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Comments
I'll look forward to one less $350 service!
I don't know why Csabe would have to "start" thinking of the Accord as more of a sports sedan. In the last head to head comparo, the Accord bested the Passat in most measurable performance categories. The Passat "won" the comparo because of more subjective qualities associated with its design and interior materials.
I'm also hoping that the side curtain air bags will be available on the EX 4 cyl.
Wonder if they'll offer them on the EX V6 coupe.
I like the new Accords, and I'll probably be getting one when my Civic gets a few more years on it.
Have a good one!
I found the following on Hondanews.com
Has some wonderful info on the new Accord. If you're a technical nut, and love to read the nitty gritty on cars, check it out.
Here's a snipet of some info on the side curtain airbag that is STANDARD on ALL EX V6 Sedans and Coupes. I'm impressed.
"EX models with the V6 engine come standard with side curtain airbags that cover the front and rear side windows on both sides of the vehicle in the event of a side-impact crash. The system reduces the impact of the secondary crash between the passenger's head and objects outside the vehicle caused by the primary impact. Working in concert with the Accord's standard front airbags and front seat side-impact airbags, the side curtain airbag system offers a new level of protection.
The side curtain airbag module is positioned in a small compartment along the side of the roofline. For the sedan, each side of the vehicle has two sensors mounted near the side sill that trigger the side curtain air bag. Due to structural differences, only one sensor per side is required for the coupe with side curtain air bag."
Can't wait untill they hit the showrooms.
I would appreciate it if you folks would find links for the information and repost, then you can remove your original post.
Thanks!
Pat
Sedans Host
The interior withe the LED lit instruments looks good. Acura will definately need to make some big improvements to the new CL and TL or there will be little reason to spend much more money for them.
A 2003 EXV6 sedan with optional side curtain airbags and navigation should sticker somewhere around $29K or less, which is cheaper than a fully loaded Altima 3.5 SE (that has no navigation system).
I'm waiting for 2004 so that most intial bugs can be worked out and the dealer service departments have some experience with common problems. Spare parts are also often back ordered on newly-introduced cars.
Maybe the 2004s will have side curtain airbags available on more models.
And I have seen comments like this many, many time, in magazines, on forums, etc... the current Accord is considered by many to be a competent family sedan from a ride and handling standpoint, while the Passat is revered as having ride and handling that rivals a luxury sports sedan.
So maybe what Csaba means that both measurably and subjectively, the new Accord now competes at the Passat's level in this area. Frankly, with my 2000 EX V6, I think the ride and handling is among its best features, so if the new one is even better, that's great!
My comment was just targeted at the comment about the "large and bulky" new Accord that wouldn't compete with the Passat. Initial reports that I've seen seem to suggest otherwise.
To me, this is not an athletic or trim look like the Passat has. Please understand: I'm a Honda owner and have no plans of buying an unreliable VW, even though I think the Passat looks very stylish.
Although my comments may appear subjective, it is a fact that the average age of the Accord buyer has been increasing over the years, as Honda has grown the size of the Accord with every redesign. It's clear that Honda is trying to cover the market for both Camry and Avalon with the new Accord.
Best one is Coupe and Sedan features
2003 Accord Overview
http://makeashorterlink.com/?T12761161
2003 Accord Coupe Specs
http://makeashorterlink.com/?L13732161
2003 Accord Coupe Features
http://makeashorterlink.com/?N24751161
2003 Accord Sedan Specs
http://makeashorterlink.com/?E15721161
2003 Accord Sedan Features
http://makeashorterlink.com/?E26712161
2003 Accord Interior
http://makeashorterlink.com/?S47723161
http://makeashorterlink.com/?C18722161
2003 Accord Chassis
http://makeashorterlink.com/?X39751161
2003 Accord Body
http://makeashorterlink.com/?H3A726161
http://makeashorterlink.com/?F5B725161
2003 Accord Drivetrain
http://makeashorterlink.com/?J4C722161
http://makeashorterlink.com/?P3D712161
http://makeashorterlink.com/?P2E761161
To each his or her own... I think the photo you linked to is a great picture of the new Accord.
