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Honda has unveiled the new Honda Accord here in Malaysia, the 8th in its generation, and it is the biggest Honda Accord ever. Like its previous model it is available in 3 variants at launch, with 2 locally assembled 2.0 liter and 2.4 liter variants, and a Thai-imported 3.5 liter V6 model.
Read more about the new Honda Accord after the jump.
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The engine under the hood of the Honda Accord 2.0 VTi is the new 2.0 liter R-series SOHC i-VTEC engine that we first saw introduced locally in the Honda CR-V (the R-series family itself first made its debut in the Civic 1.8S). Installed in the Honda Accord’s engine bay, this engine puts out 156 PS at 6,300rpm and a peak torque of 189Nm at 4,300rpm. This engine is mated to a 5-speed automatic transmission with dual overdrive ratios for better fuel economy.
The 2.4 liter Honda Accord VTi-L model is powered by the familiar K24 2.0 liter DOHC i-VTEC engine, but is now tuned to produce 180 PS, or 177 horsepower. This kicks in at 6,500rpm. Peak torque is now 222Nm at 4,300rpm, with 180Nm available from 1,600rpm and 200Nm available from 2000rpm. It is also mated to a 5-speed automatic, but the 2.4 liter also has the option of manual sequential shifting via paddle shifters mounted on the steering wheel - flick the right paddle to upshift and the left paddle to downshift.
The 3.5 liter SOHC i-VTEC V6 with Variable Cylinder Management is nice to look at but its prohibitive price and road tax costs will make it the halo model of the Accord range. Power output is the best of all three - 275 PS at 6,200rpm and 339Nm of torque at 5,000rpm. The VCM engine runs in three different modes depending on engine load. You have the six-cylinder mode for power, and four- and three-cylinder modes for efficiency, switching between them seamlessly.
The seamless shift between the different cylinder modes are possible through the use of two technologies - Active Control Engine Mount (ACM) and Active Noise Control (ANC). ACM anticipates the vibration generated by the cylinder mode switchover by actuating two engine mounts to create an out-of-phase vibration to cancel out the force of vibrations resulting from the cylinder mode switching operation. ANC cancels out any booming noise related to the VCM function by emitting a sound wave with the same amplitude and the opposite polarity to the original sound from the audio sound system.
The 7th generation Accord used double wishbones on both the front and rear suspension, but the new 8th generation Accord now uses a double wishbone suspension design at the front, and a new compact in-wheel multi-link rear suspension at the rear. The suspension has been improved over the 7th generation Accord in a few ways, one of which Honda says is the reduction of nose-diving during braking.
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The new Honda Accord should promise to be a more exciting drive because of a few new features on paper, and it did feel better and more composed during my short drive in Japan, but we will have to wait for a road test report sometime this week to be sure. Firstly, the new Accord now has a Variable Gear Ratio Steering, which varies the steering ratio according to how much you turn the steering wheel for lighter and quicker response at low speeds, but more stability at high speeds as you would be turning the steering wheel less in terms of angle during highway maneuvers. Secondly, the 5-speed automatic transmission now has Shift Hold Control, which prevents unnecessary upshifts which could upset the balance of the car while negotiating a bend. This can be prevented in the 7th gen Accord via shifting into D3, but now it is all automatic, if the system works well as intended that is.
One of the more important improvements would be the lowering of the car’s center of gravity by 10mm. The engine’s center of mass has also been lowered. The K24A’s center of mass is now lower by 8.5mm, and while I have no data for the R-series engine, a SOHC engine would likely be lighter and from what we can see from the CR-V’s engine bay, mounted rather low. The car’s roll-centers (the theoretical points around which the vehicle body “rolls” during cornering) were raised incrementally. Combined, these changes should result in less body roll. Flatter roll characteristics will improve the car’s tyre contact patch during hard cornering.
The new Accord’s chassis has been increased by 60mm, resulting in a long wheelbase of 2,800mm, compared to the Toyota Camry’s 2,775mm. The Accord’s dimensions of 4,945mm length, 1,845mm width and 1,475mm height are also longer, wider but 5mm taller the Camry’s 4,825mm length, 1,820mm width and 1,470mm height. The floor of the new 2008 Accord is now 15mm closer to the ground thanks to a redesigned exhaust routing layout, fuel tank design and thinner floor frame.
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As with the larger exterior dimensions, the new Accord’s interior is much larger than the previous generation. The distance between the front occupants have been increased by 40mm, while rear knee space has been increased by 35mm. The boot’s cargo length area has also been increased by 54mm, and it has a total loading capacity of 450 liters. A nice new feature is the addition of rear passenger air conditioning vents for the new Honda Accord, something that has been missing throughout the life of the Accord and its many generations.
Other than the engines, there are also a few equipment level differences between the 2.0 liter VTi model, the 2.4 liter VTi-L model and the 3.5 liter V6 model. The 2.0 liter model is rather baseline in terms of equipment. It comes with 16 inch wheels, a beige interior with manually adjustable fabric seats (not the Civic 1.8 towel type though!), dual zone air conditioning, single exhaust tailpipe, dual SRS airbags, ABS, front active headrest, automatic halogen headlamps (turns on automatically in the dark), retractable and electrically adjustable door mirrors, and a 6-CD changer audio system that supports WMA, MP3 and a USB connector, controllable via steering wheel audio.
The 2.4 liter VTi-L model comes with a dark grey interior with leather seats. The automatic headlamps have been upgraded to use xenon HID bulbs. The retractable and electrically adjustable door mirrors gain turn indicators and hydrophilic mirrors, there is an electric rear sunshade, and the alloy wheels get a size up to 17 inches. The driver also gets an 8-way powered seat, while the front passenger gets a 4-way powered seat. The vanity mirrors get lights, there is footwell lighting, and there is wood trim around the interior in places where the 2.0 liter VTi model only had a silverish greyish material.
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The audio system is upgraded to a premium version, but which also supports 6 CDs, MP3, WMA and USB connectivity. There is a socket for a subwoofer, though the system does not come with one standard. The 2.4 liter’s wipers have variable intermittent control, which the 2.0 does not have. The 5-speed auto has a manual shift option via paddle shifters on the steering wheel. The car also has cruise control. In terms of safety, the 2.4 liter gets its airbag count upped to 4 airbags with the addition of two side airbags, and VSA stability control. The car’s third brake light is also lit up with LED instead of the 2.0’s normal bulb.
The 3.5 liter V6 model has dual exhaust tailpipes, a sunroof, front sensors in addition to the other models’ 4 reverse sensors, an electrically adjustable driver’s seat with memory function (the 2.4’s seats do not have memory function), ambient lighting for the interior, 6 airbags (with the addition of 2 side curtain airbags), and a beige leather interior.
There is a set of Modulo accessories available for purchase with the new Accord. It consists of a 5-part set which includes a front lip, rear lip, left and right side skirts and a trunk lid duck tail spoiler. Its going for RM5,300, and you can include the cost in your hire purchase if you buy it together with the car. The individual prices for these parts are RM1,180 for the front lip, RM1,370 for the rear lip, RM2,180 for the side skirts and RM830 for the spoiler.
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