Honda Accord: Grown up, Moving Up

You know a car has “made it” when it people want a chance to ride even for a few minutes just to savor the smell of leather and imagine how it must feel to be chaffeured around. The latest and greatest Honda Accord has managed to create an image of stature and affluence that I like to think of as “near luxury”.

Expensive enough to give middle class folks pause, but still undercutting the entry-level models from the snootier European marques, the Honda Accord has become a pricey executive class midsize sedan, but speaks of value-for-money that BMW, Mercedes Benz, or Volvo can’t compete against if you’re talking about bang-for-the-buck or sheer cabin space with equivalent models.

For a hair below two million, the top-of-the-line Accord gives generous space for five, a creamy ride, and a drivetrain featuring Honda’s penchant for gee-wizardry. The top of the line model has a 3.5 liter V6 with variable valve timing and variable displacement. Depending on driving conditions and how deeply you’re prodding the accerator, the V6 will use as few as 4 cylinders – shutting off 2 – in its bid to increase fuel economy without compromising the virtues of big displacement.

Does it work? Yes.

It’s an elegant solution for those who’ve always wanted a big engine but felt that it wouldn’t be of much use most of the time. Likewise, it also works for those who’ve wanted a smaller engine (like an inline-4) but who have also wished for extra power when the need often arises on long out-of -town trips. Given a light foot and agreeable traffic (moving along at 40 or so kph), the drivetrain switches to 4 cylinders. Push harder and it uses 5, give it the spurs and all 6 cylinders report for duty with typical Japanese efficiency. Other than a slight shudder through the drivetrain as it switches cylinder modes, the transition is quick and pretty much transparent. Driven conscientiously, the V6 gets 6-7 kpl, which is pretty good considering it IS a fairly big engine.

And, of course, the i-VTEC system helps create a sonorous engine note when you redline the thing. The standard transmission is a 5-speed autobox with paddle shifting, but the standard shift algorithm is telepathic enough in understanding what gear you need and when most of the time that you’ll hardly ever shift for yourself. The only time I manually shifted was to hold a gear coming down a mountain. You can make good time working the drivetrain, and it rarely feels stressed even with a full passenger load.

As for the rest of the mechanical bits, the car has evolved from the fun-to-drive machine of yore to a bit of an isolationist on the road. Oh, the double wishbone suspension is as good as ever and the steering is still precise, but the damping has been really laid on to give that luxe effect. The steering also feels desensitized compared to previous models, further detaching you from what’s happening under those tires. The suspension feels softer without feeling wallowy, although in the curves a Euro marque still feels more sure-footed.

It’s definitely fast and stable in a straight line and can zip up hills through the brute force method, but the driver’s car cred must go to the more svelte Mazda6, even though it’s interesting how Honda engineers can make the car drive “smaller” than it really is. The Accord just has a nose-heavy feel that highlights its understeering nature, although it must be said that the double wishbone rear feels planted and doesn’t feel like it will violently rotate the rear unless you really try.

The Accord is more of an equal opportunity kind of car. The driver’s seat brings its own driving satisfaction, but the backseat will also make you very comfortable (and feeling quite successful in life, too). The seats are generously padded all around. You can get that perfect driving position thanks to the power adjustable seat and tilt/telescopic steering column, and in back you can really stretch out and give yourself a pat on the back for the corporate savvy that landed you in an Accord in the first place.

Other features ramp up its appeal like the excellent stereo, leather, power moonroof (nothing affirms success like a moonroof, IMO), and huge trunk. Despite the plain, space-eating gooseneck trunklid hinges, there’s still enough room for two golfbags or one mistress. Kidding. Strangely though, it lacks an onboard computer for fuel economy. Or maybe there really is one except I really couldn’t find it even after pressing every button I could see on the dash. Said buttons work for the traction control, dual zone climate control, rear sunshade, and stereo, by the way. As is the trend, the Accord has the full battery of safety kit like the front, side, and curtain airbags and the ABS and seatbelt pretensioners. All that, wrapped in a hawkish, chiseled body that’s stylish and polarizing at the same time. Personally, sometimes I like it and sometimes I don’t. I like it when light plays along its flanks like light reflecting off a prism. I don’t like it when, viewing it from head-on, light plays over the bumper edges and gives it that crumpled, fender-bender look.

What can’t be argued is that it’s a lot of car for the money. Aside from the features and engineering, it occupies a sizable amount of road; it’s the largest Accord yet. And yes, people tend to associate its on-road presence with success... even if you’re only behind the wheel for a test drive. Happily, most of what actual buyers will get happens to work quite well, too, whether they’re buying it as a status symbol or as a family car/executive sedan boasting of some impressive engineering under the skin.