Last week, I was driving a very nice, perfectly powered sedan with a four-cylinder engine. Thus, when I got behind the wheel of the all-new Honda Accord Coupe this week, I didn’t quite expect the kick that came with the 3.5-liter V-6 engine.
But, wow! What a kick. And I used it every chance I had. Getting on the Kennedy? Vroom! Taking off from a red light? Vroom! Pulling out of my alley? Vroom!
2008 Honda Accord
Here comes the Accord
Favorite features:
- Variable Cylinder Management
- 3.5-liter, V-6 engine has a nice kick with 268 horsepower
- Upscale interior
- Excellent trunk space
Needs improvement:
- Seat height adjustment could go a bit higher
- Dash controls that come with the navigation system are a little overwhelming
With this in mind, it’s no surprise that I only averaged 14.4 mpg in combined – but mostly city – driving during the test week. EPA estimates that you should get 18 mpg in the city and 28 mpg on the highway. Oops.
I know I could have brought my average up if I had more highway driving time, but the 4-mile, to-and-from-work trek just doesn’t count … even though it does technically take place on the highway. The new V-6 engine in the Accord uses Honda’s Variable Cylinder Management (VCM), which is just a fancy way to say that at cruising speeds three of the six cylinders deactivate. Thus, this 268-horsepower engine has the best of both worlds: Pep when you need it, and really good fuel economy for those longer highway treks.
I frequently saw the ECO light flick on when the cylinders deactivated, but because of the stop-and-go Chicago traffic, it didn’t stay on too long. The great thing about VCM is that the switch between three and six cylinders is not noticeable at all. There are other similar systems out there that you either hear or feel when the switch is made.
The Accord is redesigned for 2008, making this the eighth-generation Accord. Both the coupe and sedan get a sexy overhaul, and while I’ve always thought the coupe was attractive, it was the sedan that made the biggest gains in the looks department. With hints of Acura TL, sedan and coupe now look like they belong to the same family with similarly shaped headlights and the indented horizontal line that swoops along the sides of both vehicles.
The test vehicle was an up-level EXL model with the navigation system, so the interior of this vehicle was decidedly more upscale than the base model Accord. It had leather seats and chrome-colored finishing touches. I have driven the base model briefly, and I liked it for its clean simplicity. The dash controls are manageable, and the cloth seating surfaces are soft, plain and comfortable.
While I always appreciate a car with a navigation system, the controls that come along with the Accord’s nav are a little bit overwhelming. When you look at the center stack after first getting in the car, it’s a smorgasbord of buttons and dials. It’s mostly self-explanatory unlike the BMW iDrive or the Audi MMI, but it still gives pause as you are getting ready to make and adjustment or selection. Several times during the test week, I found my hand hovering over the control panel as I tried to remember what button I needed to hit adjust the radio, access the map or change the HVAC settings.
By nature of the fact that the test vehicle was a coupe, it was incredibly sporty and fun-to-drive. It cornered well and gripped the road while pushing the corners. I would have liked it to have a better turning radius, but in all, the coupe drove and handled beautifully.
The test vehicle came with the five-speed automatic transmission, which was nice and smooth, but I was hoping for the six-speed manual. I had previously spent about 10 minutes with the manual transmission and had a blast with it.
The one thing that bothered me about the coupe is that I couldn’t quite adjust the seat height enough so that I had an optimal view out of the front of the vehicle. It wasn’t terrible, but I sat a little bit lower than I would have liked. The hump covering the gauges as well as the top of the steering wheel cut across the bottom of my vision, and while it didn’t obstruct my view, it was annoying.
For a coupe, the test vehicle had an excellent trunk with 11.9 cubic-feet of volume. While this isn’t normally something I test fully because I just don’t have stuff to haul, it really came in handy during the test week. I had this car during my move, and I am a little bit overprotective of my dishes and glassware. So, I took them over to the new condo myself. I discovered that the trunk had enough space to hold five medium-sized boxes (slightly larger than a paper box) with some hanging clothes mashed in over the top.
I suppose this shouldn’t be too much of a surprise, however, considering that Accord, with the redesign, has officially moved into the large-car segment. It still competes with midsize cars like the Toyota Camry and Nissan Altima, but the interior volume was just enough to push it one segment up.
As someone who doesn’t have a family, I tend toward the coupe segment for its innate sporty nature. Plus, I like the fact that I can put my briefcase on the floor in the backseat without opening another door. The Accord Coupe is one of those cars that has it all from good looks to great ride, and the test vehicle had everything I could want on a car and more. Thus, when I looked at the sticker sheet, I was actually surprised to see a bottom line of $31,145. I fully expected this vehicle to top $35K with the leather and nav system. The finishing touches alone made it look like it belonged in the luxury class.
I know the coupe class is a shrinking, dying breed, but I hope it continues to stick around. A great car like the Accord Coupe deserves a long shelf life. A very long shelf life.
DriveLive around Chicago in a VW Eos
