Here comes the Honda accord

The mid-size sedan segment is abuzz with excitement – rightfully so. In today’s section alone we feature two mid-size sedans from significant Japanese players launched one after the other (see page D-1 for the other). Honda’s new offering, the all-new, technologically gifted eighth-generation Accord, has been getting its fair share of queries – especially since we published a teaser article on it a couple of weeks back. Fret not, dear reader. Starting today, it can actually be viewed in Honda showrooms all over the country. Still, if you cannot as yet find the time to personally check it out, read on and whet your appetite.

Taking its cue from the current trend of mid-size sedans offering bigger yet more fuel efficient engines, the 2008 Honda Accord comes in two distinct variants – a 2.4-liter inline 4-cylinder i-VTEC-equipped 16-valve DOHC variant, and an astounding on paper 3.5-liter V6 also equipped with i-VTEC technology but with 24 valves and a mind-boggling new technological enhancement called VCM643. VCM643, or variable cylinder management, is a technological wonder – and it’s what sets the Accord apart. It allows for the car to read its driver’s inputs and adjust its performance parameters accordingly. Floor the gas pedal and the VCM643 will feed the new Accord massive amounts of torque, the kind you’d expect from a V6. Testosterone-inducing acceleration is thus a given. Drive with a tender right foot, meanwhile, and the car will calm down and perform like a fuel-efficient inline-4 or even inline-3. The VCM643, according to our colleagues who were able to test drive the new Accord during a visit to Honda’s Tochigi Proving Grounds in Japan last year, manages the Accord’s performance parameters so well (via a smooth-shifting 5 speed automatic transmission) that even the most observant motoring journalists present were hard-pressed to tell the difference as the car shifted from one mode to the other.

While this writer has yet to actually test-drive the new Accord in order to verify this claim, we’ll readily agree with the lucky few who did get to drive it on another point – the car’s striking new interiors. Plush materials, ergonomic controls and an overall more sound design raise the level of comfort inside the new Accord. Passengers, who for this segment have become increasingly more discerning if not altogether more demanding, will most likely be pleased with the improvements as many of us were.

As for the exterior, it can be described as both bold and sophisticated – worthy of the car’s aim to be the benchmark in its now very competitive segment. A distinct six-point large scale front grille coupled with a solidly built body panel and sharply engraved side character lines add to the Accord’s commanding appearance. And, with safety features galore (six airbags with Occupant Position Detection System, 3-point ELR seatbelts with load limiter and pretensioner functions, Honda’s G-force Control impact-absorption technology, ABS with EBD and Vehicle Stability Assist), it isn’t surprising how confident the people at Honda Philippines are with their new flag bearer.

“The eighth-generation Accord is guaranteed to set a new benchmark in luxury sedans. Built with a new discipline in exterior styling, engine technology and ergonomics, we can confidently say that the eighth-generation Accord is indeed the best Accord ever,” said Arnel Doria, Honda Cars’ VP for Marketing during the Accord’s launch.

Now, if all this information didn’t get you all riled up and ready for a visit to the nearest Honda showroom, we wouldn’t know what would.