Tested & Ripped : 2008 Honda Accord

[skyline gtr r34]

there is no V6 on the new one though , honda says this is enough , probably honda should have a V6 to go with that body kit , that would be true "sporty version"

[ST7677]

V6, yummy. I would go for one
3.5 ltr - 268 bhp Wow.

Hope it comes soon, and is priced correctly!
Don;t care at all about the cruise control. Where the hell would you use in this country...

[quicksilver]

Originally Posted by GTO

To be honest, cruise control is not a feature that anybody is going to miss. I have never had the opportunity of using cruise control in India.

Bring it on, Honda! And with an option of a manual tranny please.

True, with our road/traffic conditions, we cannot really put the cruise control to effective use.

Do not think Honda would launch the V6 in a MT version though (for whatever reason they have...)

[reignofchaos]

Test drove the 2008 Honda Accord last weekend. The sales guy had got the car to my place and I took it on my standard test drive route. This includes some nice empty stretches where she can be floored and also some broken bits which test the ride and build quality. The car was a 2.4 Manual. Forgot to put in my impressions earlier.

+ Very big car with acres of headroom, legroom, shoulder room and very comfortable front seats.
+ The front Visibility is excellent. You know exactly where the front left corner of the car is as you can see it. No more guessing game.
+ Excellent Ride quality compared to the last gen Honda Accord
+ The build quality is a few notches above the Civic. The plastics felt more solid and so did all the interior fittings.
+ Very eager and rev happy engine. I hit 100 in 2nd gear with another 1300 or so rpm left on the odo. Acceleration comes thick and fast if you rev the engine.
+ [b]The best manual gearshift I've experienced ever[b]. You can literally change gears with one finger. It is the most precise short throw gear box I've seen. The gear shift is even better than a Porsche 911 Carrera that I drove last year. That was my benchmark until now.
+ Very light controls - a very light clutch and brake too was easy to depress. The steering is quite light too but still had decent feel of the road.
+ Brakes work really well. ABS cuts in quite late and only when needed
+ The car changes direction quite nicely for something so massive. This was quite a surprise.
+ Turning circle is quite small for such a big car. U-turns were not too much of a trouble. Was quite easy to take it thru very dense traffic as well.
+ Gigantic Boot that can be made ridiculously big by folding the seats.

- Not too many negatives. The lack of certain features like steering mounted audio is pretty sad. These exist on the american accord so taking them out in India is pretty much unacceptable at the price being charged.
- The single biggest problem with the car is body roll. It is just way too much. There's a turn right beside Sankey road that I typically take at 100 on daily basis in my car. This thing rolled way too much at 80 to feel comfortable. Though it changes direction, the rolling doesn't inspire much confidence.
- Complete lack of bottom end torque - The honda signature feature . You need rev the engine to atleast 1500 rpm before it gets moving. The problem is not as bad as the Civic but its still a pain to drive it in traffic.
- Poor Sheet metal quality. The doors didn't feel solid at all. The build quality is not even at Mitsubishi level let alone VW or Skoda. The sheet metal is so thin that a car with 1200km on the odo already has a few bumps here and there.
- The audio system was rather boomy. Had to turn down the bass to -6 to make it listenable. Again unacceptable for a car of this price.
- There are way too many confusing buttons on the center console. Had no clue which button does what. The screen in the middle is a bit hard to read as well.
- Lack of much equipment that is standard in this segment such as Projectors, Trip Computer etc.
- There's no way to store the electric seat settings. So essentially you need to adjust it everytime it gets changed.

The final negative is the price. Not so much Honda's fault but rather the fault of the horrible karnataka govt. The MT model costs 20.76 lacs on road. That is a terrible price to pay :(. Overall the only significant downer of the car is the the soft suspension and body roll. A slightly harder suspension might have helped the car to a great degree. I'd buy the car if I was looking for a bigger car right now.

[GTO]

Spot on with the observations, ROC! Great review.

Originally Posted by reignofchaos

I hit 100 in 2nd gear with another 1300 or so rpm left on the odo.

That sounds like an awfully tall 2nd gear. But the driveability is still pretty okay.

