Please check my review on Camry for detailed comparision with Accord.
Honda is ’’the’’ company after BMW when it comes to introduce expensive technology on the street-legal cars/bikes. BMWs are not ’’affordable’’ so Honda has an edge when it comes to technology on the affordable cars. VTEC Technology was the outcome their racing experience where engine gives great power at high rpm range but delivers a very good economy/mileage at lower RPM. Sort of a dual behavior in the same engine.
Currently Honda Accord in India is giving a tough time to even Benz C Class & many people are choosing for Accord for the combination of different factors it gives unless the want to go for a diesel Benz C class.
The new Accord takes a new Styling Theme. Although the front styling is has been performed very well, the rear is still a bit too conservative, somewhat strange & not in line with the front. The car looks great in almost every color, a noteworthy feat in the era when Chris Bangle of BMW says that 7 Series looks better in dark colors & the 5 series in lighter! :) Honda claims they followed ’’bionic cheetah’’ which is rather an overstatement but their other claim that styling was based on Honda S2000 (now S2200) is true. However it is upto every individual to decide if it looks good to them For me it is much better than previous generation but still a bit conservative compared to Passat.
Interior is class leading & the interior material quality is now as good as Passat & also close to C-Class Benz. The room upfront in phenomenal. Honda has also claimed the Accord front Seats to be the best even comparing to cars costing double. I can easily say that they are not crazy in saying that! :-) The rear seat is again aplenty for 3 average Indian passengers! (In India it is 2nd gen but in USA it is 7th gen Accord. The rear legroom is decreased by 1 inch). The dials & knobs have a quality feel that is missing in the cars like new Malibu, Taurus, Impala etc.
The Engine now produces 160hp against 150 of the prev generation. The ride & handling has been improved, the trunk space has been reduced a little to accommodate a change in suspension with 5th link making the way in the much vaunted race inspired double-wishbone suspension instead of 4 link in the prev generation. One major change has been the engine rotates clockwise now against the previous generation Accord’s counter-clockwise. This is very obvious change when you open the hood & see the engine placed in different directions in prev 2.3 Liter VTEC & the new 2.4 Liter I-VTEC engine. The change is due to their agreement with other companies to sell engines. All other companies use clockwise rotation engines & hence the change.
Honda Accord in India & in USA are the same cars save for a few changes. The V6 produces more power in USA (240hp) against 212 in India but the I-4 (4 cyl) is tuned the same way. I-VTEC is the new technology that Honda has introduced (VTEC with intelligence).
The Midrange Power is awesome as the cars feels very relaxed while passing at the speeds of 80+ mph. At the same time it is as balanced & stable as before. The steering is a bit light/vague compared to previous generation which had more direct feel. But still much better compared to Camry, Impala, Malibu etc.
The fuel economy went up despite increased power due to the new 5-Speed Automatic & 5 speed manual transmission. Prev gen had 4 speed Automatic. Accord is the only car in the segment to have a 5 speed auto in a 4 cyl car. The 0-60mph has improved by half a second & now takes 8.9/9.0 sec. I had a 2000 Accord SE (Ruby Red) & got 20mpg in the city & 30/32mpg on the highway. The new car improved on these figures specially in the city.
Price: In India it is pricey compared to the same car in USA (Rs. 16lac+ in India Vs $22, 000 in USA) but still a GREAT deal compared to the other cars given the GREAT engg & a competitive price. Honda’s track record in reliability is as good as it gets. In India the car has a 4 month of waiting list & it deserves it. For me, I never visited the dealer in 3+ years except for the regular maintenance. In Indian 4 cyl costs 15+lac & V6: 17+ which is compititive to Ford Mondeo/Opel Vectra & betters Toyota Camry by a comfortable margin.
Sales Projections: In USA total # of sales in 2004 is expected to cross 400, 000 easily & they are competing for the #1 selling car of the year. Camry is sold in 10% to the rental companies & so it finds it easy to cross Accord in final sales as Accord sales to rental are not at the Enterprise level & it is up to the local dealers if they want to sell to rental companies. Only 1/2% Accords are sold to rental companies.
Conclusion: Accord is a definitive luxury choice in India & #1 choice in the midsize segment in USA. If you are looking to buy a midsize car this car deserves a close look. Also Honda’s product planning is much better & you wouldn’t find car being discounted moments fater you bought it say by 2 lacs like Camry is currently in India !!
For more information:
Check this Road Test (There are more at the sites like kbb.com, newcartestdrive.com, thecarconnection.com etc) Indian consumers can check out indiacar.com : https://edmunds.com/used/2003/honda/accord/100144772/roadtestarticle.html?
Comparision Test: First Place finish for the Accord https://edmunds.com/reviews/comparison/articles/101056/page019.html
For generic Honda related Information & news/rumors checkout http://www.vtec.net
Regards,
~Milind