Leave it to Honda to show us how to do more with less.
BY STEVE SILER, October 2007
Here we go again. Honda’s mega-selling Accord has undergone a ground-up redo after its usual four short model years, at no point during which it fell off our annual 10Best list. And as usually happens when Honda redesigns a car, there is more good news than bad, including more space, greater efficiency, more features, and more power for both four-cylinder and V-6 models, the latter now making a whopping 268 horsepower.
You know how this is going to end.
But what of this power thing? In any given car company’s quest to keep its products ahead of the pack in horsepower and torque, if only for bragging rights, is there not a point at which a car ends up with too much power? Moreover, in the case where a car offers a less potent, more efficient alternative powertrain, is there not a point at which that smaller motor makes not only enough to please modest drivers but also enough to please enthusiasts? On both counts, we think so. And for proof, we submit the Honda Accord EX.
Four Is Enough
Now, this is not to say that the 3.5-liter V-6 Accord has too much of anything, really, but it’s certainly way more powerful than any front-wheel-drive family sedan needs to be, especially since, at this level, it’s hard to get that kind of power to the ground without the traction-control nannies beeping, blinking, and wrist-slapping during bursts of enthusiasm. Besides, to some of us, the six-pot’s character is a touch too mature—almost luxury-car-like. Indeed, after driving several Accords with the hyper-potent six, our prevailing thought is that Acura dealers must be pissed; their base TL makes less horsepower than its much cheaper corporate cousin.
BY STEVE SILER, October 2007
Here we go again. Honda’s mega-selling Accord has undergone a ground-up redo after its usual four short model years, at no point during which it fell off our annual 10Best list. And as usually happens when Honda redesigns a car, there is more good news than bad, including more space, greater efficiency, more features, and more power for both four-cylinder and V-6 models, the latter now making a whopping 268 horsepower.
You know how this is going to end.
But what of this power thing? In any given car company’s quest to keep its products ahead of the pack in horsepower and torque, if only for bragging rights, is there not a point at which a car ends up with too much power? Moreover, in the case where a car offers a less potent, more efficient alternative powertrain, is there not a point at which that smaller motor makes not only enough to please modest drivers but also enough to please enthusiasts? On both counts, we think so. And for proof, we submit the Honda Accord EX.
Four Is Enough
Now, this is not to say that the 3.5-liter V-6 Accord has too much of anything, really, but it’s certainly way more powerful than any front-wheel-drive family sedan needs to be, especially since, at this level, it’s hard to get that kind of power to the ground without the traction-control nannies beeping, blinking, and wrist-slapping during bursts of enthusiasm. Besides, to some of us, the six-pot’s character is a touch too mature—almost luxury-car-like. Indeed, after driving several Accords with the hyper-potent six, our prevailing thought is that Acura dealers must be pissed; their base TL makes less horsepower than its much cheaper corporate cousin.