With Honda Cars Philippines firmly back into the mix, they have brought their A-game, promising more new models to introduce to the country. Despite a lack of a diesel-powered SUV, pickup or MPV/people-mover, no one seems to have told the good people at Honda that since they enjoyed one of their best-ever years in 2013. A revitalized Civic, CR-V, City and Jazz models have kept sales strong despite announcements of new models for the latter two vehicles. The CR-Z hybrid sports coupe has also impressed the market with steady sales.
The all-new ninth-generation Accord is the first of Honda’s three-pronged assault to the market for 2014. The Accord features significant changes which will help claw back market share in the small but hotly contested executive sedan segment.
Chassis:
The Accord’s chassis has significant revisions to call it all-new: improved torsional rigidity and stiffness, with increased NVH refinement to boot, making Honda boast that the Accord is the class leader in NVH refinement. The secret is liquid-filled subframe and crossmember mounts which help isolate the chassis further from all harshness. Liquid-filled mounts, particularly for engines, are an old technique to reduce NVH, but Honda, to their knowledge are the first to introduce this technology in a segment below ultrapremium luxury exotic vehicles. Of course the engines also feature the same technology which tag-teams NVH into oblivion, giving you a smoother, more comfortable and more refined drive. Wheelbase is slightly shorter, but width has grown slightly to improve in-car interior space further and is also slightly lower overall to reduce wind noise and of course drag, which helps in fuel efficiency.
Suspension:
Pundits will cry that the new Accord’s MacPherson strut front suspension, a departure from the previous model’s double-wishbone, will reduce handling keenness. Fear not, as you won’t be able to tell the difference, such is the Accord’s finely-tuned, sport-biased suspension settings. The switch from double wishbone suspension to MacPherson strut design up front also yielded a 15.2-kilogram weight savings which is more than welcome as it reduces the Accord’s front-heavy feel, something we greatly appreciated in the tight, winding roads of Bataan. The rear continues on with a multilink set-up that gives increased stability even when fully loaded through very twisty roads or on very high speeds on the highway. Even the steering system, which is now a fully electric design, featuring an electric motor wrapped around the steering column for power assistance, has impressive feel for a vehicle in this segment.
Powertrain:
Both the 2.4 four-cylinder and 3.5 V6 engines feature Earth Dreams Technology: lighter engine internals for reduced losses, better response, more power and better fuel efficiency. The 2.4-liter is an all-new block which rotates in the reverse direction compared to the older model. Power is still the same at 172.60 horsepower, but fuel efficiency is improved and the engine exhales cleaner air. The V6 is still the same block but features a revised VCM or Variable Cylinder Management which can automatically shut-off half its cylinders from six-cylinder operation to three-cylinders immediately, whereas the previous model was 6-4-3 cylinder operation. This reduces fuel consumption further. Power also remains the same at 281, but again with improved fuel economy. Honda is also quick to point out that the power ratings were achieved with regular 95-Octane fuel: Switching to 97 or 100 Octane fuel will yield noticeable gains in power and performance. The 2.4 four-cylinder comes with a smooth shifting and responsive five-speed automatic devoid of shift-shock, a problem for many Honda automatics, whereas the V6 comes with a six-speed slick-shifting automatic, with sixth gear being a very long overdrive that helps it consume very little fuel: At 3,000 revolutions per minute, the Accord can cruise at right around 165 kilometers per hour on a derestricted stretch of highway. With i-VTEC on both engines, the Accord has enough torque to muscle itself into high speed at very low revolutions per minute.
Interior:
Honda boasts that the Accord has always had class-leading interior space, fit-and-finish, and high-quality materials. In the Accord’s case, they have truly raised the bar. The interior comes wrapped in leather with very fine stitching and features two LCD displays, one for the in-car trip and efficiency computer, the other a touch-screen display for the infotainment system with Bluetooth connectivity for your mobile phone or media device, exclusive to the V6 model. Despite being very slightly shorter and smaller exterior-wise compared to the out-going model, interior room is still best in class with more than enough space for Tetsuya Natsume, Honda’s 6-foot-plus president to cozily fall asleep in the back seat with 5’10” me driving for him. Talk about pressure! A stint in the back seat shows extensive foot-, knee- and legroom for my oversized XXL frame, too. The dash architecture is simple and classy; no cheap-feeling gimmicks here. It feels like a European-made sedan built to compete with the best of the world. As to be expected from a Honda, driving position is excellent: The seats feature 12-way adjustment, and the steering wheel features both reach and rake adjustment, allowing me to dial myself in naturally for a comfortable yet ergonomically correct driving position for hours on end. The steering wheel also has auxiliary controls for the infotainment system with paddle-shifters for the transmission.
Exterior:
The Accord also features full LED headlamps and tail lamps, and also features active front cornering lamps which activate when you turn the steering wheel left or right with your headlamps on. It helps give the Accord a more stately and sophisticated aura as the LED strip lights also double as daytime running lamps for increased visibility.
Honda projects to sell about 700 or so units of the Accord annually with an even split for both the 2.4 and 3.5 models. It’s the executive sedan for the self-driven types but has the stately persona for a chauffeur-driven executive sedan as well. With all the features packed in, the Accord is a real winner.
source: motioncars.inquirer.net
