|
Writer's Notes
Test Vehicle:
2003 Honda 4DR EX-V6
MSRP: $25,800
As tested: $26,260
Showroom appeal:
Latest version of Honda's perennial chart topper
Plus:
A complete package, well executed
Minus:
Button busy center dash (nav. equipped cars)
The Competition:
Toyota Camry, Nissan Altima, Mazda 6, Volkswagen Passat, Ford Taurus
Honda debuts two new engines in the Accord, and two new transmissions.
Comments or suggestions about this review? Send an e-mail to: editor@autobytel.com
Autobytel Inc. operates the popular automotive websites Autobytel.com, Autoweb.com, Carsmart.com, and Autosite.com. | | xxx | |
Honda sold about 400,000 Accords here in the states last year, so the introduction of a new version is cause for understandable concern on the part of the automaker. While everyone's for improving the product, you don't mess with your breadwinner casually. Measured changes are the rule and measured too is the reaction of the mainstream conservative buyers that look to you for their driving needs. We look at the newest Accord through the windshield of the four door EX V6 - the top-line version of the best selling body-style.
Coupe and sedan models are again offered this year, with styling geared to better differentiate between the two. Company designers looked to big cats for design inspiration. No, not Jaguar. The feline of choice was the cheetah.
While it's hard to find that cat's paw-prints on the new Accord's styling, in a hot selling market segment, design decisions ultimately tilt towards the target market - and that market is conservative. Up front, a tapered wedge, with wide triangles for lights. Side on, a curved greenhouse overhead, beveled creases at the fender and high on the waist. In back, a tall tail with beefy wraparound. In all, a clean, conservative new look for a conservative market. Coupes come off as sleeker as they are meant to. Thinner C-pillars and slash-cut tail lamps make the ¾ rear view the car's best.
Of course, the side of their cars that most people see most often is the inside, and Honda has put a lot of their design time in here. Seats have been re-vamped and space up-sized. There's more headroom available, more leg room in back. Sound systems have been upgraded and instrumentation on all models is now LED. Cup holders: more of them and more useful in design. The top-line EX-V6 wraps its seats in leather and when you slide inside, you find the basics well covered. The LED dash display adds an upscale look. Stalk mounted controls angle left and right off the steering column. The wheel tilts and telescopes for a custom fit. Storage spots are sprinkled throughout and some do double duty, witness the center console cover that slides forward to provide some elbow room. Inside that console, you'll find a spot to store and charge your cell phone. 2003 marks the first year of availability for a navigation system on Accords (4 cylinder EX with leather and all EX-V6 models). The nav system is GPS based, voice activated and adds $ 2,000 to the sticker. The 7" screen is easy to read, the system sophisticated enough to require pounding the manual to get the most out of it. In nav equipped cars, the center dash area is a busy intersection of the various sound system, HVAC and navigation controls. It's a lot to take in while under way, the process aided a bit on my EX by some redundant steering wheel switchgear. In all, a good driving position, adult-sized room front and back. Trunk capacity weighs in at a very useable 14 cubic feet, with a wide, low opening for easy access. A locking, center pass-through accommodates skis or other similarly long and skinny cargo.
"Honda stylists used a fast jungle cat, the cheetah, as an influence when starting on the new Accord. Even at rest, it appears to be ready to move."
Honda debuts two new engines in the Accord, and two new transmissions. The former are a 2.4 liter, 160 hp inline four and a 3.0 liter, 240 hp V-6. In the case of the latter, the automatic now matches the manual gear for gear with five apiece (V6 coupes get a six speed stick). The two motors demonstrate a power boost of 10 and 40 horsepower respectively, compared to their predecessors. Mileage ratings are estimated to range from 26 city/34 highway for the four cylinder, five speed stick, to 21/30 for the six cylinder, five speed automatic. The V6 is silken up and down the rpm range and meshes nicely with the automatic.
The chassis that those powertrains reside in also came under scrutiny by Honda's engineers for '03. The familiar, fully independent, double wishbone suspension was massaged with an eye towards improved ride and handling, with a "sportier, more European feel". I found the feel to be very much in character with past Hondas, solid handling and smooth riding. Honda adds ABS as standard equipment across the Accord lineup, a welcome factory upgrade in safety gear. Still on safety, front side airbags are standard on EX and all V6 models, with a side curtain airbag system offered on EX-V6. A Traction Control System with integrated Electronic Throttle Control is fitted to all V6 models.
Seven generations of Accords have now competed in the mid-size marketplace, one of the most coveted and hotly contested niches in the U.S. Civic made Honda's mark here back in the early Seventies, with the first waves of their reliable, frugal small cars. But, Accord was the model that burnished the brand name. The latest edition of the line is well executed, with no surprises..which should strike Honda buyers just fine.
----------
----------
---Story and photos by Dan Lyons
photos © Dan Lyons 2002
|
