders
according to the power and torque required from moment to moment.
When the three-cylinder mode can be used frequently, such as on
level roads on light throttle openings, its fuel consumption can
come way down according to Honda. Until we have done more
extensive testing in our home territory for a week we can’t
comment fully on it. But it provides plenty of performance, and if
that is allied with low consumption it will appeal to many buyers
in these times of soaring petrol prices.
A further fascinating feature of the V6 engine is the noise-cancelling
system built into the car to hush it, particularly when it is
operating on three of four cylinders. In the manner of active
noise-cancelling headphones of the type popular on planes, the
Honda system listens to the ambient noise inside the Accord's
cabin, and sends out sounds through the stereo speakers that
partially counteract engine, and other, noises. The result is a
very quiet car that is barely audible when travelling on smooth
surfaces at moderate speeds.
Indeed, the added refinement of the V6 makes what is quite a
quiet four-cylinder engine in the lower cost Accords sound
positively noisy in comparison. Perhaps a good reason to find the
extra cash for the bigger powerplant?
Accord V6 is priced at $38,490 and has side curtain airbags;
the $46,990 Luxury has the same features as the four-cylinder
Luxury, with the addition of satellite navigation, premium audio
system, a trip computer, leather wrapping on the gear lever
Frontal styling of latest Honda Accord has a real air of
elegance, with the radiator grille having an upmarket European air
thanks to clever angles and bold use of chrome plating.
There's good interior space for four adults, with plenty of
rear seat legroom. As a family car for Mum, Dad and three
youngsters it works extremely well and should be added to the
short list by those looking at the big family six-cylinder cars.
© Copyright
Marque Publishing Company
|
