Style Changes Help Accord's Limo Image
The Age
Saturday February 24, 1996
SO MANY Japanese cars are like microwave ovens. They're well made, work every time, and can claim to be an indispensable part of our lives.
The Honda Accord is all those things, yet America's second biggest-selling passenger car is something else. Freshened up for 1996 with some subtle changes, the Accord is handsome, reeks of quality and, despite yen inflation, is still quite sharply priced.
The EXi test car lists at $38,850, which puts it in the realm of V6-engined stuff from Japan and Europe, as well as the local Verada and Vienta. It suffers in that comparison because it runs a plain-Jane 2.2-litre four-cylinder engine but, of course, like all Hondas, gets the last laugh on resale value four or five years down the line.
However, equipment levels are quite good; one of the upgrades for 1996 gave the EXi cruise control. It also got a plusher moquette trim fabric.
LOOKS.
``IF IT ain't broke, don't fix it," is a thoroughly worthwhile mantra for the motor industry, and Honda has always been a devotee of constantly improving its cars without dramatic styling changes. But while this new Accord has about the same dimensions and subtle wedge shape of the old, the changes were quite significant.
The stylists wanted to make the car look a bit tougher and bigger, less feminine, if you like. So the rear deck, rear panel, bumper and window were all remodelled, with a hint of a spoiler on the rear lip, a deeper bumper and bigger tail- lamps all contributing to the stronger look.
The front bumper was also deepened and the Honda badge moved to the centre of a new grille. The result is a car that, along with its very tight panel fit-lines and brilliant metallic paint finish, has a ``baby limo" mood about it.
ACCOMMODATION.
THE rear-end sheet-metal changes also allowed for a boot that is better shaped and bigger in usable space, as well as having a lower loading lip. The rear seat has a centre armrest and is foldable.
The interior is cleverly two-toned, with the upper section darker to cut down on reflection and glare. It really does work. It's remarkable how much elbow room in the front and knee room in the rear you seem to have, even though the dimensions on paper don't suggest it.
It's not a large car outside but has a spacious and welcoming feel inside - clever design. The seats are good, with proper side support and lumbar adjustment and you get height adjustment on the belts and the wheel. There is a surprising amount of room for the feet on both sides.
Everything seems to be in exactly the right place for a wide range of body sizes. I stepped straight from the Accord into a Volvo 850 SE (next week's test) and it took me several drives to get the seat/wheel/height arrangement close to my liking, where with the Honda I fell straight into it.
Again, the quality of materials and the fit is impeccable.
The dash lacks the flair of the newer Civic, but is still clean and well done. But there are several of those annoying switch blanks - the EXi is the cheapest of the four Accord models, remember.
EQUIPMENT.
THE cruise-control buttons are on the wheel, as in the pricier Accords, and in keeping with that Honda obsession with precision, worked instantly, like a light switch. Too many of these damn things operate woozily, taking two or three seconds to fix on the gait and then going walkabout up or down.
However, I was less happy with the four-speaker sound system, despite having an electric antenna. It wasn't the sound, although that was fine, to the limits of a cassette player (there is a CD jack) but it has one of those infuriating seek buttons that must be pressed again and again, so if you want to jump from, say, 774 to 1026 on the AM band, you must keep jabbing away at the button to skip the in-betweens. Air-conditioning is standard and will freeze the walls off a bark humpy. Using push-buttons instead of knobs and levers is always a good idea. And like all Hondas now, it gets a driver airbag.
You get central locking, but no immobiliser, fast glass with the driver's window on automatic drop and lift and reasonable door bins along with a map pocket in the back of the front passenger seat.
And you get chimed-at and belled-at for lights-on, key-in and do-up belts - I find myself shouting at cars like this.
MECHANICALS.
THE other Accords get the benefit of Honda's exceptional variable valve timing (VTEC) technology, but the EXi wears a cooking version of a single-cam 2.2-litre four, albeit all-aluminium and with 16 valves. It produces 103 kilowatts at 5600 rpm and 192 Newton-metres of torque at the highish level of 4500 rpm, which is OK, although the 2.2-litre Benz four does better, and more power than the Mitsubishi 2.6-litre four, but much less torque.
The test car had the optional four-speed automatic that's now spread across the Honda range. It has what Honda calls Grade Logic control.
Put simply, this uses six computer ``maps" from which to pick the shift points between fourth and third according to the up or down grades. The ``brain" measures throttle position, road speed and other factors to determine how to hold a gear.
Suspension hasn't changed from Honda's traditional double wishbones all round, with progressive gas-filled dampers for better ride control. The rear suspension has a touch of passive steering through unequal-length lower arms.
PERFORMANCE.
I GUESS one could say that the Accord's progression is stately rather than vulgarly enthusiastic, which does fit its ``compact- luxury" image.
The ride is more pliant than I remember it (until recently all Hondas suffered from hard ride with lack of wheel travel).
The steering is absolutely spot on, sharp and accurate.
It's only when you start throwing the car hard into corners (which again, most Accord owners won't) that you uncover its other Achilles' heel. The front starts to float quite a bit, and a mid-corner bump taken hard will chuck the front end across the road.
Tyre noise wasn't too bad. It's become more apparent as cars get quieter inside, and really is a tough challenge for designers. Honda used to be the worst offender; now its cars have much better control over the moan and rumble so many imports have on our roads.
It's the kind of car that is very satisfying to drive. It does everything with such lack of fuss, and has such good interior ambience, that you find yourself looking forward to jumping back into it, even though it isn't the kind of flamboyant bitumen-puckerer that usually makes the day.
HONDA ACCORD EXi.
PRICE: $38,850 (plus on-road costs).
ENGINE: Transversely-mounted all-aluminium four-cylinder of 2156 cm3, with single overhead camshaft, four valves per cylinder, sequentional multi-point fuel injection; 103 kW at 5600 rpm, 192 Nm at 5500 rpm.
TRANSMISSION: Front-wheel drive, with four-speed automatic with Grade Logic. Final drive ratio 4.133:1.
SUSPENSION: Front, double wishbones, coils, stabiliser bar; rear: double wishbones with unequal-length lower links, coils, stabiliser bar.
BRAKES: Front ventilated discs, rear solid discs.
STEERING: Power-assisted rack-and-pinion, 3.11 turns lock- to-lock, turning circle 11.0 metres.
WHEELS AND TYRES: 5.5 x 15-inch steel wheels, 195/60 R15 tyres.
PERFORMANCE: Top speed 191 km/h, standing 400 metres 17.9 secs, 0-100 kmh 11.0 secs. Fuel consumption 11.1 l/100 km, tank size 64.5 litres.
WARRANTY: Three years/80,000 kilometres, two years' 24-hour roadside backup.
INSURANCE: Premium $695, $500 excess (Kenyon Insurances, over- 25, rating 1).
RIVALS: Renault Laguna, Hyundai Sonata Levant, Mazda 626 V6, Mitsubishi Verada, Toyota Vienta, Subaru Liberty GX Rallye.
© 1996 The Age