Our love/hate relationship with the 2008 V-6 Honda Accord has been well documented. We have one in our garage for the year, and certain staff members love to rip on the styling of the all-new model. Others hate having to constantly remind these guys they've misplaced their bifocals again.
What about the four-cylinder model? Well, with the same sheetmetal and interior layout come the same quibbles with the design. On the outside, bulging headlights and a mix of intersecting panels and seams offend some, while others think it has a look that'll age better than the fresh-now-who-knows-about-2011 styling of, say, the new Malibu.
Inside, the generational gap persists. So foul were the oaths muttered by some about the seemingly arbitrarily arranged spread of buttons on the center console, you'd think we were talking about BMW's iDrive system. Others hadn't looked up long enough from their iPhones to notice.
The four-cylinder Accord EX's performance is more well-received. Though the Accord is much larger than the last generation, it's also more powerful, pushing out 190 hp from a 2.4L I-4, giving the Accord an 8.2-sec 0-to-60 time. All good, so far, but our judges were split on the delivery of these powerful goods.
"It's not fair to say this about just this car, but the I-4 Accord definitely struggled going uphill. I had the opportunity to pass a slow-moving truck and couldn't get up enough steam to do it," says associate editor Allyson Harwood.
"Not exactly awe-inspiring thrust, and why won't it rev to redline when my foot's on the floor?" wonders tech editor Frank Markus.
Senior editor Ron Kiino disagrees. "The engine is lovely, smooth, and sounds racy especially in VTEC."
All were on the same page regarding the transmission. "The transmission works well, making good use of the power available. I actually this trans is better here than with the V-6," adds Harwood.
"[The transmission] is responsive and smooth," says Kiino, "but I'd still like a manual mode." The fact that Honda's five-speed auto can slip, detentless, from D (drive) to third gear (D3) without allowing access to fourth gear, has been a frequent complaint.
Though the Accord ruled the skidpad with the highest lateral grip, our editors' subjective ride quality and handling assessments ran far and wide. Markus liked the ride ("very supple" and steering "light but direct, with few surprises"), but wasn't thrilled with the overconservative stability control.
"I felt a lot of VSC [vehicle stability control] intervention at the same speed as the others," he says. "I don't like it -- I felt in control until the car decided otherwise."
Kiino found no problem with the VSC or handling, calling the Accord "very composed."
"The Accord has sharp turn-in, stays flat, and has smooth steering and great brakes," he says. "Plus, the ride is compliant, yet you have a strong sense of what's going on at the contact patches."
Though perhaps too strong for some as Harwood notes: "The ride is too rough for my taste, but acceptable on a daily drive."
Other notable commentary singled out the pronounced roughness transmitted by the tires and wind noise (though at brisk 80-mph California highway speeds). Though mentioned by all, some were not as concerned, chalking it up to increased road feel.
Markus gave the Accord high marks for its "huge" rear seat, terrific visibility, and a nice lockable ski pass-through, but dinged it on the equally upsized trunk. "Not great -- decent space, but lots of intrusions, including two exposed, quaintly obsolete, goosenecks."
On the value end, there's no denying the Accord makes a strong case. As is the Honda way, our EX model came well equipped, with few options or extra costs. It's as tested price of $23,860 put it well below its rivals Altima, Fusion, Malibu, and Passat, but at a premium when compared against Camry, Optima, and Sonata.
Honda has produced a strong contender that benefits from name recognition, a proven track record, and sterling reputation, but this all-new Accord isn't perfect.
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