2008 Honda Accord Coupe and Sedan

eldaino

yeah, it makes no sense to 'benchmark' a car it does not even compete with, OR EVEN LOOK LIKE ON ANY LEVEL.

the sonata screams 1998/2003 accord; honda is who hyundai wishes it could be.

like muse wanting to be radiohead. (but i do like muse. )

there is absolutely NO AUDI whatsoever in ANY of hyundai's styling.

robertsmx

Actually, Hyundai did benchmark Jaguar S-Type's rear for the previous generation of Sonata. It usually takes them two years. I started noticing that trend in 1996 (when Hyundai copied 1994 Accord's tail). And that was before I entered Hondadom.

maltbie

I have experience with first year and mid model year Accords.

I leased a 98 LX. At 2,500 miles, the engine failed on the highway, requiring a 40 mile tow to the nearest Honda dealership. Fortunately, I was back on the road quickly as the failure was due to a spark plug that had come loose that had not been screwed in tightly.

I leased a 2000 EXL-V6 that had the shuddering transmission problem, which was widely discussed in this forum.

I leased the first 03 EXL-V6 to arrive on my dealer's lot in September 2002. The car had three significant defects. 1. The steering wheel was crooked - the left side of the wheel was 1/4 inch closer to the driver than the right side of the wheel. 2. The rear passenger door was misaligned so that it stuck out 1/2 inch when closed. (I actually found another person on this forum back in 2002 that had the exact same problem on his new Accord.) 3. The rear brakes failed at 20,000 miles when the calipers locked shut and would not reopen, requiring new calipers, disks and pads. The second and third items were fixed under warranty. I was told the first item was "within factory specs" and could not be fixed.

My replacement 06 EXL-V6, now with 23,000 miles on it, has been free of defects, aside from the failure of the steering rack at 7,500 miles.

The lesson for me is stay away from 1st year models if possible but don't believe all problems will disappear after the first year.

maxamillion1

Umm..of course you can get the Altima and Camry I4 models with leather (Camry XLE and SE models and the Altima 2.5SL)

Leather has been available on these models for many many years. In some ways those cars come with more features than Accord EX-L models.

aviboy97

I was taking a closer look at the interior of the 08 Accord, and it REALLY looks similar to the previous gen Avalon. Kinda boring if you ask me.

bvdj84

Yes, it does, also it looks like the nissan Altima, previous model, like in the front region, it looks very close to it. the lights, grill, Still looks great. Like the black one pictured earlier, it does not need the spoiler, the lip spoiler would look better if you wanted a spoiler. It still looks great. Honda is really wanting it to look fairly conservative. The Honda I am wanting will probably be about 25k, for the EX-L, I will lease it. It seems to offer alot. but said before, do I really want buy the first years model. I am going to hold off a bit, there really is no need to hurry, because, Honda is going to sell these like crazy. Its not like their a rare car. Plus you are going to pay sticker or more for them. My 06 Accord SE, is beautiful, and has been problem free! Getting an 08 accord now is a want, not a need. I'm in no hurry, the right time will come. I do wish the sedan had more of the coupe lines and maybe put more of the Acura line into it.

amir

hondanews.com says some trim levels of accord will have 3 line audio display interface dial. does this mean we can scroll through the mp3 playlist?

turner433

I agree it looks to me like Honda used the current Acura RL chassis, changed the exterior sheet metal slightly and improved the use of interior space, to create the 2008 Accord sedan. Interesting to see if Acura will now release a coupe RL based upon the 2008 Accord coupe. But it also seems that Honda now has the Acura TSX/European Accord to compete with the Audi A4, BMW 3-series and M-B C classe; and the Acura RL/2008 Accord to compete with the Audi A6, BMW 5 series and MB E-classe.

oldbob

Anyone seen info re: wood trim with I4 EX-L as well as with V6 EX-L?

jet10000

hondanews.com says some trim levels of accord will have 3 line audio display interface dial. does this mean we can scroll through the mp3 playlist?

If your mp3 files are on a CD Rom, it should be able to show the titles in the display.

If you go to this link you can get more details about the 3 line display including diagrams:

http://www.hondanews.com/categories/812/releases/4107

Here's what it says:

"The system offers song-scrolling capability through an interface dial when playing CDs that provide this data. The song title appears on the Information Display, which can show three lines of text."

So if your mp3's are on an Ipod that you plan on plugging into the aux jack, the song titles will not display on the screen however. Only mp3's that are on CD Rom.

jet10000

Anyone seen info re: wood trim with I4 EX-L as well as with V6 EX-L?

Actually the trim is added on the EX (with or without leather) as follows:

Silver-tone trim (Black and Gray interiors)
Wood grain trim (Ivory interior)

http://www.hondanews.com/categories/812/releases/4107

fxguy

I LOVE the fact that this feature is standard on ALL trims and Honda made it customizable!

