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Among the many features is a voice activated DVD navigation system and a 240 hp SOHC V6 engine.
If you look very closely, on the second picture of the Accord coupe you get a blurry view of the front end, BUT in the background by the white tent there is a silver Pilot and a dark grey sedan that might be the '04 TL? It looks sorta like the current TL, but the tail-lights are different from the '03. Check it out.
But besides it's Lurch-type jawline, it is super-fast (o-60 in 6.6!), matching the Altima in time and power (240HP). The 5-speed Auto helps greatly here, since it lacks the Altima's torque.
I believe it has the Lexus-derived car-off blacked-out guage cluster, and titl-telscope steering. Still a 14 cube trunk (?)!
Thumbs down here. I haven't even gotten to the coupes lack of style yet!
It has pics of both the exteror and the interior of the coupe and sedan.
Also their other models that are coming up.
Just go to:
http://www.thehollywoodextra.com
and go to the car page, and the various Honda links.
http://thecarconnection.com/index.asp?article=5136&sid=180&n=157
YUK YUK YUK. I didn't think honda could make a generic car look even more generic. The greenhouse is identical to the camry, the nose is BLAH and the tail looks like the old one as seen through distored glass. I've owned Hondas for years, but they have totally LOST IT when it comes to styling. I mean, they're kidding right? This one is a stinker.
otherwise, even the alleged 240HP sounds weak (edmunds' review says it doesnt have the same acceleration as the altima V6) and hamstrung
other than loyalists, why would anyone choose the new Honda over the new Camry (reliability and style) or Altima (sheer performance for under $25,000)? And with the arrival of the Mazda 6.. Honda better do something about that styling
Altima? Sheer performance for under $25,000, but with a cheap feel and lack of refinement that reveals how they hit that price point. The abysmal interior materials and excessively harsh ride are excellent examples of this.
I guarantee that the new Accord will do just fine against these two competitors.
Actually, to me, the front end looks like it has some Taurus DNA in there. This isn't necessarily always an insult, but in this case it is.
The arching character line is ripped right off of the Altima. Shameless, except it looks a lot better on the Altima. Likewise the Mercedes taillamp and trunk line detail on the coupe.
In case it sounds like I'm bashing, I actually thought the current generation Accord looked pretty presentable. (I like the sedan better than the coupe.) Styling is all about proportion, and the current car design "seems right" in that aspect. The new car seems out of balance and swelled-up.
The V6 may not be Altima-class, but it does give up a half-liter in displacement to the Nissan. I think Edmunds judges this unfairly; most people aren't looking for rude amounts of acceleration in this class. The 2.4 sounds like a sweet powerplant, probably a lot more refined than the Altima's. Not an area Honda is likely to mess up.
Speaking as a former (1995 model) Accord owner, the wind noise abatement is a VERY good thing. My old Accord never felt rock-solid at speed. I replaced it with a BMW 325i -- there is just no comparison, my BMW feels the same at 100 as it does at 50. Sounds like the new Accord is a major step forward in this department.
Just the same, if I were looking, I don't even know that I'd test drive an Accord at this point. I have an Ody (and love it), but the Accord just doesn't seem like it is a market benchmark anymore. The Passat seems to have inherited that mantle (and having test-driven and almost bought a Passat) I think it is the car I'd focus on if I were after a midsize sedan. Failing that, I'd drive a Mazda 6, a Camry, and an Altima (and a G35) and maybe a TL before I'd test-drive an Accord.
I am not impressed with the styling. I feel like it's a lot of wasted potential here, folks. They had time to size up the competition and respond appropriately. The car that most people will buy -- the LX -- is still underpowered, underoptioned and generally too understated.
I like cars in general, but nothing that Japan is offering in this segment will make me get out of my German car -- build quality, handling, acceleration, and STYLING -- are all superior to the Honda.
Seriously, I like the styling of the coupe. It looks almost like the logical successor to the 94-97 model (96-97 especially), with a little Mercury Cougar thrown in. I'm not sure Honda will hit the mark with the younger set (other than me), but the car certainly isn't fugly and will still be a top seller.
My point, though, is that the new Japanese cars in this segment seem to be offering a lot more car, and they straggle into higher price segments.
