HONDA SEDAN GETS SOME SIZZLE
The Accord has modest aims — and a hybrid version to help the cause
Honda has launched a large sedan, knowing the business case barely stacks up.
The media launch was on the same day Holden pulled the plug on the Commodore, citing the huge shift to SUVs and the demise of the large sedan market.
Honda director Stephen Collins says there was plenty of internal debate before Australia put its hand up for the 10th generation of the Accord, conservatively projecting about 150 sales a year.
Yep, a year. For perspective, Toyota sold 2000 Camrys last month, many of them to fleets, and Mazda sells about 300 examples of the Mazda6 monthly.
“There was some discussion about whether to bring Accord in,” says Collins, “but it is effectively our flagship model and existing owners love them.
“They’re probably the market we’re looking at. We don’t expect too many conquest sales.”
The arrival of a hybrid version may help Honda’s cause here. Toyota underestimated Australian demand for hybrid versions of the Camry and RAV4 and the hybrid Accord could easily account for more than the 20 per cent share Honda anticipates.
The hybrid adds $2500 to the conventional car’s $47,990 and justifies the premium by trimming more than 2.0L/100km from the claimed thirst.
Packaging the lithium-ion battery under the rear seat avoids compromising boot space. Cargo capacity in each version is a huge 570L, still with space for a space-saver spare.
Beyond the different engines, features are identical, including eight-inch touchscreen with smartphone mirroring, satnav, head-up display, wireless phone charging, LED lights, semi-automated parking, power/heated front seats and adaptive cruise control.
The safety software is comprehensive and outward vision is better than average. Honda says it has freed up almost 50mm of extra rear legroom over the previous model but taller folk may find the headroom tight if they lean back in the well-cushioned pews.
The plastics look and feel durable but lack the soft touches that impart a feeling of quality. The tablet-style infotainment screen doesn’t match the resolution or physical size of some rivals.
Navigating through the menus is easy thanks to the inclusion of physical buttons on each side of the display.
Another minor quibble is with the glovebox in the turbo version — the latch mechanism and hinges operate more like a $30,000 car than something worth in excess of $50K on the road. Strangely, the hybrid’s glovebox has better quality, slow-release hinges.
ON THE ROAD
High-strength steel boosts the Accord’s rigidity by about a third and the new car is about 70kg lighter than its predecessor.
The 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbo shares its bottom end with the engine used in the CR-V and Civic but has a unique turbo and cylinder head to boost outputs to 140kW/260Nm.
That endows the Accord with respectable acceleration — we’re guessing mid eightseconds from rest to 100km/h. Honda has worked hard on the continuously variable transmission and it is only when you’re under full noise that you’ll hear the signature flare.
The hybrid version performs comparably, despite weighing almost 90kg more at 1591kg.
Put that down to the combined 158kW/ 315Nm from the 2.0-litre engine and electric drive motor.
A second motor acts as the starter/generator as well as recharging the 1.3kWh battery or linking the engine to the drive motor for maximum thrust.
Claimed fuel use in the hybrid is 4.3L/100km and there’s a good chance owners who drive in stop-start traffic may achieve that.
Light and direct, the steering helps the Accord feel smaller than its 4.9m length. Wind noise is all but non-existent, though the front tyres are prone to roar over coarse-chip bitumen.
VERDICT
A polished product, the Accord doesn’t land any knockout blows on the Mazda6 or Toyota’s Camry.