‘Just about good enough’ sums up the new Accord’s performance.
The new engine produces 148bhp – up 10bhp from the old Accord – yet retains its commendably smooth running. And while overall weight has risen, it’s not by enough to blow a big hole in what was already fairly leisurely acceleration. Honda’s own numbers suggest an increase in 0-62mph time from 9.6 to 9.8sec, while we achieved a corresponding 9.5sec to 60mph in testing.
Of more importance is the quietness of the engine at a steady cruise and the fact that it has the nicest transmission in the class, even taking the German quality brands into account. Six speeds are standard and come with a change quality that is light yet deliciously precise.
Refinement levels are exceptional for this class of car, with wind, road and engine noise kept to a bare minimum.
It’s always more difficult to make a front-wheel-drive car ride and handle properly, because not only do the front wheels need to drive and steer, but they also carry a disproportionate amount of the car’s weight. Yet in this class, the only similarly configured car to reach standards as high as those set by the Accord is the Ford Mondeo.
Indeed, Honda would like you to believe the Accord’s chassis compares favourably to that of the BMW 3-series; while it’s not a contention we’d support ourselves, when you consider ride and handling as a whole, nor is it quite the implausible flight of fancy it might at first seem. Certainly the Honda’s ride quality reaches far beyond that of any Accord we can recall and probably any Honda, Legend included.
Yet instead of falling over in the corners as you might expect from one with such an accommodating ride, the Accord feels precise and assured all the way from turn-in to exit. What it lacks, and where the BMW (or a Mercedes C-class) scores so highly, is a degree of driver interaction that distinguishes a merely good-handling car from a real driving machine.