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Brought home a used 2012 Honda Accord 2.4 AT: 7 pros & 7 cons

28th October 2022, 13:29 by Ananth Iyer

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If you are in the market for a pre-owned Honda Accord, go for the facelifted model (2011 to 2013). You don't pay much premium but get useful features like side airbags, sunroof, USB music playback etc.

BHPian SmartCat recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

PROS:

Amazing value for money. You get lot of metal per Rupee!
It is not that rare in the used car market (you can pick and choose). V6 models are quite rare though.
For a car that was originally launched in 2008, it comes loaded with features like six airbags, dual zone climate control, cruise control, sunroof, front parking sensors, driver seat electric adjust, paddle shifters etc.
Doesn't feel ponderous at all. Takes 10 minutes to get used to.
Hydraulic steering is sharp enough and weighty, unlike superlight EPS units we see nowadays.
Acceleration feels quick post 60/70 kmph (compared to smaller engined cars)
Glides over bad roads. High profile 16 inch tyres help here.

CONS:

Scrapes over road humps
Doesn't feel quick at city speeds. Drives like any other car.
Spare parts are apparently expensive and might not be in stock.
Gives 6 to 6.5 kmpl in the city. Under exactly same conditions, my brother's 3rd gen Honda City manual used to give 9 to 10 kmpl. So Honda Accord gives 30% to 35% lower mileage than smaller engined cars.
No steering mounted audio controls. The center console buttons are overwhelming.
Gearbox is not that quick. If you step on the accelerator suddenly, there is 0.5 to 1 sec delay before you get a lower gear.
Not shopping mall parking friendly. You will need a second smaller car.

At 5 metres length, it is just a little short of INS Vikrant:

IMO, 2nd gen Honda Accord has one of most proportionate designs for a sedan. Long bonnet, relatively short stout boot and perfectly sized cabin:

Note the front parking sensors:

I like the alloy wheel design. Runs on 215/60 R16 tyres:

Boot is deep! Also, you can access the boot from the rear seat. Notice the rear audio controls (like the 1st gen Civic):

Rear seat space is not exceptional as such. With the front seat set to my driving position (I'm 6 ft 1 in), we have only 'this much' space:

Interior quality is comparable to that of 1st gen Civic. We have a mix of squishy plastics, leather and "wood". All 4 doors have 'courtesy lights'.

It takes time to figure out what is what in the center console. The smaller knob is the volume control (not the big chunky one):

Drivers seat gets electric adjust (has lumbar support too).

Cruise control settings on the right and nothing on the left. Note the paddle shifters:

After-market HU with reversing camera:

There is a second screen down below (jugaad by original owner, this screen was on top before). We can adjust driver/front passenger AC temperature:

If you are in the market for a pre-owned Honda Accord, go for the facelifted model (2011 to 2013). You don't pay much premium but get useful features like side airbags, sunroof, USB music playback etc

If you visit a shopping mall, you will literally stand out from the crowd in the parking area. Might not fit at all if the shopping mall has 'car lift' parking.