The Challenger
"This looks like a BMW," says the valet at the Four Seasons as I exit the silver Accord. He should know, as he parks plenty of Bavaria's finest at the swanky hotel near Copley Square. Photog Vance agrees and, as he points out the character line that spans the length of the body as well as the Hofmeister kink in the C-pillar, I, too, begin seeing hints of the 3 and the 5 Series. There are traces of the Acura RL also, but overall the theme is quite Teutonic.
Armed with the more grownup facade -- the pushed out, raised nose; the six-point grille with chrome surround; the large, rakish headlamps; and prominent fender flares result in a more refined look -- the new Accord has, no surprise, grown up in size. With a passenger volume of 106.0 cubic feet (in the base car) and a trunk that swallows 14.0 cubic feet, the Accord is now classified as a large sedan, placing it in the same class as the Ford Taurus and the Toyota Avalon. Compared with the 2007 model, the 2008 is 3.2 inches longer, 1.1 inches wider, and 0.9 inch taller. Further, the wheelbase, at 110.2 inches, is 2.3 inches greater than its predecessor's and 0.9 inch longer than the Camry's.
The benefits of the larger body manifest in increases of nearly every interior dimension, notably 0.7 extra inch of front headroom, 0.4 inch more rear legroom, and 1.3 inches of additional front shoulder room. With the more capacious cockpit comes more freedom to enjoy the richer interior, which, in our EX-L tester, was fitted with leather upholstery, heated and power front seats, dual-zone automatic climate control, and a 270-watt audio system with XM Satellite Radio. Our tester also had the available nav system -- now controlled solely by a dash-mounted rotary knob a la the RL -- which brings Bluetooth capability to boot. Per Honda standards, interior quality is a step above the previous iteration's, and fit and finish are top notch.
While being bigger, the body is stronger and sleeker. By utilizing more high-strength steel (48 percent versus 39 for the 2007), a unit-body frame rail system that positions the rails above and inside the floor, and Honda's Advanced Compatibility Engineering body structure, which helps disperse energy and protect passengers in a frontal collision, the Accord boasts a 20-percent jump in torsional rigidity. Naturally, front, side, and curtain airbags are standard, as are active front head restraints. So when it comes to the all-important crash-test scores from NHTSA and IIHS, Honda projects the Accord will receive the highest. No projections are needed in the wind tunnel, though, as the Accord has already bettered its performance due to a drop in the coefficient of drag from 0.34 to 0.31.
The control-arm front suspension-an Accord hallmark-carries over, albeit with revised geometry, anti-roll bars, and spring and damper rates as well as the addition of a tower brace for added stiffness. The big news lies within the rear suspension, where an "in-wheel" multilink design supersedes the previous control-arm setup. Composed of an upper A-arm, two tubular lower links, and a single toe-control link, the rear suspension, according to Honda, provides 40-percent-greater lateral rigidity and improved ride, handling, and braking. Aiding in handling are a 10mm-lower center of gravity, a new Variable Gear Ratio steering system, and slightly wider 225/50R17 Michelin tires, which get stopping orders from four-wheel disc brakes with electronic force distribution and brake assist.
Those chassis enhancements will come in handy when prodding the 268 horsepower from the new 3.5-liter V-6. Up 24 horses and 37 pound-feet of torque (now at 248) over the previous 3.0-liter, the 3.5 features i-VTEC variable valve timing and, similar to the Odyssey minivan, Variable Cylinder Management. Unlike VCM in the Odyssey, though, which can switch only from six- to three-cylinder power, the Accord's system operates in six-, four-, or three-cylinder mode, the middle by deactivating one cylinder per bank and for, say, driving on the freeway at high speeds. With three-mode VCM, the Accord V-6, mated to a five-speed automatic, will achieve estimated fuel economy of 19/29 mpg-markedly superior to the 3.0 liter's 18/26 (2008 methods) -- while running on regular gas and meeting ULEV-2 and, in CARB states, PZEV standards.
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