[Caramelo]

271 bhp (nice) for 25 lacs. and what you get extra. 2 cylinders. which you will hardly use. 90% only 3 lolz maybe 2. fuel economy will be the same for you.

you get no extra features. except. VSA basically an esp. with contains trac con. thats it. that is it!!!!!

they never give such things as standard. these idiots should learn something from skoda. atleast they dont cheat you. and they know how to set the "standards". and actually give a lot of imp features as standard.

its not just goodies. its important safety features like ABS, EBV, MSR, ASR, EDS, HBA, DSR and ESBS systems.and things like bi- xenon lamps with headlamp washers. and Adaptive Frontlight system. variable corner function fog lamps. this is life saving stuff. which is well worth the 18lacs you spend on a car. and active headrest. the list goes on lolz.

skoda is a class above. i think personally.

[Mpower]

I think demand was so low the last time, that they just decided to CBU it. The desparate ones will pay...same strategy as Audi A4 3.0.

[Yeldo]

Originally Posted by ImmortalZ

Exactly right amit. The best option is of course, Skoda, with its exemplary service backup, friendly and honest dealers, cheap as chips spares and ultimate Euro reliability which will serve you for eons to come.

Well, email this to Skoda and they would be delighted. Service backup, honest dealers, cheap spares,etc., etc.). Sir are you speaking about Skoda?

, but actually, Honda's prices are in-line with the competition. Look at this: the Superb with a 1.8 petrol sells at 19L, an Accord 2.4 goes for 18L and the Camry at 22L banking on its "CBU" tag. (How does it matter to a customer whether it is a CBU or a CKD or a ABCD, XYZ, I don't know.) The Passat is in the same league as the Camry, more or less. Only the Sonata sells for substantially less, but that's only after Accord got pricier that the Sonata has started to make sense, price- wise. Remember Sonata Embera launch prices vis-a-vis the Accord prices?

[Yeldo]

Originally Posted by Caramelo

271 bhp (nice) for 25 lacs. and what you get extra. 2 cylinders. which you will hardly use. 90% only 3 lolz maybe 2. fuel economy will be the same for you.

you get no extra features. except. VSA basically an esp. with contains trac con. thats it. that is it!!!!!

they never give such things as standard. these idiots should learn something from skoda. atleast they dont cheat you. and they know how to set the "standards". and actually give a lot of imp features as standard.

its not just goodies. its important safety features like ABS, EBV, MSR, ASR, EDS, HBA, DSR and ESBS systems.and things like bi- xenon lamps with headlamp washers. and Adaptive Frontlight system. variable corner function fog lamps. this is life saving stuff. which is well worth the 18lacs you spend on a car. and active headrest. the list goes on lolz.

skoda is a class above. i think personally.

Skoda priced its earlier Superb in the vicinity of 22L. Now as they have the Passat, they've moved the new Superb down, and offers 1.8 4- cylinder engine in place of a 2.8V6/ 2.5V6. The Diesel version is going to be a "PD" engine, older tech, not the CRDI engine, which is reserved for the Passat. Then all the gizmos offered on Skodas: the airbags and the Xenons make sense, Honda should offer them on the Accord also, but regarding everything else, well, how valuable they are in real life scenarios, I am not sure. Maybe Skoda wants to establish itself as a technology leader in India.

But with the 2.4 Accord at 18L and the 1.8 Superb at 19L, the Superb surely looks tempting.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by Mpower

I think demand was so low the last time, that they just decided to CBU it. The desparate ones will pay...same strategy as Audi A4 3.0.

Hey, the rest of the car is assembled locally. Only the engine is imported. And, at the end of the day, the customer couldn't care less what the manufacturers cost structure is. It is his hard earned money and he will look for value.

My post from Vivek's testdrive thread which is very relevant to this discussion as well:

Originally Posted by GTO

Thanks for the awesome review, Vivek. Great pictures and very well-written.

Frankly, even as a petrolhead, I am terribly disappointed with the Accord V6. Here is why:

1. Price : 7 - 8 lakhs more than the I-4 Automatic? You got to be kidding me. Get the manual (an enthusiasts choice) I-4 into the picture, and we are looking at a near 10 lakh price difference. What has Honda been smoking again?

2. Differential value : For 8 lakhs more than the I-4, what is a V6 owner getting? There is simply no justification for this premium by way of additional equipment. Heck, there aren't even xenon headlamps or a damn sunroof! 8 lakhs is a lot of money for 90 horsepower. Heck, 8 lakhs can buy you a full car with 100 horses on tap (Fiesta 1.6 etc.). Gotta hand it to Skoda for the way they positioned the RS. It carried a premium tag but had pretty much all the bells & whistles, along with a suspension capable of handling those extra horses.

3. Even with all that additional power, how exactly are you going to put it to use? The I-4 - as competent as it is - is NOT a handler. Its like a large boat. Ditto with the V6. Even the previous Accord was driver-oriented compared to this 26 lakh Accord. We have to realise that more horsepower doesn't necessarily equate to a better driving experience. Its only when the car CAN HANDLE the additional power that its fun. I am willing to bet that a 150 BHP RS is more fun to drive than a V6 Accord.

