2013 Honda Accord: Nice harmony, but a few shortcomings

Santa Barbara, California — In 2008, the eighth generation of the illustrious Honda Accord was outwitted by the Chevrolet Malibu, which edged it for the title of Best New North American Car. For its ninth generation, the Japanese intermediate wants to take back top billing, but will its performance be pitch perfect this time?

So it is that the 2013 Honda Accord takes flight for a 38th year, no easy task in a car category that’s been in a free fall for a decade.

The new Accord won’t win any prizes for design, but the sedan’s silhouette is more fluid than that of the previous generation. The style is now integrated, the lateral lines are more understated, the tail end is less chubby and the hood has more character. Basically, it looks less like a refrigerator.

The coupe, a rarity among intermediates (along with the Nissan Altima), has always been easy on the eyes, and it’s still drawing attention away from the rest of the line-up with its harmonious, elegant proportions. Two fewer doors and a truncated tail end can really change a look!

Completely revamped

In addition to its style, there’s the new platform that makes the body 40% more rigid, electrically assisted power steering (replacing the less fuel efficient hydraulic steering) and a more traditional MacPherson suspension in place of the double triangulated front suspension. Shoji Matsui, the chief engineer who led the Accord project, confirms that it’s quieter this time around. And it’s true that when things get bumpy, the dampers are more effective. While we’re on the subject, three cheers for the resistant power steering that doesn’t seem like power steering at all.

From the old generation, they kept only the rear multi-link suspension: everything else is brand spanking new or overhauled significantly, at the very least. Oh, and it’s 26 kilos lighter overall.

Still no manual mode

Although they still don’t have direct fuel injection, the V6 versions (still 3.5 litres) promise 8% better fuel economy – mainly because they continue to offer cylinder deactivation. It’s simple: when they aren’t required, half of the cylinders are deactivated, which Honda says will produce a fuel consumption of 5.7 L/100 km on the highway.

As we all know, these official numbers are always optimistic and we calculated 8.2 L/100 km half on the highway and half on back roads. I admit that I didn’t take it easy on the accelerator –  you’d have done the same with such a smooth engine and 278 horses (seven more than before). Except for a slight torque effect on rare occasions, this power is linear, at least when negotiated by the new six-speed automatic gearbox’s D mode.

On the other hand, shift into S mode and you’ll get jolts when downshifting that doesn’t mesh with the car’s personality as a comfortable, stable and predictable tourer without being boring. That’s why we recommend leaving the shifter in D mode and end the debate there. What’s more, there isn’t even a manual mode! Even economical sub-compacts have a manual mode!

Honda makes the leap to CVT

If the V6 is smooth and almost boundlessly energetic, the new 2.4-litre four-cylinder 185-hp engine with direct fuel injection (the first in North America for Honda) proves rather harsh when paired with the continuously variable transmission.

No, your eyes are not deceiving you: Honda is now using the CVT for non-hybrid vehicles. The CVT won’t perform miracles, especially without paddle shifters on the steering wheel (except on the coupe and Sport version of the sedan). And like all CVTs, it whines. We’re still looking for its benefits, besides its quite substantial reduction in fuel consumption (11% less), that is.

The G-shift makes accelerations more immediate, but we didn’t get the sporty driving experience that we were promised. In this area, Honda is a distant second to the new Altima, which hides the shortcomings of the infamous CVT much better. After all, Nissan has 20 years of experience in this area.

The good news is that unlike the new Altima, which has said good-bye to manual gearboxes for good, the Accord sedan continues to offer a manual transmission with its four-cylinder engine. Shifting between its six speeds goes off without a hitch, but without any real excitement either, despite a short, sporty-looking stick shift.

It’s with the coupe that the manual gearbox proves expansive: the gears are close and there’s good pick up with the accelerator. By now you’ve realized that the V6 coupe with the manual transmission was our favourite version. And with good reason: the body is more rigid, the suspension is firmer, the exhaust emits a rumbling sound and the steering is responsive to even the subtlest of movements. Basically, we like.

Striking a chord

The sedan hits the right notes. Being 90 mm shorter, the Accord has finally stopped growing. Sure, that makes for a less roomy interior than before, except for the 3 cm additional legroom and 50 litres extra cargo capacity. It remains one of the roomiest in its class.

More good news with regard to the more straightforward instrumentation – it’s plain, simple and perfectly logical: information screen up top, audio in the middle and climate control at the bottom.

What’s more, they kept Acura’s quality of materials, with the exception of a few hard plastics in the lower part of the passenger compartment. The soundproofing is superior with less wind noise on the rearview mirrors and, especially, a softer ambiance now that the interior of the hatch as been carpeted.

But what will really get people talking, and what the competition is sure to quickly copy, is the LaneWatch device that displays the area on the right side of the car every time the turn signal is activated. It seems simplistic when I put it that way, but being able to clearly see what’s on the passenger side is a luxury that drivers won’t want to do without any more.

Will the most expensive become the least expensive?

Price-wise, we still don’t know. Expect $24,000 for the base version (the current Accord starts at $24,790), with – they’re promising – $2,500 worth of extra factory standard equipment. Think back-up camera, heated power seats and Bluetooth connectivity. Will that help the Accord, which was the very first Japanese car to be manufactured in North America (1982), take back the top spot?

Perhaps, but you’ll have to forget about a few flat notes such as the fact that there’s still no 60/40 fold-down rear bench (folding it down means losing the back seats completely), the lack of optional ventilated front seats and no panoramic sun roof or intelligent cruise control.

When?

When will it have all-wheel drive? Sure, it isn’t common among intermediates, but the Subaru Legacy, Ford Fusion and Suzuki Kizashi all have it. Maybe the Accord could borrow the excellent Super-Handling system that’s already in the family? Perhaps for the 10th generation.

In the meantime, note that the sedan will arrive at the end of September and the coupe in November. A plug-in version is on the way for next year (for now, they’re saying its electric driving range will be about twenty kilometres) and it will be followed by a “traditional” hybrid. The race to produce an electric car isn’t exactly moving at a frenzied pace, is it?