Honda’s next-generation Accord gets a sleeker look and turbo engines
Honda’s popular mid-size sedan enters its 10th generation and is set to reach Thai showrooms next year.
It looks more like a fastback now… Honda’s next-generation Accord, just unveiled in the US this week, is adopting a sleeker and sportier profile in a bid to shed some of its conservatism.
Inspired by the smaller Civic (and the Clarity fuel-cell car), the new Accord is still a sedan with a three-box shape, just with the rear windscreen more raked. While the front end bears the family look of other Hondas, it’s the rear quarter — the lights and D-pillars — that help make the Accord clearly distinguishable from its predecessor (the one still lurking in Thai showrooms).
According to Honda, the sleeker shape has made the Accord 3% more efficient in terms of aerodynamics. The body itself uses more high-strength steel than ever to improve torsional and bending rigidity by 32% and 24%, respectively. And thanks to the use of aluminium in the suspension, the overall weight has dropped by 50-80kg depending on the model.
The Accord is now 15mm lower in height and 10mm wider in width. Although the length has been shortened by 10mm, the wheelbase has grown by a good 55mm, to 2,831mm.
As a result, engineers have managed to push the rear seats further back to increase legroom for occupants. The revamped fascia is said to have more soft-touch materials and incorporates a new 7-inch TFT display behind the steering wheel and 8-inch touchscreen in the centre.
Is the NA engine dead in the Accord?
Yes, it is. Replacing the 2.4-litre naturally aspirated four-cylinder petrol engine is a downsized 1.5-litre turbo variation, as used in the Civic. In US specs, this 1.5 produces 192hp compared to the 185hp 2.4. But it’s the amount of torque that matters in the 1.5, due to the presence of a turbocharger : 260Nm is achieved at 1,500-5,000rpm.
The 278hp 3.5-litre V6 is also superseded by a smaller 2.0litre turbo unit, largely based on the Civic Type R’s but with a lower output of 252hp. But the new 2.0 gains with more usable performance, thanks to its maximum torque of 370Nm being attained at 1,500- 4,000rpm.
Though both motors still propel the front wheels only, the automatic transmission is different. While the 1.5 employs the CVT type, the 2.0 uses the brand’s latest 10- speed torque- converter unit. Fuel economy is said to be better in both cases, but Honda has yet to reveal how much it has improved.
The 2.0-litre hybrid model is still being offered, combining a petrol engine and two electric motors. Honda hasn’t gone into detail about it, but it’s understood to be carried over from the ninth-gen model because it’s still a competitive drivetrain in its class.
How different will theThai- spec Accord be?
Given the track record of the Accord in world markets, the Thai version shouldn’t be much different. What Thais probably won’t get is the new 2.0 model. Instead, expect the usual hybrid and the new 1.5, the latter one having a high chance of getting E85 compatibility for lowered excise tax and retail prices (the Civic’s 1.5 has yet to go E85).
Differentiation may also come in terms of features. The Accord in the US comes with an array of driver-assist technologies, as well as an adjustable suspension. Other petty but useful items include a 6-inch heads- up display, a 12- way adjustable seat for the driver and air- cooled front seats.
The new Accord goes on sale in the US in the third quarter of this year, while Thai sales should begin next year (at the same time that Toyota’s Thai office is gearing up to launch the latest- generation Camry, which was already introduced in the US earlier this year).