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Comments
If CVT is the ultimate performance and economy gearbox, it stands to reason that the more ratios a conventional auto tranny has, the closer it is to being CVT-efficient.
The fly in the ointment here is how quickly or slowly the standard auto tranny shifts through its gears.
What I found in 4k miles of driving the 03 EX-L is that shifting is both quick and almost seamless. 1st is gone in an instant, 2nd comes in and works a bit, 3rd and 4th combine invisibly, and 5th sneaks in at highway speed.
Other words, I imagine acceleration to be virtually similar if the 03 had a 4-speed auto but fuel economy - that's where it shows results.
A more efficient car is what the 5-ratio tranny made the 03 Accord.
Yes, and Honda put a lot of work into the Accord also. IMO, Honda concentrated on the areas that really mattered for the Accord in this market segment. Just because the Accord's been out for 20 years doesn't mean it'll sell well every time it's redesigned (case in point: Ford Taurus).
Mazda may have taken a different approach by concentrating on styling and handling, but as you can see from the previous posts regarding the 6's engine and transmission, they didn't concentrate enough on the areas where the customers in this segment would be able to appreciate the most.
LOL...you think it was any different over at Honda? They had to rebadge an Isuzu Rodeo as a Passport, and a Trooper as an Acura SLX. And the 1st generation Odyssey was a complete failure.
Thank you for your help
Mazda too went from covered cupholders in the 01 PRO (like mine) to uncovered ones in the 03 models - looks cheap IMO.
Dinu
To raise another piece of minutiae (another minutia?) -- this weekend I mounted my E-ZPass on my windshield. (For those who don't live in the Northeast U.S., this is an automated electronic toll-paying device that works in a number of states. It's a small box, about 3x3x0.5 inches that you can stick on the windshield near your mirror. You get to go into special toll lanes and usually skip long lines. I don't understand why it's not used by a higher percentage of the drivers.) It's completely hidden from me in the driver's seat by the mirror, but from the outside, it looks ugly -- it's about halfway down the window! That's because of the long slope and the mounting of the mirror. So here's the question - I could mount it higher and hope it's not really blocked by the tinting as E-ZPass warns, or I could take the option NOT to mount it and have to hold it up at every toll booth. OR, I hear they have a bumper-mounted version. Anyone with relevant experience?
It would be best to have it included with the SAB option for maybe $200-400 more so LX buyers who are cost and safety conscious can have it both ways, or at least offer it in the EX lineup.
For a car and car company that prides itself in its safety record, I'm surprised about this decision. Are people just unwilling to pay more for extra safety features? Maybe SAB options in general are not very popular to the general population. I hope they get around to changing this by the '04 model year. Anyone know a Honda email address I could write to?
The wife let me take her new car on a business trip to break it in. I never had it over 80 honest. I was impressed at how well the 5 speed auto was tuned to the 4 cyl engine torque band. I had driven the Maz6 4cyl 4 speed auto and the honda gear box is superior. I would imagine Maz6 4 banger will have a 5 speed auto next year.
I did noticed some very slight steering wheel vibrations that seem to be harmonic in relation to the road surface. The strange thing is it seemed more noticeable on the really smooth road surfaces. The vibration isn't really annoying but it is just there sometimes. The wife wouldn't even notice it. My first impression is to swap the front tires with the back and see if anything changes. I checked the tire pressure before I left. My daily driver is an IS300 SportCross so it may just be a FWD vs RWD thing.
Overall I am pleased with the car.
I can understand your frustration with their decision, considering that ABS is standard across the model line (but on the CR-V, it's not even an option for the LX model, and that costs more than an Accord DX - go figure). But that's the way it is...they gotta justify the EX's higher price over the LX somehow.
Toll Pass: I have a transponder for the 407ETR highway (the only toll highway in Ontario, and possibly all of Canada). It's fairly small too (3"x5"). From the inside it doesn't block my view and from the outside it's actually helpful in finding the car in a large parking lots since I just have to look for one with a piece of plastic on the windshield - not a common sight once I'm near it, just to confirm w/out looking at the license plate.
Dinu
Just mount it and forget about it. I hate it when people hold it up when going through the booth. One time, I was doing about 20mph, and the idiot in front of my was fumbling around the inside of his car looking for the transponder to hold up. He stopped right in the booth and looked for it. I almost hit him. The guy behind me almost hit me, etc. That's the equivalent of someone just stopping at a green light to look at a street sign.
The mounting brackets are given for a reason. And "legally", I don't think we're supposed to use them in different cars, as the number on the transponder is tied to a vehicle year, type, color, and plate (although I admit I'm guilty of that rule on occasion).
-Craig
BTW..Outrun the speed limit in a fast lane is 15mph. It is not a racetrack. You are the one at fault in that situation. Slow down! The tag can be moved among vehicles as long as they all are the same class and listed on your application.
No he isn't. That's the point of easy pass. There's nothing easy about waiting for the jerk in front of you who is simply unprepared!
If you want to stop in the toll booth then DON'T GET EASY PASS!
Then again, you drive a Jeep with the aerodynamics of a shipping crate, so what do you know about driving on paved roads. Hey, if you're so concerned about looks, why did you get a Jeep in the first place?
If I'm driving 55mph (or 65mph on the Mass Pike), and the jerk in front of me slams on his brakes, is it truly my fault for hitting him? There's something to be expected of driving under normal conditions. Such as green means go, red means stop, and no one is supposed to stop in a Fast Lane/EZ Pass toll booth lane.
