08 Honda Accord By: ALAN GELL (10/07) www.CarColumns.Net At the start of the fall season,  I was among a small group of journalists who had the opportunity to test-drive a great new vehicle, the 2008 Honda Accord.  Yes, I know the Accord is not a "new" car, but it has been totally remade this year.   We were down in central Texas, zipping and zooming along the back roads around Bastrop.  We had last years' models for comparison purposes, an 08 coupe Accord, automatics, standard shifts, and all the model configurations.  A great thing was that the Honda folks didn't put a rushed time schedule on us.  We were able to sufficiently drive each of the models to really get an feel for the handling, suspension, road noise, convenient layout of the inside, and much more

Honda has a great history in the United States.  Back in 1985, they were the first car company to do what is called a Running Model Change.   The assembly line never stopped.  It merely switched from one vehicle to another without much of an interruption.  Nowadays, this is more common, but back then, it was very innovative.  Although Honda is a Japanese-based company, about 50% of their worldwide production occurs at their Maryville, Ohio production plant.

The Honda PR folks refer to this new 08 as being "Accord-ness".  They explained that the new Accord is designed for Practical-thinking people who are careful about their money, are generally fairly confident about their cars, yet want a sporty style with some practical realities.  After spending a day driving all the models, I think they are on-target.  The new 08 Accord is a very personal-type of a vehicle.  It is powerful enough, but it's not a street racer either.  It is what you think of when someone says, "What should a mid-size sedan be?" 

The 08 Accord offers two engines -- a 3.5 V6 with 268 horsepower, and a 2.4 liter 4 cylinder that has 190 horsepower.  The 3.5 liter VTEC V-6 operates with a new Variable Cylinder Management system.  This technology isn't unique to Honda, but hasn't been fully integrated into too many vehicles to date.  Normally, the engine will run in full six-cylinder mode when power is needed.  But it switches to only 4 cylinders or even 3 cylinders for efficiency purposes, which allow a mileage of about 28 to 29 on the highway.  You won't know when the change of the modes take place -- you have all the power you need when you need it -- but, there is a little green light that pops on when the engine drops out of 6 cylinder mode.

The outward appearance is all-new, with more of a forward, thrusting look.  The LX is the base model with the 4-cylinder engine.  The EX and EX-L are slightly more upscale and offer either the 4 cylinder or 6-cylinder engine.  The EX and EX-L models have several choices that make the Sedan or Coupe much more nicely equipped and slightly more upscale.  The coupe has a steeply raked window in the rear, which does give it an extra-sporty appearance.

When you slide into the passenger cabin of the new 08 Accord, the very first thing you notice is the roominess.  It is a sporty, personalized cabin, but it's big.  The front bucket seats have been redesigned, being larger and thus, more comfortable to many US drivers.  During the brief press conference, I found out that the Accord has a lot of appeal to a group of people referred to as DINK's.  The moderator saw my puzzled look and explained that this refers to a married couple, Dual Income, No Kids.  I can understand why this new Accord is appealing to DINKS, whether young or older.  It is almost a luxury sedan, equally at home traveling to and from work, or to the country club environment.    There are so many standard features that are usually associated with more premium styled vehicles.

I didn't try it out, but the control knobs and dash are lit up at night with two distinct color schemes.  A soft aqua green lights up the AC or heater controls and fan.  A soft white lights up the sound system and radio controls.  The center console is wide and roomy.  .  The positioning of the knobs, buttons, and switches has improved over previous years, where placement is more intuitive and natural.  I dislike having to research the owner's manual to be able to flip the correct switch.  The new dashboard layout features a two-tier that makes it look more like you are in an airplane cockpit.

The chassis has been re-designed to provide great driving dynamics.  It is a performance-inspired double-wishbone front suspension and a multi-link rear suspension.  The Accord Sedan comes standard with 16 inch or 17 inch alloy wheels, depending upon the model.  Eighteen-inch alloy wheels are available for the V6 Coupe, making the largest wheels and tires ever for a Honda car.

The base MSRP begins at only $20,360, but can go upward to about $30 thousand if you added every bell and whistle.  In comparison, the price has only increased an average of $600 across the entire lineup.   About 5% of last year's model was carried over and most of the vehicle has been totally redesigned, that is a great pricing that should spur sales.    Can you guess that I am slightly enamored by this new eighth generation Accord?   It really is a lot of bang for the buck.  It is marketed as a mid-size sedan, but it is really big.  It has luxury appointments that come standard.  It drives well.  It handles easily.  It was obviously designed for high maneuverability and great aerodynamic performance.  Check out the all-new 2008 Honda Accord at your Honda dealership soon.