4. Honda has shot itself in the foot. An overpriced variant, terrible FE and basic equipment levels will ensure that V6 owners suffer from terrible resale. After all, the I-4 meets 99% of the requirements of the market and is a whopping 8 lakhs cheaper.

The Accord I-4 remains one of the most sensible choices in that segment. And the V6 one of the stupidest. Strange how only 2 cylinders and a maniac of a bean counter can ruin the proposition.

If Honda continues to wear the dunce cap that they have in the past 12 months, competition is going to walk all over them. They totally botched up the Civic Hybrid, launched a premium price ANHC - a car that reeks of cost cutting (starting with the interiors), and now a V6 that is priced out of Hondas league. At a 2.5 lakh premium, the previous V6 bombed. Even my 1st grader cousin could guess the fate of a 8 lakh premium.

[vineethvazhayil]

If only the engine is imported, then what is the justification for the insane price tag?

[navin]

Originally Posted by GTO

All I can say is good luck. The CRV will need it with a 30 lakh price tag. The Accord V6 is going to bomb. And I say that as a petrolhead for whom BHP is never enough.
P.S. : For someone who really likes to drive, spend another 7 lakhs and pick up a 6 - 12 month old A4 3.2 FSI.

Originally Posted by Dippy

They will for killer prices in the used market but that is if they sell as new in the first place. If this way Honda pricing is now, I dont have any hope for the Jazz either.

Originally Posted by vineethvazhayil

If only the engine is imported, then what is the justification for the insane price tag?

Only competition reduces prices. What competition does the Honda V6 have from Toyota? Skoda? Audi? that is the sad fact. Toyota managed to sell enough CBU Camrys at 20L+ (against the Skoda Laura/Superb, Honda Accord and Hyundai Emberra) to make the 'Camry operation' profitable. I wont be surprised if people buy the V6 Accord for 25L becuase
1. The Camry/Emberra do not have a V6
2. The Superb is plagued with Skoda service
3. Audi/Mercedes/BMW are known for very high maintainance costs (higher than Honda).

I am not saying that the V6 at 25L is a VFM option but it will sell nonetheless.

[amit]

I believe the suspension is the same as in the I-4. As illogical as that is, in other countries, does the V6 have a different suspension set up then the I-4?

[GTO]

Originally Posted by navin

Only competition reduces prices. What competition does the Honda V6 have

The main competitor to the Accord V6 is the Accord I-4. That is the car it will be compared to. And the one it loses out to miserably WRT value & pricing.

[Dippy]

Originally Posted by navin

Only competition reduces prices. What competition does the Honda V6 have from Toyota? Skoda? Audi? that is the sad fact. Toyota managed to sell enough CBU Camrys at 20L+ (against the Skoda Laura/Superb, Honda Accord and Hyundai Emberra) to make the 'Camry operation' profitable. I wont be surprised if people buy the V6 Accord for 25L becuase
1. The Camry/Emberra do not have a V6
2. The Superb is plagued with Skoda service
3. Audi/Mercedes/BMW are known for very high maintainance costs (higher than Honda).

I am not saying that the V6 at 25L is a VFM option but it will sell nonetheless.

Navin

Most of the new Camrys sold were bought by Hotels for their fleets. So they buy them at a much lesser price than the 29 lakh odd at which the Camry retails. The magic of EPCG here. Most of the Camrys I have seen are yellow plates and have Hotel logos on them. The new Camry hasnt sold much in the individual market.

[sidindica]

just went a few minutes ago to see the car.

yes, the price may be high, but look at it as a car with:

power and performance more than that of a S 350
space more than that of an E 280
price less than that of a C 200 or C 220

pics:

[vineethvazhayil]

Originally Posted by sidindica

just went a few minutes ago to see the car.

yes, the price may be high, but look at it as a car with:

power and performance more than that of a S 350
space more than that of an E 280
price less than that of a C 200 or C 220

pics:

Does the speedo cover its full speed range? Am just curious, guess it showed up till 260.. Whats the rated max for this one?

[amit]

I can see fake wood on the steering. Why do manufacturer's mess up things like this?! Why can't they just give leather wrapped steering instead of giving us 'old man' features like that in a V6?!

[Vid6639]

hahaha sid, with hawai chappals. Awesome stuff. did you face any problems entering with hawai chappals. Skoda refused to show me the Laura a few years ago when IO entered with jeans and a t-shirt.

[vineethvazhayil]

Originally Posted by vid6639

hahaha sid, with hawai chappals. Awesome stuff. did you face any problems entering with hawai chappals. Skoda refused to show me the Laura a few years ago when IO entered with jeans and a t-shirt.

Noted the same point ! I was planning to check the new beast out on the weekend at Capitol Honda.. Hope they don't object to summer costumes (Chennai is hot!)