More powerful, roomier, and better-looking than ever, the new 2008 Honda Accord is a potent challenger to the dominant Toyota Camry.Reliability, good looks, roomier rear seats, more powerful engine are the special features.Archrival Toyota's Camry—America's perennial top-seller—got a lot of bad press recently when Consumer Reports magazine removed the V6-powered version of the Camry from its recommended list.Early signs show the Accord is gaining ground.
Inside and out, the new Accord looks a lot more like a BMW than the economy model it started out as when it first hit the U.S. market back in 1976. It doesn't drive like a BMW, of course—it has the solid, competent driving characteristics you'd expect from an Accord. But the sedan is surprisingly quick and sporty, and there's a two-door coupe version available with a six-speed manual transmission for hard-core driving enthusiasts.The eighth-generation Accord sedan is about 1 in. taller and wider and 3 in. longer than the previous Accord. Trim levels start with the basic LX model, and get progressively fancier and more expensive as you move up to the LX-P, EX, and EX-L versions. Even the base models come standard with keyless entry, full-power accessories, cruise control, a tilting and telescoping steering wheel, and a six-speaker CD system with an auxiliary jack. I test-drove the leather-upholstered EX-L, which was like an entry-level luxury car.There are three choices of engine in the new Accord sedan: a gasoline-sipping 2.4-liter, 177-hp four-banger, which also comes in a 190-hp "high output" version, and a powerful 3.5-liter, 268-hp V6. With the four-cylinder engines, the Accord sedan can be had with either a five-speed manual or a five-speed automatic transmission.
The V6 version of the sedan comes only with a five-speed automatic, but it also has a more sophisticated engine system than in the previous Accord that ekes out extra mileage. The new system allows the engine to run on three, four, or six cylinders, depending on how much power is needed.With an automatic transmission and either of the four-cylinder engines, the Accord sedan is rated to get 21 mpg in the city and 31 on the highway; with the V6, the rating drops to 19 city/29 highway. In a stretch of 193 miles of mixed driving, I got 23.3 mpg in my V6-powered test car.All versions of the new Accord come standard with traction and stability control, antilock brakes, and front, side, and cabin-length side-curtain air bags.
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