Auto Lock/Unlock
All 2008 Accord models include a customizable Auto Lock/Unlock feature that can add a sense of security for vehicle occupants.

Choices for automatic door locking include:

* Doors lock when vehicle speed reaches 9 mph.
* Doors lock when gearshift is moved from Park.
* Automatic door locking function off.

Choices for automatic door unlocking include:

* Driver's door unlocks when engine is turned off.
* All doors unlock when engine is turned off.
* Driver's door unlocks when vehicle stops and the gear shift is moved to Park (automatic transmission models only).
* All doors unlock when vehicle stops and the gear shift is moved to Park (automatic transmission models only).
* Automatic door unlocking function off.

In all cases, the doors are designed to automatically unlock when there is a sufficient shock to the body to deploy the airbags while the ignition is turned on.

fxguy

Wow! This is hot!!

blane

Great information fxguy. I've always been troubled by the locking system in my 2004 Accord Coupe. It is necessary to press the rocker switch on the armrest to either lock or unlock the doors. In fact, I wrote to Honda about my concerns back in 2004, stating that this could be a safety issue for occupants if a vehicle became accidentally submerged. It should only take a pull of the handle to unlock a door. Not the two-step process of locating a switch and then the door handle.

colloquor

It's finally nice that Honda's included the auto locking/unlocking feature that's been available in other makes - foreign and domestic for quite some time (in some cases, as far back as 1994). Honda, however, has included many more variations/combinations than the others.

carguy58

"I must say that the new Accord looks more appealing to middle aged folks and I think that is good for business. I watched a zillion Camrys on the highways and they were almost without exception driven by older folks and the Accord needs to compete with that."

Personally I don;t like the fact that the Accord is going for the middle aged folks whatever happened to the Honda that styled the 1996-1997 Accords it looks some of the mid 90's Version of Honda did survive with the 04 TL and 06 Civic Coupe but the mid 90's version of Honda has died with the last 2 generations of Accord and put on its deathbed. I'll look at the new Mazda 6 or the new Pontiac G6 that will come out in a few years. The 08 Accord Sedan its just too boring.

The 98 Accord was the transition between the best looking Accord ever and the dull Honda Accord that we have now.

The Accord is going to start get labled an older person's car if Honda keeps on going so conservtive with its styling even the Current Camry is better looking than the current or 08 Accord. I am a Honda fan and admire their engineering and product planning but their product planning on the styling front in the past 5 years especially with the CR-V and Accord has been poor. They redeemed themselves with the with the 04 TL and 06 Civic Coupe but that momentum from the 06 Civic Coupe just didn;t transfer to the new Accord.

Honda should not be appealing to Toyota customers and I said this 5 years ago when the 03 Accord came out. Mazda and Nissan try to compete tried to outbland Toyota in the mid or late 90's and both those 2 companies almost went out of business because of it.

robertsmx

Current Camry is better looking than the current or 08 Accord.

Not to my eyes. Camry is trying to hard to look cool and especially with all that body cladding that some probably find "tasteful" (but don't count me in!). OTOH, Accord has a presence that is classy yet sporty (depending on angle). It is not boring at all. It looks like an upscale car, elements that differentiate more expensive cars from their lesser siblings.

It seems, Camry's nose was designed at John Deere's studios. Its grill functions as the bumper too. And while it adds couple of inches to the length of the car, I prefer the slightly sloping grill that is in the Accord and still keeping a bit of bumper. Note that, despite being a twin to Camry, Lexus designers chose to give a sleeker front end to ES350 that is similar to Accord's, not Camry (also a reason the Lexus is 2 inches longer).

There is very little I would change about this new Accord.

lweiss

The new pictures look sharp indeed. A guy in our corporate parking lot has his 1979 or so (can't be sure of the year) 2 door Honda Civic- even has special antique car license plates- small (really small!) hatchback, looks about the size the the Mini. Man, has Honda come a long way since then in North America- building great vehicles at reasonable prices that people enjoy buying and driving. They sure did their homework and built quite a business.

Funny though that old Hondas/Toyotas are usually not collectors items, but old Mercedes and Jags certainly are. Even old Fords and Chevies.

master_ryu

How can some people say that the Accord Sedan's back end is dull? It's really sharp with a hint of sportiness and class. Indeed BMW is inspiration here.

master_ryu

Ok, this has been posted in other forums, but in response to the black sedan pic on the previous page, here's the 2-door version.

robertsmx

Love everything about the accessorized sedan and coupe but the spoiler. But then, I have never been a fan of having installed spoilers in my cars.

ctl

I would second carguy58's opinion. First impression, nice interior. The exterior though, seems very "Sonata". Then someone pointed out the new Saturn, I have to agree. Not to say it is ugly, at least much better than 2003 Accord (couldn't bring myself to that one). Instead of the somewhat failed "sporty" approach of 2003, this time Honda tried the "stately" way, just when Camry tried sporty, interesting.