Now back to Honda Accord talk....
-Craig
Yes. Keep a good following distance. What if he had a Honda auto tranny that spontaniously downshifted? Then you wouldn't even see brake lights. Ever been stung by a bee in a car? Blowout? Deer?
I always keep a good following distance, and it pisses me off to no end when someone cuts in front of me because they think they have room. They don't. It's my cushion.
The New Yorker's here are probably thinking: following distance??? Wha...?
On interstates with minimum speeds, you can only slow to under the min if there is a hazard (weather, traffic, etc). If they brake to 45 (usually the min) and you hit them at 70, then its your fault. If you're both going 45 and they brake to 40 for no reason and you hit them... you'll probably have to go to court to prove it wasn't your fault.
In other words, you just better not hit someone from behind. Even if they caused the accident, it may not be their "fault".
Sorry about the off-topic, but I wanted to clarify even though I'm sure most people already knew.
1> I avoid the left lane unless I actually need it to pass slower moving traffic or to make an intended left turn. Even though I'm "entitled" to use that lane if I'm running the legal speed limit, why antagonize the aggressive A-holes trying to compensate for their (more often than not inadequately developed) manhood?
2> I allow one car length for each 10 mph speed. If someone jumps in the gap, I just back off to resume the gap. I'm still going to get to my destination just about as soon,regardless. In California, at least, in a rear end collision the presumption by courts is that it's the following-driver's responsibility to maintain a safe distance from the vehicle ahead of him. More than once this habit has kept me well out of harm's way.
2> If I have some "Malcom Macho" tailgating me, "Plan A" is to briefly illuminate my tail lights by turning on the headlights. If that doesn't get the message across, I exercise "Plan B" - washing my windshield. Especially if the following driver is in an immaculately maintained BMW, Jaguar, or Mercedes. (Life ~can~ be sweet...)
*For the skeptics:
70 mph x 5280 ft/mi = 369,600 ft/hr
1 hr = 60 min; 60 min = 3,600 sec
(369,600 ft/hr) / 3,600 sec/hr = 102.66666 ft/sec
3 (generous) 20 ft carlengths = 60 ft
(60 ft) / (102.66666 ft/sec) = 0.5844 sec
bamacar, Honda's recommendation should be in your 2003 Honda Accord Sedan owner's manual. Remember? That boring little booklet packed in the glove compartment? Ah, there's a good lad...
Ray-
Yes and most say look at the doorjam. Guess what it is for my LX -15" wheels and tires that are no longer on the car. I now have 16" tires which require greater pressure-I'm sure.
Read the message; and I was asking for help not an attitude.
Bamacar - I just checked the manual. These figures are for cold tire pressures.
P205/60R/16/91V tires on both EX & V6 models require: 32 psi front/30 psi rear.
Did you pick up the 5 spoke wheels or the I think 7 or 8 spoke wheels? Do the 7/8 spoke wheels signify the car is a V6? I have an EX-L which comes with the 5 spokes. Cheers
Kevin
even then, i am sure some accidents do occure with someone looking at their radio, reaching for a beverage, etc. as they will have more than 0.5 seconds, but not an order of magnitude more time (probably it's more like 2.5 seconds if the differential speed is 15 MPH)
But who drives the speed limit? And likewise, who keeps a 3 second following distance? Nobody. But having even just three carlengths at 80mph is extraordinarily unsafe. I try to stay inbetween these two extremes. Like I said, you never know when the person in front of you might abruptly stop. Stranger things can happen, and it's not always preventable- such as the Honda transmission problem.
My mother-in-law's brother once got together with two friends for a joke. They drove three cars side-by-side accross all three lanes of a highway at exactly the speed limit. Cars began honking and passing on the shoulder. Eventually, they were pulled over for impeding traffic. They proceeded to inform the cop that unless the other drivers were speeding, there was no need to pass their line of cars since they were already going the maximum speed for the road. They didn't get a ticket, but they got a yelling. I thought that was an interesting story- police condoning speeding?
I *really* like the idea of using wiper fluid for tailgaters!!!
Anyway, back to the Accord. I think I've overstayed my off-topic writings.
Thanks for the tire inflation info.
Ipass is a great convenience-always wonder why people day after day stop and pay tolls-
As for driving with enough "buffer" zone in front. I can remember at least 3 incidents where this caused some problems in the past year (fortunately I was not a victim myself). Once was when I witnessed an accident between 2 cars in front, the middle guy was following too close and rear-ended the guy in front as we were all merging onto the highway (even though the first guy was to blame since he stepped on his brakes on the on-ramp), but the second guy was probably blamed since he was "inattentive". Also had a friend who got into a fairly serious accident when following too closely behind a car, thinking that they would go through a yellow light, but they didn't and the car was totaled. I've also noticed a lot of close calls while driving everyday that people follow too close.
It's not like waiting in line for something, when there's a gap, it doesn't mean people should fill it. The cars will only go as fast as traffic in front allows it. Also no matter what speed limits, if I drive fast or faster than someone else, I leave a wider gap in front of me, I use the 2 second rule...maybe 3 seconds. It also cuts down on the wear on my brakes and improves mileage when I'm not gunning it everytime someone in front accelerates away, or slamming the brakes when the front car decides to BRAKE to squeeze into another lane.
If more people left more room between cars, then highway merging and lane changes would be a lot smoother without people having to brake to create some space to let people in or squeeze into another non-existent space.
I know this is a long rant, but I think following too close is one of the major causes of highway accidents I see everyday.