2008 Honda Accord launched in Manila
WORDS Marvin Tan PHOTOS Marvin Tan  | 12 March 2008

Honda brings out the big gun to crash the Camry party. Honda’s on the warpath. The last two models the company released in the market, the Civic and the CR-V, have been flying off showrooms faster than cheeseburgers at McDonald’s. Now it’s the Accord’s turn. In 1994, Honda brought the Accord to the market and it was an instant hit among upper-crust buyers. It was, quite simply, the de facto premium car of those days and the Toyota Corona was just too dowdy to compete. In 1998, the sixth-generation Accord bowed and it remained the pick of the class since, well, the Toyota Camry was still too dowdy. By 2003 however, the seventh-generation Accord was rapidly losing ground to the redesigned Camry. In 2007, the latest Camry was outselling the Accord ten to one, even if the Camry was considerably more expensive than the Accord. So now in 2008, Honda is bringing out the big gun. Enter the all-new eighth-generation Accord. It’s Honda’s big gun in that it really is big. This largest Accord ever is 4,935 mm (194.3 in) long, 1,845 mm (72.6 in) wide, 1,476 (58.1 in) high and has a wheelbase of 2,800 mm (110.2 in). Bigger on all counts than the outgoing Accord. More importantly, bigger on all counts than the Toyota Camry. But no worries, because this is also the most powerful Accord ever. Propelling all that beef is the familiar 2.4-liter four-cylinder massaged to make 178 hp and 222 Nm (165 lb-ft) of torque in the 2.4 S and a brand-new 3.5-liter V6 putting out a colossal 271 hp and 339 Nm (252 lb-ft) of twist in the 3.5 V6 model. All of these numbers trump the old Accord and trump all variants of the Camry. And Teana. And Galant. And Mazda 6. And Subaru Legacy. You may think that a 3.5-liter V6 would drink gas like a thirsty dromedary. But Honda’s 3.5 V6 features active cylinder deactivation called VCM, for “variable cylinder management”. It automatically deactivates some cylinders during light-load running, so the 3.5 V6 effectively becomes a 2.3-liter V-4 or a 1.7-liter inline-3 as conditions demand. In theory, it’s brilliant. Full power when you want it, and max economy when you don’t need full power. What this means is that the 3.5 V6-4-3 Accord is potentially more fuel efficient than the 2.4 Accord and every other car in its class, particularly in the city and while idling in a Manila-specialty traffic jam. To counter the unwanted vibrations and the disturbed engine harmonics that deactivating cylinders would give, the 3.5 V6 Accord features special “Active Control” engine mounts and “Active Noise Control” to ensure that the engine operations are totally seamless and imperceptible to driver and passengers alike. In both the 2.4 S and the 3.5 V6, the engine is mated to a 5-speed automatic transmission. This is one less than in the Camry, but drivers likely won’t notice. What they will likely notice, on the other hand, is the impeccable quality of the materials and the fit and finish in the Accord’s cabin. The seats are skinned in soft leather and switches and knobs are tactile delights. There’s a great gaggle of buttons clustered prominently at the center of the dashboard, which initially seems like a confused mess. However, the buttons are huge and clearly marked, and I soon appreciated the ergonomic correctness of this arrangement. Also prominent on the dash is a large multi-function LCD. The interior is mostly a tribute to BMW, which isn’t really a bad thing, I suppose. However, I do miss the simpler and cleaner look of the dashboard of the old Accord. The exterior is mostly also a tribute to BMW. There are some engaging details, like the sharply peeled back headlights and the bold character line along the sides that emphasize the new car’s wedge shape. But the angular grille may be off-putting for some and I would understand if some people think it’s a slightly awkward mix of sharp angles and soft curves. All in all, the design isn’t quite as cohesive and well-integrated as the Camry, but it’s a bolder, more striking design than most of its competitors, with the clear exception of the new Mazda 6. It’s also boldy priced at P1.645 million for the 2.4 S and P1.995 for the 3.5 V6, which is practically a match for the Camry 2.4 V and 3.5 Q. Honda ups the ante with features, however, as even the 2.4 S comes fully loaded. Check it out: auto on and off HID headlights with aim adjustment, 17-inch wheels with 225/50R-17 tires, black leather and black wood trim, rear aircon vents, leather-wrapped steering wheel with audio controls and tilt and telescope adjustment, turn signal repeaters on the side mirror housings, water repellent side mirrors, power-retractable side mirrors, power front seats, fog lamps, footwell lights, 6-disc in-dash CD player with MP3 playback and iPod connectivity, 6-speaker audio, dual-zone auto climate control, electric rear sunshade, rear parking sensors, ABS, electronic stability control (VSA), anti-theft alarm and engine immobilizer, front and side airbags and five three-point seat belts. The Accord 2.4 S trumps the bestselling Camry 2.4 V in features. The additional P350,000 for the 3.5 V6 buys you that best-of-both-worlds VCM V6-4-3 engine, a sunroof, wood trim on the steering wheel, a black and tan color combination with dark brown wood trim, memory settings on the driver’s seat, side curtain airbags, a premium sound system that adds a subwoofer to the six speakers and rain-sensing wipers. The Accord has always been wonderful to drive, and the foreign press has already extolled the dynamic virtues of the Accord. I have yet to read a formal comparison test where the Accord lost to the Camry. But will all of this firepower be enough to lay siege to Toyota’s stranglehold on the midsize sedan market? Honda is betting big that it is. Also see this discussion thread about the new Accord in the bigbigcar.com Forums Don't miss the all-new 2008 Mazda 6!

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