Test Drive: Honda Accord 2.4 VTEC

Once, it had the Japanese executive car market almost all to itself, then came the world’s largest car company and spoiled the fun.

As the competitor grew ever larger, Honda’s sporting credentials simply could not sway Malaysian buyers who weer besotted with the space.

The latest version to land in Malaysia found its origins in the North American market research results. North Americans like their cars big and they think the version the Europeans get are bit too cramped for them and apparently Malaysians agree. Everything about the car must be viewed from this point of origin.

Honda is, of course, a company that dearly loves motor racing, it competes on two and four wheels at the highest level.

It takes on the best in MotoGP and also in Formula One and thanks to their passion for racing we now have a four-letter acronym that inspires genuine respect and admiration from other carmaker – VTEC.

You wouldn’t expect Honda to go completely soft would you with the new Honda Accord? The truth is they have gone softer but they are keen to point out that the company has not forgotten its motorsports heritage.

Like I said before, the Accord has grown up in size and it now rivals even German luxury sedans when it comes to cabin space and the designers have done a good job reducing its visual bulk without shrinking it’s street presence.

Street presence is the key to selling succesfully in the executive sector and I think Honda has got it just right.

Part of the street presence comes from the bold styling, which incorporates a few adventurous styling tricks such as the use of very strong feature creases near the shoulder line and honlding them up by a deep scallop at the bottom of the doors.

The designers made full use of the strong creases and use to define the rear lamp and allow the use of a highly oversized front lamp clusters. Oversized front lamps is also the in-thing these days.

The large lamps work well with the bright and shiny grille and gives the new Accord a distinctive face, I say distinctive and not pretty because the overall result is highly masculine and has more than just a hint of a technical look. The car is full of complicated lines and surfaces that takes a bit of getting used to.

After a while, the design grew on me and I began to see it as a rather handsome car but I still maintain that it is not a shape that one immediately think as beautiful, unique maybe but certainly not beautiful. Well not on first impression anyway.

From this shot you can see that the designers were going after a powerful stance and used a lot of straight lines and angles to achieve it.

The same play with flat surfaces and straight lines are evident from the rear lamp design which starts with a strong downward swoosh and goes on to harden the rounded corner. The angled rear lamp lens has an aerodynamic purpose. Rounded rear corners causes instability (do you remember the original Audi TT) so engineers put a sharp edge to help the airflow break cleanly from the flanks, this reduces aerodynamic drag and reduces an aero effect called ‘slapping’.

As you can see from this angle, the rear design is a bit fussy but I suppose it works because the sharp edges give it a kind of jeweled look that seem to be the flavour of the month.

The powerful look is, part of Honda’s homage to their motorsports heritage and the i-VTEC motor lurking under the bonnet. Thanks to these four letters, Honda has made sure that their very large Accord can still put a smile on a driver’s face

This 2.4-litre four-cylinder can generate nearly 180 horsepower. This is not a mind blowing figure but the engine is silky smooth and the 226 Newton metres of torque is enough to give the car a very relaxed and refined gait.

The engine is so quiet and the cabin so well insulated, you will find yourself revving the engine without even realising it. During my time with the car, I was trying to get as many miles out of the tank as possible by maintaining an artificial redline at 2,500rpm but nothing went as planned because I could not rely on my ears to mark engine speed. I can’t keep looking at the revcounter while driving can I? That’s jsut plain dangerous.

In the end I just enjoyed the power and smoothness of the engine.

Speaking of driver enjoyment, the cabin you get in this car is rather strangely specified. You get cruise control but no fuel economy computer, you get a large LCD screen in the centre console but no centralised know like the I-drive. The large screen shows only air-cond and radio settings, what a waste.

The centre console itself is a neat design and everything is well put together. Even the rows of buttons are laid out in an orderly, in not entirely intuitive fashion.

There are jsut so many buttons you have to give yourself at least a few weeks to remember what function each button controls.

These are minor complaints when you consider that this car feels relatively taut and composed even on twisty roads. The chassis is well judged to give a good balance between ride and handling. While it may not have the directness of the European Accord, this car is still decent fun on state roads and very comfortable on the highway.

The steering is fairly accurate and communicative but it is a rather shy steering, it whispers rather than shouts back feedback. You can’t get a good conversation going between you hand and the steerign because you have to be very gentle on your grip to feel the feedback.

The nice thing is that the car comes with a ready USB connection so you can plug in all your mobile storage devices and enjoy your music and entertainment while on the move.

What I find particularly odd about the centre console layout is the two rotary dials placed at the bottom. One controls the radio volume and the other sets its receiver frequency. Guess which is which.

I thought the large dial should control the volume because size means prominence and prominence usually indicates frequency of use and in my case I change the volume setting more often than radio frequency so I kept reaching for the large dial and suddenly find myself listening to Elvis when I want to do is make Coldplay’s Viva La Vida a bit louder. Annoying.

The Accord is aimed at executives and middle managers who want something big and comfortable for work and the family and this car is right up their alley. The Honda badge has decent street cred and the very modern looks will keep owners happy for at least a few years.

The price tag is RM167,169.80 (OTR without insurance) and that is a highly competitive asking price int his segment.

Where the Accord scores big is in driver satisfaction and this is mainly due to the sharper chassis and the responsive 2.4-litre engine which produces nearly 180 horsepower and 222Nm of torque.

Specifications

Honda Accord 2.4 VTEC-L

Engine Type 4 Cylinder, 16 Valve, DOHC i-VTEC

Fuel Supply System PGM-FI (Programmed Fuel Injection)

Bore & Stroke (mm) 87.0 x 99.0

Displacement (cc) 2,354

Compression Ratio 10.5 : 1

Maximum Power [PS (kW) / rpm] 180 (133) / 6,500

Maximum Torque [Nm (kg-m) / rpm] 222 (22.6) / 4,300

Transmission

Transmission Type Electronically Controlled 5-Speed Automatic with Shift Hold Control

Steering

Gear Type Rack & Pinion Hydraulic Power Steering

Turning Radius (m) 5.65

Braking

Braking System Type (Front) Ventilated Disc

Braking System Type (Rear) Solid Disc

Suspension

Suspension System (Front) Independent Double Wishbone with Coil Spring and Stabiliser

Suspension System (Rear) Independent Multi-Link with Coil Spring and Stabiliser