2008 Honda Accord EX Sedan Review Atlanta GA

2008 Honda Accord Sedan

DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD
WITH CAREY RUSS

2008 Honda Accord EX Sedan

A major reason for the Honda Accord's success has been its fitwith the needs and desires of family car buyers. When it first appeared in1976, the Honda Accord was a larger version of the Civic hatchback, but"large" was only in comparison to the then-subcompact Civic. The Accord wasstill small and economical, and so perfect for that time of escalating fuelprices. And byproducts of its small size included good, almost sportyhandling and a fun-to-drive demeanor.

That was 32 years ago. In the intervening time, the Accord hasgrown into a sedan, with coupe variations as well. It continued to grow insize, comfort, and refinement while also usually being the sportiest of thecars at the heart of the midsize sedan class.

And the eighth-generation Accord, all-new for 2008, is nodifferent. The sedan is a few inches larger than the previous-generationcar in nearly every dimension, although its styling neatly hides that. With106 cubic feet of interior space, it boasts the largest interior in theimport-brand middle-class midsize class. That's a gain of over three cubicfeet - enough, technically, for it to now be in the EPA "large car" class.The coupe, while also larger, still fits into the "compact" category.

Chassis and engine have been upgraded in accordance, so tospeak. A new unibody structure improves both frame rigidity and passengersafety. Perimeter frame rail stampings placed above, instead of beneath,the floor not only adds headroom, the resulting flatter, smoother undertrayreduces aerodynamic drag and ever so slightly improves gas mileage. Engineposition and new suspension geometry decrease body roll and improvehandling, which is further enhanced by revised suspension geometry andcalibration. The 2.4-liter four cylinder engine comes in two states oftune, with either 177 or 190 horsepower - somewhat more than lat year's160. With 268 horsepower on tap, the 3.5-liter V6 bests the 1.6-liter fourof a 1976 Accord by an even 200. It's the most powerful engine ever offeredin a street-legal Honda. Safety equipment is comprehensive, with four-wheelantilock disc brakes, a full complement of airbags, and vehicle stabilitycontrol standard on all models.

The model lineup is simpler than in some past years, with LX andLX-P (for premium) with four cylinders and EX and EX-L (luxury) with bothfour and V6 engines. Comfort, convenience, and yes, luxury levels increasefrom LX through EX-L, with EX-L models getting such entry-luxury touches asleather seats, dual-zone climate control, upgraded audio systems, and more.LX four-cylinder models have the 177-hp engine, while EXes get the 190.

An EX four-cylinder has been my test car for the past week, andit truthfully was all the car I ever needed. Hey, that 190 horsepower wasnearly as much as the 200 made by a 1997 Accord's 3.0-liter V6. Interiorspace was never a problem, back seat passengers were happy, and even withthe automatic transmission it was an enjoyable car to drive. The Accord hasbeen one of the top five best-selling sedans in the country for the pastcouple of decades, and the newest example shows why. In one of the trimlevels, it has all anyone really needs in a sedan, with most of what peoplewant is available. It's not only practical and comfortable, it's fun todrive, and is the sort of car to which people can form an emotionalattachment. Despite its appliance-like nature (in the best meaning of thatterm) it's much more than a mere transportation appliance. It's an Accord.

APPEARANCE: Honda's car designers should go into fashion design.The new Accord sedan is larger and heavier than its predecessor, but lookssmaller and lighter. Credit its lower stance, thinner roof line and roofpillars - especially the rear C-pillars, and good attention to detail. Thebody's gently-rounded contours are offset by the angular, chrome-trimmedgrille and parallelogram-shaped headlights in front, sharp, straightcharacter lines on the side that rise toward the rear and accentuate thecar's wedge-shaped profile, and its high, squared-off tail. A crease oneach lower side gives an understated aero-kit look, sporty but notoverbearing. LX models have 16-inch steel wheels with full covers, whileEXes have alloy seventeens with lower-profile tires. Both fill thewheelarches nicely.

COMFORT: Inside, the new Accord sedan is functional and stylish.Form does not overpower function. At the EX four-cylinder level, materialsare high-grade synthetic, but variety in material, color, and texture keepsthe design interesting without being too busy. The front seats provide thecomfort and support that was once the province of the entry-luxury class,and the driver's seat is completely power-adjustable, not just partially asin some competitors. The steering wheel has cruise and auxiliary audiocontrols. Its rim, and the shift knob, may be textured molded plastic, butthe wheel is adjustable for both tilt and reach. The instrument panel has astylish twin-cockpit design, with the rounded center placed nearer to thefront passengers. Instrumentation is complete and easily visible, and allcontrols are well-marked and easy to use. Nighttime illumination addsconvenience. Climate and audio system controls are in the center of thedash, easily reached by either front passenger. Use is intuitive, and theaudio system has AM and FM radio and a 6-CD changer that can also play MP3and WMA CDs. External music players are accommodated by a jack (and powerpoint for a charger) in the console box. A locking glovebox highlightsinterior storage. The rear seat, as is customary in contemporary sedans, isbest for two passengers, who get plenty of head, knee, leg, and hip room.The center position is higher, and legs must deal with the center tunnel. Alocking ski passthrough hides behind the armrest that does double duty asthe center seatback, or the entire seatback may be folded for oversizecargo. The trunk is large enough so that should rarely be necessary.

SAFETY: Honda is to be commended for equipping every new Accordsedan, even the LX, with four-wheel antilock disc brakes with brake assist,traction control, and vehicle stability control. Also included is atire-pressure monitoring system, and dual-threshold front, dual-chamberfront side, and side-curtain air bags. The unibody structure is built withthe Advanced Compatibility Engineering (ACE)(tm) system for improvedfrontal crash protection against larger or smaller vehicles. It distributescrash energy to more of the Accord's structure than is usual, for betteroccupant protection.

RIDE AND HANDLING: Once upon a time, "middle class midsizesedan" meant soft, mushy suspension, indifferent handling, and suspectbrakes. I wouldn't give the Accord complete credit for banishing such, butit deserves at least some. In EX trim, it has no pretense to sport ability,but a lower center of gravity and a fully-independent double-wishbone front/ multilink rear suspension with revised geometry to reduce body roll andwell-matched, moderately firm springs and shocks give it both good ridecomfort and nimble handling. The steering is precise. And remember, goodhandling and steering response are also safety features, as they allow acompetent driver to avoid trouble.

PERFORMANCE: In EX four-cylinder trim, the Accord's 2.4-litertwincam 16-valve engine makes 190 horsepower (at 7000 rpm) and 162 lb-ft oftorque (at 4400 rpm). i-VTEC variable cam-profile and intake cam phasing onthe intake cam produces a wider spread of power, so low-rpm performance isvery good. Although a five-speed manual transmission is available, andwould be desirable to get the best performance from the engine, thefive-speed automatic as fitted to my test car will be the most common. It'sa good match, with quick, smooth shifting and electronic control that keepsthe car in one (lower) gear as much as possible when climbing or descendinghills. The torque curve is broad enough that twisting, hilly roads presentno challenge to the car, and it works just fine in D. Which is good, asthere is no manual mode, although it can be shifted manually. Don't bother,it's not really necessary.The low-emissions variant in the LX keeps one of the two intake valves ineach cylinder closed in low-rpm operation to reduce emissions.

CONCLUSIONS: The new Accord in four-cylinder mid-level EXtrim? Nothing fancy, nothing lacking. It's just a good, honest car thatcombines practicality and panache.

SPECIFICATIONS
2008 Honda Accord EX