Does anyone know the stereo specs of the Navigation/Stereo combo unit? I was disappointed that it looks like you need to get the 6-speed and no navi to get the 180 watt stereo.
Can someone post a list of all the new features of the 2003 models compared to 2002?
I have no doubt that Honda will easily make their target of 400K Accords/yr, mostly to the 45-65 crowd. That age group is the major buyer of the fat (bulky) cars in the market, IMHO.
Do you guys think the V6 coupe with 6-speed will actually be a sports-type car or more like the Camry SE V6?
Do you think this coupe will even compete with the Altima or Maxima SE with Stick in terms of handling and performance? Just curious.
I think the edmund review was good overall. It just questions the way Honda tries to market the accord. I sure hope the accord the suspension has not gone camry-soft, that would be a disappointment. Glad to see one past major complaint was finally addressed by Honda, the interior noise.
More powerful, more luxurious, more efficient, better value than before.
But MUCH less attractive to the eye, and still has shortcomings compared to the competition. Small trunk, no skid control, hard to get full side airbag setup, and the aforementioned looks thing.
It'll sell well, for the first year. But the competition is MUCH better now than 5 years ago. 2nd year sales should be.....interesting.
When do you guys think printed brochures will be available?
Honda's strategy is to sell one high volume vehicle to cover the market. That's why the Accord's width has increased, should make it a very roomy vehicle. It'll sell well, but just like you I doubt that younger buyers will care for that big sedan look.
For example, here's from Edmunds family car comparo for 2000 models:
"Taut," "nimble" and "flaccid" were the most-often heard comments when our editors referred to the handling characteristics of the Accord."
"Push the Accord in the twisties and the soft springs become apparent with flaccid body lean and a skitterish rear end – so much so that the Accord finished dead last in the slalom portion of our performance evaluations. We were again reminded that this is Honda's family car, meant to take you from point A to point B in comfort, not to use on the racetrack on the weekends."
In contrast, here's a quote from Motor Trend's comparo between the 2000 Accord EX V6, Maxima GXE and Camry LE V-6:
"Handling-oriented drivers are likely to favor the Accord; its modest ride harshness penalty being well offset by better controllability."
The Accord got an A for handling, as opposed to the Maxima's A- and the Camry's B-.
The comparo in Car and Driver, again for 2000 models, gave the Accord EX V6 and the Passat GLS V6 the same score for handling... 9 out of 10. (Subjectively, they did say that the Passat was the better handler, however.) The Accord also had the highest speed in the slalom test, as opposed to Edmunds' slowest speed in their test.
From Dan Jedlicka on the 2002 Accord:
"The coupe's firmer suspension gives it sharper moves, but the sedan also is fun to drive. It feels more European than Japanese, with quick steering, sure braking and a race-car-style fully independent double-wishbone suspension that provides a supple ride and adroit handling."
From Daniel Heraud on the 2002 Accord:
"Perfect compromise between handling and comfort... The rigid body, excellent suspension and high-quality tires of adequate size (LX and EX) result in neutral handling under most circumstances."
So I guess I'm forced to wonder... if Edmunds found the 2000 Accord EX to have a flaccid suspension, and it finished last in their slalom, why did all of these other respected magazines and testers like the handling so much? Were they driving the same model of car? Purportedly they were.
So I'm not putting too much stake in Edmunds' assessment of the Accord... I think their assessment was off for the previous gen, and I suspect the same will be true with the new generation.
~alpha
It can be an expensive option. I'm sure a person looking at LX, LXV6 or even EX would want to spend $500 to get HID, so that leaves EXV6.
At $26K, it would be already close to the new TL's base price. Add NAV and HID, and there you go, almost as much as fully equipped TL.
Honda probably wants to position Accord as $19-26K car, with only NAV being an option. Not a bad move. Want more? The new TL may be on its way in a few months.
Edmund's Review:
I haven't read it yet, but I stopped reading their reviews couple of years ago. They are a joke. I'm not a fan of MT test drives either. Pat, no offense, but I use Edmunds only for couple of things, comparisons and the townhall.
Glad I talked my father into buying the '02 last month at a huge discount, instead of waiting.