My score:
1990-1993: 3.5, 1994-1997: 4, 1998-2002: 3.5, 2003-2005: 2.5
2008: 3. Maybe 3.5 more fair but compared to 2004 TL, the whole car curve line just isn't very "consistent"

texases

Agree on the '04 TL - best 4 door design out there today. What if it gets a 4.5 - does that help the '08 Accord?

dudleyr

Don't forget 86-89 5! They were way ahead of their time.

mdta

The design of the coupe is sooooo dated! it is in the same league with the mitsubishi eclipse, the design of the 90s. I would not buy one.

The sedan is old fashion, middle aged, sophisticate, it has French flavor. The Camry is more modern, sleek, younger looking.

I bought the ugly in and out 06 Accord because I like the handling, not the look.

Accord is for mature male; Camry is for mature female.

They should swap the handling characteristics of the two, then the young ones will buy Camry, the old ones will buy Accord.

robertsmx

The Camry is more modern, sleek, younger looking.

Ewww... ES350 is modern and sleek. Camry is a John Deere production.

thegraduate

The Camry needs the wart on its nose to be removed before I could ever call it sleek or young looking. Heck, i still consider the 2003-2007 Accord more sleek and better looking than the new Camry.

robertsmx

I think Toyota hit the nail with the body cladding (which I detest in any car), that people are going gaga over it. It looks bulkier than it really is. And to me, that is far from being "sleek".

The picture in MT with Camry and Accord lined up also shows that. The Accord, despite being the bigger of two, looks smaller, sleeker and lower. Now, imagine that Camry without cladding. To me, Camry is a lipstick job, but looks like that formula is working for many.

nippononly

I think the new Camry and now-new Accord are making the Altima the looker of the trio. If you prefer things on the blander side as many mid-/full-size sedan buyers will, the Fusion/Taurus/Impala/Malibu have a very clean look too.

The new Accord will compete directly with the Sonata and Azera on looks, while the Camry just looks plain weird, and not in a very good way...

thegraduate

The Altima is a looker only if you like a little (pardon the literal humor) junk in the trunk.

Its butt is too big, to me.

maddog11

I think the taillights on the Altima are cheesy looking and the interior is at best OK. The Camry's exterior is degraded by its nose, which reminds me of a pimple.

texases

Or maybe this:

nippononly

Yeah, I was referring only to exterior styling. I have a feeling that of the three Japanese contenders, I will (still) like the interior of the Accord the most.

yanker

I agree but i did not get a good look. The light colored and two color treatment is very much like the Avalon which I think is intended. The new Accord is supposed to compete with the AVALON

robertsmx

The new Accord is supposed to compete with the AVALON

Not really, unless you rely completely on semantics. And if you go by that, Hyundai Elantra competes with Camry/Altima and Sonata competes with Avalon/Maxima/Taurus. (And Sonata is larger than Accord, thanks to a larger trunk).

Accord will continue to compete where it always has been, while now having the benefit of appealing to people who want more room. So, Honda just expanded its appeal from everything as small as Mazda6 to something as big as Avalon or Maxima. Pretty much like Pilot, which competes with Highlander, 4Runner and Sequoia without being smaller or larger. Its all about the middle ground.

Also worth mentioning is the rumor of Stream. There is no point in Accord offering similar space as CR-V and Stream, while the latter two also have the advantage of greater utility (wagon). So, Accord gets its own advantage... more spacious/luxurious cabin (the trunk size has not been increased).

bristol2

FWIW, we should not lose sight of the fact that any Accord with a sun roof is no longer considered full sized but is back at mid-size. This ain't no Cadillac.

bristol2

From the NYT:
link title

Maybe a little over the top? Reviewer mentions it in the same breath as an MB E-Class.

robertsmx

It might be a little over the top, but then he is someone who has driven it. Probably got a bit carried away though. But his review has quite a few things in common with some others that I have read especially around the chassis, that it is very taut, and have read that the Honda hasn't forgotten the steering feel, one of the things neither Nissan and definitely Toyota don't seem to understand (or choose to isolate as much as possible).

albook

I have to say wow! I think the new Accord looks great! It's not bland anymore like the feminine outgoing model, yet not so radical as the weird looking Mazda wannabe Camry. It doesn't look like it tried to copy the sporty Altima, either. This looks as if it has a little lux, a little class. It looks dead Acura- like a little cheaper RL (I think this one looks better!). The BMW 5 styling is OBVIOUS.

