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By
EWAN KENNEDY
5 January 2009
Honda's Accord as
designed for the American market is a big car in its latest
format, being almost the same as Falcon and Commodore in its
dimensions. So it appeals to quite a number of Australians as
well, particularly as being made in Thailand gives it a price
advantage over Japanese imports.
Frontal styling gives
the new Accord a real air of elegance, with the radiator grille
having an upmarket European air thanks to clever angles and major
use of chrome plating.
It comes in a number
of variants, with a four-cylinder as well as a V6 engine. This
spread of models means the Accord competes with everything from
the Mazda6 and Toyota Camry, right up to the aforementioned big
Aussie sixes.
There's
good interior space for four adults, with plenty of rear seat
legroom. Boot space is good with an opening that makes it fairly
easy to use. Though as is often the way in current designs the
stubby rear end of the body makes access for bulky items a hassle
at times. As a family car for Mum, Dad and three youngsters it
works extremely well and many will find it can replace one of the
big family six-cylinder cars.
Accord has a pleasant
feel on the road, with good handling balance that doesn’t take
anything away from the aim of providing plenty of comfort.
We test drove the
Accord with the 3.5-litre V6 that produces 202 kW and 339 Nm.
It’s a fascinating unit in that it can run on six, four or three
cylinders according to the power and torque required from moment
to moment. This can trim overall fuel consumption almost to
four-cylinder levels if you’re travelling in easy conditions on
near level roads. From the inside it’s all but impossible to
know how many of the engine’s cylinders are in action.
A further fascinating
feature of the V6 engine is the noise-cancelling system. In the
manner of active noise-cancelling headphones of the type popular
on aircraft, the Honda system listens to the ambient noise inside
the Accord's cabin, and sends out sounds through the stereo
speakers that partially counteract unwanted sounds. The result is
a very quiet car that is barely audible when travelling on smooth
surfaces at moderate speeds.
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
As
mentioned, the car tested here is designed for the American
market. You can also buy an Accord Euro which has a smaller body
and firmer suspension with a leaning in the sporting direction.
© Copyright
Marque Publishing Company
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