New Honda Accord

Design

Significantly wider and slightly lower, the styling adopts a more emotional, sporty motif.

The ‘sharp-edged’ design, with pronounced muscular wheelarches that emphasise the car’s wider track, gives the Accord a distinctive, strong stance with a solid, planted feel.

The distinctive nose and more flowing lines deliver a tauter and more athletic shape.

The evolution from the previous generation Accord is even more pronounced in the case of the Tourer, where a greater emphasis on load carrying practicality has evolved into a more dynamic expression of its advanced technology, while still retaining a strong degree of versatility and practicality.

Interior

The sporty feel of the cockpit is reflected in a fascia design characterised by a strong feeling of personal space for both the driver and front passenger.

Distinctive silver trim sweeps inwards across the fascia from either side before continuing down into the centre console.

The supportive front seats have larger bolsters while a new internal structure is designed to reduce any transmission of vibration.

Black with silver trim, the sporty three spoke steering wheel holds a complete suite of controls – including audio, cruise control and mobile telephone control.

The new Accord features ‘floating’ backlit instruments and contained within the centre of the speedometer face is an LCD multi-information display showing a variety of information – controls positioned on the steering wheel allow the driver to cycle the display through multiple screens of information.

Technical Features

The available engines include the new i-DTEC diesel (150 hp/110 kW and 350 Nm of torque at 2,000 rpm) with piezoelectric multi-stage fuel injection technology and particulate filter, and two gasoline units: a 2.0-litre i-VTEC (156 PS at 6,300 rpm) and a 2.4-litre (200 hp at 7000 rpm and peak torque of 233 Nm at 4500 rpm).

All three engines are matched to a 6-speed manual transmission, while both gasoline engines have the option of a 5-speed automatic. All the units will comply with the Euro 5 emissions regulations that will be introduced in September 2009.

The chassis benefits from a lowered centre of gravity, a wider track and the all-new front double wishbone and rear multilink suspension with variable rate dampers, plus greater body rigidity.

Among the safety features are the Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA) that helps the driver in maintaining control during cornering, acceleration and sudden manoeuvres by applying braking to the right or left hand wheels as necessary and modulating the engine torque output as required.

The Motion Adaptive EPS detects instability in slippery conditions both during cornering and under braking and automatically initiates steering inputs aimed at prompting the driver to steer in the correct direction.

Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) uses a millimetre-wave radar to maintain a consistent distance to a vehicle directly in front, for more relaxed, less tiring driving.

The Collision Mitigation Brake System (CMBS) monitors the following distance and closing rate between the Accord and the car directly in front of it, warning the driver when a collision is likely and helping reduce impact when a collision becomes unavoidable.

The Accord’s Advanced Compatibility Engineering (ACE) Body Structure provides significantly enhanced occupant protection in a variety of real-world crash conditions by using a front-mounted polygonal main frame designed to prevent cabin deformation, side sections with increased size and use of different material specifications to provide the required stiffness and strength without adding unnecessary weight.

Pedestrian-protection design features include windscreen wiper pivots designed to break away on impact, energy absorbing front wing mounts and bonnet hinges alongside an unobstructed area beneath the hood allowing greater space for deformation.

(Source: Honda)