Honda’s stylish new Accord grows in stature

Inside the Accord, attractively styled components are let down by the nearly exclusive use of hard plastics. Most of these enjoy a good surface texture and matte finish which convincingly apes the appearance of soft materials, but everything inside the Accord other than the steering wheel and armrests is as rigid as the party line on gay marriage. The Camry has the same problem, but after years of criticism of its cheap interiors, Nissan gave the new Altima some nice soft surfaces inside.

Once under way, the new Accord impresses in both four- and six-cylinder forms and with both manual and automatic transmissions. Both engines are surpassingly smooth and quiet, and the V-6 has, as advertised, effective power. The four-cylinder engine has sufficient power in both versions, but at highway speed and laden with passengers, the four-cylinder automatic can run short of breath in passing situations. The slow-selling hybrid Accord has been dropped, to be replaced next year by a fuel-sipping clean diesel.

Five-speed automatic transmissions are available for all engine choices, and a five-speed manual is available with the four-cylinder engine. There is no manual transmission available for V-6 sedans, and the coupe offers a six-speed manual transmission only in its top-of-the-line EX-L trim level, which I tested.

The company found there was simply too little demand from U.S. consumers to justify the cost of developing and manufacturing V-6 manual cars,  explained Dan Bonawitz, vice president of American Honda Motor. In those cars that are “shift-it-yourself” models, the shifter action remains good and Honda has worked on its traditionally light and numb clutch action for improved feel at the friction point.

Honda spiced up the usually unremarkable performance of the automatic transmission with smart programming that tells the transmission to hold its gear steady when consistently accelerating and decelerating on a curvy road. This reduces annoying, unwanted gear changes and gives the driver a better feeling of control when approaching turns.

The Accord maintains Honda’s tradition of direct, responsive steering, with the car tracking exactly where the driver expects. This is an obvious, but too-often overlooked trait, and the Accord is better in this respect than the new Altima.

Preserving this accurate response is actually a trick of sorts, because Honda changed the Accord to variable ratio steering. That means the steering is slower to respond when headed straight, for stability, and is quicker when the steering wheel is turned, as when driving in switchbacks, or in parking maneuvers. When the ratio changes mid-corner there can be unexpected results, but Honda has executed its system well so the effect is unnoticeable.

The new Accord’s structure is stiffer (by 20 percent) and Honda has attacked noise at every opportunity, which contributes to a more serene cabin. The stiffer platform permits the suspension to work as intended, and on the undemanding roads of our Cape Cod test route, the Accord showed a smooth ride to go with its precision handling.

Honda officials have said that they hope the new Accord will continue to sell in its current range of 400,000 units per year, and that seems a sure bet considering the new model’s improvements over the old car.

If nothing else, judging from other trends, the new car’s added size should expand its appeal to consumers. If its designers could find a way to include a “great room” or 10-foot ceilings, the Accord’s success would be guaranteed.

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