If you clicked on complete photo gallery, you'll see this caption for the sedan:
"To us, with its full-width taillamps that taper upward as they wrap around the corners, the Accord Sedan appears to be frowning."
These writers need to know what a frown looks like (hint: it tapers downward).
Because I have a 98 Accord. The quality of the materials from that pic looks even better than what I can see in real life for the Accord in my family's driveway.
Why is everyone so "curious" all of a sudden?
http://www.canadiandriver.com/news/020730-1.htm
when the writer said the accord was a sloppy handler compared to the camry SE, need i say more about his credibility. or when he said the v6 doesn't rev with the same urgency as the altima's v6. they just have similar acceleration times, but since the altima does it with more chatter, i guess it's more urgent.
i didn't expect the accord to handle as well as the altima, but the altima achieves this by providing an uncomfortable ride in their v6 models. this with its cheap interior and other minor annoyances doesn't make this car a class leader as edmunds would have you believe. that's why the accord targeted the passat and not the altima.
Go Mazda!
when i look at a honda(acura), i see their effort, and that's good enough for me to keep supporting them.
as for some other cars:
"WE OWN THE CURVES!"
applause~~
"WE OWN THE POWER!"
applause even harder~~
"WE .... ER ... HEM, WE OWN THE CURVES ........"
O_o
Over time maybe I'll get used to it.....actually I just looked at the pic again and well I don't think so. Maybe when they freshen up the car in 2 or 3 years they can just re-do the front and rear.
Is this what Honda thinks is good looking? I can't remember the last time when Honda blew it quite like this. Hey, a Passat commercial just came on TV (the one where the Dad races his kid on the bicycle)-man not only are Passats beautiful but VW even has pretty cool commercials. Good luck Honda.
My mom has a 2k Passat and while it looks good on the outside, it is a piece of junk mechanically. My mom's car has: once burned 3 quarts of oil in little more than 1k miles, leaked every time it rained for the first month of ownership(it took mom a month to notice that, but who checks their new $30k Passat for leaks anyway?), had intermittent starting problems, alignment problems and interior fit problems. Gee, that Passat sounds like a winner. NOT!!! I on the other hand own a '02 Accord EX V6 sedan that has given me very few problems and has not: 1)burned an ounce of oil in its first 1200 miles, 2)leaked a drop of rain in the interior, 3)had any interior pieces break. I think I'll stick with Honda for now.
The front end isn't my favorite feature, but overall, I like the new Accord's styling. It's still fairly conservative, but it's light years from being Son of Aztek. And it's not a flavor of the day like most of the Chryslers.
Looking for 03EXV6--availability will be issue here!
emale: The sketches of the "Accord" from MT a few months ago are more likely representative of the JDM/Euro car. This car will be sold here as the Acura TSX in 2003 as a 2004 model to replace the defunct Integra sedan.
Panamaltd2: The problem with the Mazda6 is that it (and the Passat) are 1/2 size smaller than the Accord and Camry. I already think that the Accord is on the small side of "just right". My perception is that the Mazda6 is closer in size to my Contour, which is too small. Also, as bodydouble said, its just a massaged Ford V-6 under that hood. CAR magazine reported that the new Passat, which is supposed to be 1/2 size bigger, will be on sale in Europe in 2004.
Size matters: People were talking about how the '03 Accord appears aimed at Maxima and Avalon, as well as Camry, Altima, Passat, et al. It may look bigger but it isn't if you look at the measurements. The '02 stats are from Edmunds and the '03 stats are from Honda:
02 Accord/03 Accord
Length: 189.4/189.5
Width: 70.3/71.5
Height: 56.9/57.1
Wheelbase: 106.9/107.9
Weight: 3075.0/2989.0
Front Headroom: 38.5/38.3
Front Hip Room: 54.9/54.6
Front Shoulder: 56.9/56.9
Front Leg Room: 42.1/42.6
Rear Headroom: 36.0/36.8
Rear Hiproom: 54.1/53.5
Rear Shoulder: 56.1/56.1
Rear Leg Room: 37.9/36.8
Trunk Space: 14.1/14.0