For instance, a fully loaded Accord is going to run over 27k, likewise with the Altima. That's BMW 325, Audi A4 -- almost G35 country. Granted, you are going to get a base 325i comparied to a loaded Honda or Nissan, but if you are going to spend that much money -- and you like to drive -- what are you going to choose? I have to admit, prior to seeing the Accord I was intrigued -- it sounded like a lot of car for the money. But the reality is that the new Accord will likely have a lot of body roll going into curves and have high 6 times (at best) and low to mid 7's (more realistic) 0-60. In short: it will not be a "sport" or "performance" car (and yes, I admit that there is a whole lot more to "performance" than sheer acceleration).
But, in fairness to the gurus at Honda, it was never meant to be. Any notions of that were dreamt up solely by me and others like me due to the promise of a whole lotta HP and a redesigned car that HAD to be a good one due to the competition already on the market.
Are there plans to bring a wagon variant to market in the U.S.?
The new Accord coupe v6 with 6 spd weighs 3265 lbs, as compared to 3446 lbs for the Acura TL-S.
The Acura has 8% more horsepower, yet weighs 5.5% heavier, so the difference is negligible.
So the acceleration is neck and neck with a BMW 330i, but is $11,000 cheaper.
At $27k, the highest Accord does approach entry-level BMW/Acura/Lexus levels (although I imagine the Accord's cost-of-ownership is much lower than any of those, in the long run). I think Honda is smarter than to market the coupe as equivalent to the BMW 3-series or whatever. They know their bread-and-butter is still going to be the LX sedan.
http://roadandtrack.com/reviews/roadtests/pdf/2002_07_sedans_data.pdf
You will see that the BMW 330i has the best 0-60 time at 6.1 seconds while the Acura tl type s was 6.5.
I have never heard of a TL type s getting there in 5.9 seconds. That's almost 540i speed. That's not to say that a test hasn't been done getting it there, but the Road and Track numbers disagree with you.
Plus, the CL type s is more comparable to an Accord Sedan than a TL. And those are also NOT sub 6 seconds 0-60.
PS- I liked it better when Acura actually used NAMES for their cars....
All that said, I think you make a good point: I may be unfairly comparing speed to price, which isn't always the case, take the WRX for example. But with the exception of the g35 (which R&T says ran in 6.2 seconds), Acura (and Honda) don't always seem to reflect their HP. Now the s2000 is pretty fast and that has 240 hp engine. But it's pretty light and the turbocharged 4 is a completely different engine from the v-6.
In terms of accord pricing, I think the 27k accord includes the navigation system. That would go inline with other honda/acura models that charge an extra 2k for the navigation. That said, an EX V6 would likely remain around 25k, and the navi version would be 27k.
Comparing the Altima to the 2002 accord (since I don't know the exact pricing for the 03), adding auto trans, side air bags, and ABS would be a shade under 25k, which is roughly what the accord's msrp is. However, the altima does not include climate control, a power glass sunroof, leather, and a 6-CD changer. So basically if you get the altima you are trading 40 hp for those luxury features. Adding those options to the altima would significantly raise the price. Furthermore, there have been numerous reports of poor quality on the Altima (J.D. Powers initial qualtiy report). Clearly, the 02 accord is a great bargain.
Anyone else out there remember which issue it was in?
The electronic throttle control (drive-by-wire) for the Accord V6 should be pretty interesting, especially when coupled with the 5-spd auto. According to the Honda press release, it momemtarily cuts the throttle slightly between shifts to reduce shift shock. I think it will result in an incredibly refined drivetrain.
http://biz.yahoo.com/djus/020730/200207301610000828_1.html
Toyota will have another 20HP by next fall.
By mid-next year, all the main players will have at least 215HP.
What's more interesting, though, is the real progression in automotive technology that we are witnessing right now. I mean, a 240 HP Accord?!? Who would have thought that was likely 10 years ago? Even 5 years ago? What is clear, getting past arguments over speed off the line (which I myself get tangled in), is that the "average" family car is no longer average. When so called grocery-getting mommy sedans are packing serious punch, it may no longer be fair to call these cars average. Throw items like DVD-based navigations systems on top of the increased performance, and we are witnessing a major evolution in cars. And they're still affordable. Technology like the much maligned 7 series is going to slowly trickle down. It's pretty exciting for those who enjoy driving, that's for sure.
Zach
http://caranddriver.com/xp/Caranddriver/comparisontests/2002/july/200207_comparo_hobson.xml?&page=1