First Impressions - 2014 Honda Accord

dpmeersman

Took delivery on 7/1/2014. Traded in my 2010 EX-L V6 which retained very high trade in value ($16,000) due to low mileage (46,000) and near new condition. By the way that translates to over 60% value retained after 50 months of ownership, no complaints here. My 2014 is White Orchid Pearl, first white car I've ever owned. As far as the 'pearl' goes there are apparent rainbow hues depending on lighting conditions, the result of a lot of metal flake in the paint. Compared to the gen 8, the gen 9 Accord is certainly evolutionary not revolutionary in its looks. It will not turn heads away nor evoke that I gotta have one feeling.

The first thing I noticed on my test drive is that road noise is better managed. Not church like quiet, but certainly better than the previous generation. The electric power steering is lighter than the gen 8 but not by much. Still feels better connected to the road than most family sedans. The new 6 speed auto tranny is a welcome addition and very well executed. Downshifts kick in when they should which was missing in my previous 5 speed tranny. With only 700 miles on the odometer I've only brought the revs up to around 5 grand and it sounds great and is more responsive than the previous V6.

The 'Earthdreams' emblem on the engine should be replaced by a more prominent VTec emblem as the proper implementation of that technology in this engine is the reason that it feels more responsive over a wider range. I don't drive a lot of highway miles but so far I'm averaging 25 mpg's.
I felt I had short changed myself with my previous EX-L V6 and missed the Navi so I went for the Touring edition and I do feel like I'm in a luxury sedan. Will post further impressions as the miles pile on but so far I've no regrets.