A balance of virtues

The Honda Accord has always been a very nice car. Whether you live in this country, in Europe, in Japan, or the US of A, it’s always been held in high regard. High enough, in fact, to net its fair share of accolades and awards from the local and international media over the years while, of course, nicely contributing to Honda’s bottom line. A couple of months ago, Honda Cars Philippines unveiled the latest "freshening" of its executive sedan, and we’d say it’s two steps forward and one tiny step backward.

Fundamentally unchanged from the car that first bowed to the public in 2003, the midlife improvements include massaged engines, more goodies in the modcon department, and some styling changes. More on that later. Only two models are offered now: the VTi-L with a 2.4-liter 4-cylinder, and the V6 with a 3.0-liter that’s rated at a hot-roddish 240 PS. Apart from the engine and some additional goodies in favor of the V6, the VTi-L is pretty much a complete package. You get auto climate, dual-zone control; smoked lens headlamps with an auto-off feature; driver and front-passenger side power seats; front and side airbags; drive-by-wire throttle; Vehicle Stability Assist system; and Optitron gauges, to name a few.

Styling revisions to the mildly futuristic body are largely restricted to the back end, and here is where we’re reminded of the saying to "be careful what you wish for". See, the old derrière was fine if you like your chrome bits, but after we’d seen the Japan model with its Acura-esque simplicity, we knew they had the better-looking Accord. But who can tell what goes on in the minds of stylists, eh? The new car has even more sparkle than before, thanks largely to expensive LED taillamps. Unfortunately, the rear decklid with its mid-level crease, white license plate lamps, and integrated 3rd brake lamp simply looks too contrived to be genuinely elegant, instead looking insecure and, ahh, having casual onlookers mistake it for a Korean make. Ouch.

Apart from that styling faux pas, the rest of the car is as quietly stylish as before. It’s neither as imposing as the new Toyota Camry or as boy racer-ish as the Mazda6, but the smooth wedge profile with its large greenhouse and mildly flaring fenders give the impression that whoever’s driving must be a smooth operator. Like our motoring editor, for example.

Ah, yes, to drive it. Cars of this class are often chauffeur-driven machines, but there still are more than a few folks who prefer to steer themselves. The Accord strikes the balance; you can get comfortable in the backseat, or you can have genuine good fun in the left-front too. Get in and you immediately notice how well the car fits around you. The seat has just the right amount of cushioning and bolstering, the pedals are easily within reach and perfectly spaced, the controls fall easily to hand, and except for the distractingly thick A-pillars, the sightlines are terrific all around.

Put it in Drive and the car glides forward with urgency. Lent a VTi-L for a week, we liked the power and smoothness of the 2.4 so much that, unless you’re in a real hurry, the 4-banger’s 170 horses will move you along just fine. Mated to a 5-speed automatic, it purrs along in the low range and runs smoothly to the redline without protest, making quick work of overtaking situations. There is no manumatic function, but the sportier "D3" setting of the transmission is responsive enough that you can trigger quickie downshifts by just flooring the accelerator.

Steering, braking, and handling are all on the "just right" setting, too. Point the car where you want to go and you get good feedback through the steering wheel, the brakes grab progressively, and the suspension feels nimble enough up to the onset of understeer. Up to 8/10ths driving, which is what most real-world owners would willingly subject their cars to anyway, you can scoot in and out of lanes or up and down a set of hills with little of the dive, pitch, roll, or yaw that you’d expect from a midsize car that also happens to give a nicely soft, yet solid ride.

In traffic, just toodling along in the Christmas season melee, it’s as quiet as a Euro ride, and almost as composed over the potholes. Whether you’re holding the reins up front or just catching some zzz’s at the back, it’s such a sublime experience being in this car that you can’t help but be amazed at the skill of Honda’s engineers.

And while the ones who penned the rear end probably need some more soul-searching, the ones who styled the interior made it close to perfect. The instrument panel and center console use white lighting, and combined with the dashboard’s futuristic yet maddeningly-logical layout, it’s the rare cockpit you don’t want to get out of very quickly. VTi-L models come with black leather upholstery and silver trim, while the V6 gets tan leather and faux wood, but we think VTi-L buyers get the better deal.

The black leather looks very European and the silver trim looks avant-garde, whereas the V6’s tan leather might be troublesome to maintain while the fake wood is simply… fake. At a sticker price of P1.470M, it’s not the most affordable car in the midsize market. But if you value driving enjoyment along with ride comfort, and you value the finer details like build quality and how a car turns into a willing partner on the road rather than a mere appliance, then this Accord hits that sweet spot just fine.