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  1. Join Date
    Aug 2004
    Posts
    22,705
    #1
    Honda Accord V6 3.0


    [size=1](pics by carlocaraddict, by permission.)[/size]

    The Honda Accord is an institution. As Honda’s take on the family car, it offers a blend of sportiness and comfort that sets it apart from the midsize, mid-price executive class crowd. Or it did, until newer contenders started to cut in on its mojo. The long overdue new Galant, the more overtly sporting Mazda6, the Accord-aping Hyundai Sonata and the domineering new Camry threaten the Accord from all sides. Despite the new facelift, it may not look different enough from the class to catch up with the Camry in sales, but does it still have those other, less tangible qualities that have traditionally made it great?

    The new Accord facelift has subtly modernized the shape, but it’s still the same car. While the front end benefits from the update, the rear end gets a little bit too busy. The interior is very nice, with clean and modern lines and instrumentation. Beige leather is one of my pet peeves, and here’s a perfect example of why. The leather on this model is noticeably stained by the butts of hundreds of test drivers.

    Fortunately, the rest of the Accord is immaculate. Ergonomics are good, as always, and there are lots of cubbyholes (some inordinately large) for your junk. Good thing, too, as the glove box is actually on the small side. The fake wood is about average for the class, but at least the thick lacquer finish should mean it’ll wear better than the satin finished plastic wood on other marques.

    The engine sound is well-muted inside the cabin, and it sings nicely as it revs. No paddle-shift or +/- manumatic mode here, but the 5-speed box offers D1-D2-D3-D4 selection for those so inclined. Too bad it isn’t gated.

    Of course, on the Accord’s home turf, you don’t really need a fancy manumatic shifter. Once on a clear stretch of road, you just stick the gas pedal to the floor, wait for the transmission to find the right gear, and hold on as a diesel-worthy 287 Nm of torque pins you to your seat. Sub-8 second 0-100 km/h times come easily, and possibly a little better if you lay down the cash for better tires. Yes, the Accord needs them. While stability control and ABS are standard, braking down suddenly from speed can be a very interesting experience. It’s a dramatic production involving a big, heavy car, locked brakes, lots of tire squeal, and stuttering ABS. Slippery tires seem to be the bane of every new Honda I’ve driven in the last two years, bar the Jazz VTEC. An extra five or ten thousand spent for better tires on every unit won’t hurt profitability that much, would it? Oh well, at least they’re quiet, which will help lull your boss to sleep on those high-speed highway runs.

    At a less strained pace, braking is smooth, and engine response is instant and very good. While you won’t often find need to use more than 10% of the 240 horses available, the bragging rights of actually having them will have people itching to race you. Especially if they’re driving the bigger, badder new V6 Camry. If that test-drive comparison ever materializes, I promise to sell ringside tickets.

    As ever, the Accord is stiff and settled, with the good sound insulation and seat comfort of the pre-facelift model (which I’ve had the opportunity of taking up North on a very long road trip). The steering may not be as quick as the Mazda6’s, but it’s well-weighted and feels quite natural, and the Accord behaves very predictably through the slaloms, allowing me to cut the cones very closely. It actually feels a bit more playful and honest than the new Civic, thanks, possibly to firmer damping and the Accord's traditionally terrific steering rack. The rear end tracks well, and handling feels much more neutral than the Civic, playful, even. Of course, as with the Civic 2.0, only a longer drive will validate these impressions. But from initial impressions, while the steering isn’t as direct or grainy as the Mazda6, it’s very sharp for what’s supposed to be a luxury car, and handling feels much better than the soft new Galant or the previous Camry. With better sound insulation than the Mazda6 and a ride similar to the Camry’s, this is a car you can actually enjoy from any seat and in any situation.

    And that’s the Accord’s appeal. While it may no longer hold bragging rights as the definitive executive-class drag racer, nor is it the midsize sports GT of choice, it offers enough of both, with a dash of better-than-most rear seat comfort, to satisfy anyone. And if that’s not a convincing argument, the huge sunroof is big enough for your drunken date to lean out of, shouting “I’m Queen of the World!”… which of course, would make you the King, although you're much too modest for such antics. A secret, subtle monarch, you are, but that’s why the Accord suits you. It’s the King of Understatement.

    Last edited by niky; February 5th, 2007 at 04:52 PM.

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  2. Join Date
    Oct 2002
    Posts
    4,614
    #2
    accords are just *superb*. i especialyl love the ball-bearing-smooth steering. too bad the back-up lights in the rear end are in a very awkward place.

  3. Join Date
    Aug 2004
    Posts
    22,705
    #3
    Feel bad that we didn't get to push the cars harder... whoever crashed that Honda City on Friday, you will pay!

    But according to the sales rep, he already is paying... participation... thank God for insurance! :rofl01:

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  4. Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Posts
    2,199
    #4
    Oh that is a busy arse alright!
    I'd take this with the pre-facelift rear bumper, fenders and trunk please.

  5. Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Posts
    4,459
    #5
    Quote Originally Posted by Dr.Kamiya View Post
    Oh that is a busy arse alright!
    I'd take this with the pre-facelift rear bumper, fenders and trunk please.
    Yup, me too! Pumanget ung likod. Sayang.

  6. Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Posts
    2,199
    #6
    Quote Originally Posted by Kapitan View Post
    Yup, me too! Pumanget ung likod. Sayang.
    Yep. Considering the minor improvements to the wheels and front end (nothing a trip to the rota factory wont do), and the massive downgrade to the rear-end IMO the pre-facelift version looks better. Grab one now while supplies last!

  7. Join Date
    Oct 2002
    Posts
    9,894
    #7
    judging from the last pic it really is a SHORT drive

    hope niky at least got a chance to e-brake slide it through the turns marked by the cones :evillaugh

  8. #8
    as a personal-drive executive/mid-size car, iba parin ang hatak ng v6 ng honda kaysa next sporty midsize contender locally-->mazda6

    for me kasi cefiro/camry is more for "your-driver's car"..galant is a compromise of both.

  9. Join Date
    Oct 2002
    Posts
    6,385
    #9
    yeah, i liked the butt of the pre-face lift model better than this current one.

  10. Join Date
    Aug 2004
    Posts
    22,705
    #10
    Quote Originally Posted by M54 Powered View Post
    judging from the last pic it really is a SHORT drive

    hope niky at least got a chance to e-brake slide it through the turns marked by the cones :evillaugh
    Me, E-Brake? Heaven forbid! I'm more of a 'finesse' kind of guy. I actually pinged a cone because I was slithering through as tightly as I would in my car or the Focus. Which is why the Accord impressed me. It's much neater through those cones than the Civic... whose light steering and suspension had me flailing a bit.

    Actually, the slalom was only one portion of the test drive. We did get a chance to take the cars on a long route around the Fort area, and that's where I performed my acceleration and braking tests.

    Overall, really impressed, except for those damnable tires. No wonder my cousin upgraded his to Turanza GR80s in less than half a year. Trying to keep up with his 2.0 AT in my 2.0 MT Mazda626 in the mountains was kind of a humbling experience. The 626 drove very well (should, considering the 6 is based on it, albeit loosely), but the current Accord is just sublime.

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2007 Honda Accord V6 Short Drive