+ [b]The best manual gearshift I've experienced ever[b].

Agreed. I love the Accord's gearshift quality.

- The single biggest problem with the car is body roll. It is just way too much.

Thats why the new Accord has gained a "luxo-barge" reputation for itself. Suspension tuned for comfort rather than handling. In fact, the previous Accord feels more driver oriented.

The final negative is the price. Not so much Honda's fault but rather the fault of the horrible karnataka govt. The MT model costs 20.76 lacs on road.

You really think that the price is negative? According to me, the Accord is one of the most sensible luxury cars you can buy. Have you considered the Accords price, relative to its competition (Camry, Laura, Passat, C, 3 etc.)?

[reignofchaos]

The gearing is definitely very tall. As I said I don't blame Honda... the blame lies on the Karnataka Govt for recently increasing road tax even further. All large car prices have gone up to ludicrous levels!

[Brosreview]

Hey there, that is a fantastic review posted. We personally loved the car a lot. And, mostly when inquired upon, we recommend this over a Camry. Only one thing that could make it even more better than it is, is the heaviness of the steering. The steering is so light that it is quite easygoing to steer and that is good for a comfy drive. But, it uproots the sense of driver involvement which is bad if you are in the mood for a jaunt. But, that is not a reason to not buy one. Now, the Mondeo emerges as a strong contender here. And, it is an absolute snip when compared. Nonetheless, a great car and a great review.

[GTO]

Now, the Mondeo emerges as a strong contender here.

Which market are you talking about? If its the UK, then the Accord we get is entirely different from the Euro Accord.

[reignofchaos]

Need to add one more thing... I didn't like the exhaust note. It was not fun sounding at all.

[Brosreview]

Hey there, a fantastic review. We consider this a very good car and suggest it ove rthe Camry. Nonetheless, we reckon there is one single thing that could make it even better. The steering is so light that it uproots the sense of driver involvement. That wouldn't be nice if you wanted to go for a jaunt, would it? Another thing, there is another car in this segment - Mondeo; if you think about it, the Mondeo is a snip here.

@GTO
Hey there, we are refering to the Accord itself and not the Acura based Accord and refering to the general/common market.

[Path_Finder]

Originally Posted by vcash

2) The back audio remote - Nice Idea - Bad implementation - what happens when you have 3 people in the car!

The fact is truly designed only for 2 people in the rear seat - the third person is always an uninvited guest in these cars!!

[Sahil]

Originally Posted by reignofchaos

- The single biggest problem with the car is body roll. It is just way too much. There's a turn right beside Sankey road that I typically take at 100 on daily basis in my car. This thing rolled way too much at 80 to feel comfortable. Though it changes direction, the rolling doesn't inspire much confidence.
- Complete lack of bottom end torque - The honda signature feature . You need rev the engine to atleast 1500 rpm before it gets moving. The problem is not as bad as the Civic but its still a pain to drive it in traffic.
- Poor Sheet metal quality. The doors didn't feel solid at all. The build quality is not even at Mitsubishi level let alone VW or Skoda. The sheet metal is so thin that a car with 1200km on the odo already has a few bumps here and there.

Bummer ! These were the two key factors i was hoping the new Accord would improve on.

[ab1xlr8]

Just drove the new accord yesterday,and it was a manaul.Observed the following
very smooth ride,couldnt feel any bumps or potholes
didnt like the engine noise ,had a deisel like engine clatter
very spacious inside,both front and back
good build quality,top notch interiors
short throw gear box very good in traffic,but missed 2nd gear a couple of times when doing some accelaration runs
very light steering ,good for traffic,lacks feels
very good accelaration ,tall gearing ,60 comes in a flash
even though it has 180 hp ,somehow i felt the engine was a lttle hesitant and needed to be reved hard,
revs beyond 3000 rpm like crazy
even though its a big car ,easy to drive in traffic,light clutch pedal,good brakes

Verdict:more of a luxury car than a sportscar

[Mpower]

Originally Posted by GTO

Which market are you talking about? If its the UK, then the Accord we get is entirely different from the Euro Accord.

...and i don't think the Camry is sold in the UK. Its the Avensis.