Anyway, I already know the answer I'm going to get to this next question (I'm on a forum full of Honda lovers!) but I want to ask any way:
What do you guys think of the next gen. Malibu? Think it will knock off some serious Accord/Camry sales? Do you thinks it's finally a proper competitor to the benchmarks? Does Chevy have a heavy weight seller with this one? I think definitely, but what do those of you who may feel Honda is on level with no other think?

bvdj84

Honda is on its own level, Chevy cannot even compete with Honda, Try trading a Chevy in early, and see how upside down you are, the value goes down very fast. I have an 06 accord, and I can already make a profit on it. Chevy and honda are on separate levels. But in the looks department, maybe the malibu could compete, but not with overall value and quality. Malibu would need a good history of a good rep, and the way it looks now, it might reclaim a good rep. Honda has value and class, Chevy has very well engineered cars, but don't think the pay attention to detail like honda does. Remember, you get what you pay for. the malibu looks like its got its game on though! It will be interesting too see.

fxguy

Its a GM product. Though it looks good, they will build it like a kid helping mommy put the groceries away............carelessly.

volvowner

I keep hoping that the American car co's will begin to seriously compete with Honda and Toyota, but the burden of proof is on GM with the Malibu. This marks the third time the Malibu has been preceded by "finally competes with Accord" publicity. I drove the first two as rentals, and they were hopelessly behind in everything: engine refinement and performance, ride, responsiveness, interior quality, ergonomic layout, etc. VERY disappointing.

bristol2

I have to agree, my only experience with Chevy cars has been as rentals but they have been horrible. Lots of plastic, little attention to detail, rough engine.
I understand that the Aura is a pretty great car though so I will with-hold final judgment on the Malibu.

It has always seemed like more of a competitor for the Neon/ Sebring/ Forenza/ Elantra line up. Also if they give it the 'Maxx' name again I may die laughing.

flophead666

First time poster. I am a loyal Honda fan, but I have never bought a first year re-designed car. Should I take the chance or wait a year? If I take the gamble, will I have to pay MSRP or will dealers make deals to get some cars on the road?

elroy5

I bought the 03 Accord and have had no problems with it. I did wait until September of 03 to buy though, so they were a lot more willing to deal on 03's, when the 04's were coming in.

jet10000

I am a loyal Honda fan, but I have never bought a first year re-designed car. Should I take the chance or wait a year? If I take the gamble, will I have to pay MSRP or will dealers make deals to get some cars on the road?

First of all on the MSRP, yes at most places you're going to pay through the nose if you want to be one of the first to drive off the lot in Accord in September. But the Accord is a mass sales car and within a couple of months, they'll be making deals on them to keep them moving. The dealing will get better as the year progresses depending on how popular they turn out to be.

Furthermore, all auto companies have been hitting slow times the last couple of months (including Honda). If that continues, (as some analysts have stated due to the bad housing market) then it will be a good time for car buyers.

Personally, I think I'll wait a few months. See how they're moving, see what deals are being offered and hope for some incentives.

But I'm definitely going to take the chance on a first year car. I've been waiting for this Accord for awhile and I can't wait another whole 11 months at least to get a 2009.

jet10000

They are starting to put 2008 Accessories on this web-site:

http://www.collegehillshonda.com/artman2/publish/Accessory_Store_News_44/2008_Ho- nda_Accord_Accessory_Photos.shtml

Some notable items I saw:

Back-up sensors available for all trims.
Back-up camera kit that connects to the nav system.
Remote engine starter---manual available online

Trunk cargo:
Cargo net is a major improvement over 2007 version.
Cargo hooks are available for hanging bags in trunk
Cargo management system---A hard trunk divider with additional net dividers for additional division of the trunk space. (6 pictures to view)

Wheels--nice choices of 18" and 19" Honda Factory Performance wheels available

Rear wing spoiler apparently can only be added to the 4 cylinder because the V6 coupe comes standard with a deck lid spoiler.

robertsmx

My Accord was one of the first ones to roll off the production line when 1998 Accord arrived. Almost 180K miles later, I wouldn't mind getting a first year model. But then, it might be luck which doesn't really depend on which year a vehicle is produced in.

robertsmx

The next Malibu is a typical GM exercise. It is G6/Aura in disguise. This time, however, Chevrolet took styling cues from Buick (rear/side from Lucerne) which isn't "exciting" by any measure, but inoffensive and good looking. Next is, how does it compete in reality (beyond those virtual pictures that we have seen).

lweiss

The new Malibu appears to be a step in the right direction for GM (as did the Saturn Aura, but the sales have not been great so far). I think that GM would be very happy if their new models like the Malibu would simply stop their market share erosion to the Asian makes, which has been going on for 15 years. And there are many people in America that just want to buy vehicles from GM, Ford, or Chrysler no mattter what the offerings are from other manufacturers. And my parents are in that category- they would never buy anything but a GM product, and maybe for good reason- their 1995 Buick LeSabre runs incredibly well, gives them all the performance they want, and they are comfortable with their local Buick dealer.