Honda Zips Up the Accord

With the imminent debut of its eighth-generation Accord, Honda is looking to upgrade its plain vanilla image

My local gourmet shop has an entire wall covered with all the different flavors of ice cream, sorbets and gelatos it offers. Yet despite the exotic offerings, vanilla is still one of the store's biggest sellers. So why should we be surprised to see the same thing in the midsize automotive market, where "plain vanilla" offerings, like the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord, have consistently dominated the sales charts, year-after-year?

Surprisingly, it's the automakers who seem most worried about being viewed as little more than automotive appliances. With the launch of its most recent Camry, Toyota tried to introduce a bit more styling flair while also upgrading both performance and handling. Now, it's Honda's turn.

With the imminent debut of its eighth-generation Accord, the Japanese maker is hoping to ramp up the flavor quotient. As TheCarConnection.com discovered, during a preview in Boston , Honda's new mid-size sedan is decidedly more interesting to look at, with a bolder, yet cleaner overall look, starting with its aggressive new nose, and flaired wheel wells.

Notably, Honda has chosen to give the Accord Coupe a unique look, for the first time fitting it with completely different body panels. The buzzword, sporty, is quick to the lips, but it's more than just a catchphrase. The two-door is markedly sleeker, with a sexy curve to the roof, the bold character line, sweeping from front wheels to rear lamps, giving the coupe a sense of constant motion.

Under the skin, both vehicles benefit from much-desired improvements to chassis, powertrain, and running gear. Though we were disappointed to learn that Honda overestimated its original horsepower numbers, our time behind the wheel revealed some real performers about to roll into showrooms across the U.S.

But for all the changes, Honda isn't walking away from what has made the Accord a consistent best-seller. It still offers an unexpectedly roomy and comfortable interior—in both coupe and sedan configurations. There's plenty of upscale content, even on the base model. And the latest studies, from the likes of J.D. Power and Associates, show that Honda remains one of the most reliable brands on the market, even as some of its Asian competitors run into trouble. Barring something truly unexpected, we're expecting the new Accord to maintain its largely trouble-free reputation.

The 2008 sedan is a wee bit bigger than before—in keeping with Accord tradition. "As our customers grew up, we've grown up with them," said Dan Bonawitz, Honda's marketing chief. Nose to tail, it's 70 mm (about three inches) longer, with the wheelbase bumped 60 mm. Most of that goes into a roomier cabin. The roof is 25 mm (an inch) taller, even though the floor is lower, further enhancing the feel of roominess.

All that added sheetmetal couldn't overcome Honda engineers' efforts to trim weight, so the new car comes in at about 150 pounds more than before, though as we'll see in a moment, that's not reflected in the fuel economy.

The original Accord hatchback that hit U.S. highways in 1976 was barely as big as today's Honda Civic. The Accord sedan followed three years later. In that era of downsized expectations, buyers had to settle for a miniscule, 68-horsepower CVCC engine.

The next generation of Accord buyers will have three powertrains to choose from, including the beefy, 3.5-liter i-VTEC V-6. It makes a solid 268 hp, and though that's five less than Honda originally expected, you wouldn't notice on the road. In the sedan, this engine gives you a solid, aggressive launch feel, and in the coupe, you'll find yourself pushed deeply into the new sport seats.

In the weeks after our New England ride-and-drive, Honda modestly downgraded ratings for the other two powertrain packages, as well. For the most mileage-minded of customers, there's a 177-horsepower in-line four. It delivers acceptable levels of acceleration, but the word, "anemic" might come to mind. A nice compromise can be found in the form of the 190-hp in-line four.