The new 2013 Honda Accord
The ninth generation Honda Accord was
recently launched in Malaysia and Adlis K and I had a look at the latest
version of a popular sedan. We liked it. The overall look of
the car is more cohesive and balanced compared to the earlier car and
more impressive in real life compared to pictures of the car.
Malaysia will have two engine variants with three specifications. The
flagship Honda Accord in Malaysia is the Honda Accord 2.4l VTIi-L. This
car has the new Honda Earth Dreams Technology 2.4liter engine and a slew
of gadgetry to entice carbuyers out there for an on the road price of
RM172,800.00. Cheaper than the Toyota Camry 2.5v, its natural competitor
in its class.
The entry level 2.0liter Accord comes with a base 2.0l VTi spec at
RM139,800.00 (which basically has fabric seats instead of leather) and a
luxury specced version, the Accord 2.0l VTi-L which has most of the
goodies found in the 2.4liter car but with a smaller engine and a
smaller price tag of RM149,800.00 compared to the 2.4liter car. The
2.0liter cars are also cheaper than the Camry 2.0liter variants too.
What's good about the car.
A lot actually. The 2.4 as mentioned above gets Honda's latest 2.4liter
engine. It has something called 'Earth Dreams Technology' throw into it.
What this means is that efficiency, or fuel economy takes priority
instead of absolute power. It has class average 175ps and 225Nm torque
to play with and some eco-modes for fuel saving driving.
I do like the fact that Honda Malaysia has chosen not to fit the CVT
transmission for the Malaysian market. Instead of the ultra efficient
CVT that the rest of the world gets together with a 6 speed manual
option, we get a traditional torque convertor 5 speed automatic
transmission. It may not be as efficient as the CVT but it actually
helps refinement as torque convertors do not hold the engine at peak
power like how CVTs do and which makes them pretty noisy when trying to
drive fast in them.
The other mentionable gadget is the Lanewatch system in the 2.4liter
car. A camera sits under the passenger rear view mirror which helps the
driver out by limiting the car's blindspot on the left side of the car.
Aside from this two items you can get most of the other gadgetry in the
cheaper, 2.0liter car.
All cars share active noise cancellation by the active noise/sound
control systems in all variants. It should make the Accord a very quiet
ride. You also get two monitor screens in the cars, GPS in the two top
models and a whole slew of goodies that you can read elsewhere. What I
wish to tell you folks out there is the fact that this Honda Accord is
very well put together.
The level of material quality used is higher than before and I have to
say it is close to BMW in quality. The tactile feel of all controls feel
very good (for its class) and it passes the knuckle rap test with
flying colours. The driving position is typically Honda, meaning its
very good. If one were to compare with the Toyota Camry, it wins hands
down. If compared to the Mazda 6, it has a better interior too. Headroom
and leg room is good, front and rear. No problems for a chubby lad like
me.
Externally, the car seems like an evolution of the earlier car.
Everything that needs to be ironed out has been ironed out. It looks
very balanced and everything flows nicely, albeit slightly conservative.
But conservative sells. Take a look at the current Toyota Camry, they
try making it into a hulk of a car and you don't see as many of them on
the road as before. The earlier Camry was a manager's favourite. The
current one is too bulky and squarish for its own good. Then if you were
actually looking for a 2.0liter company car, the 2.0liter Camry comes
with an ancient 4 speed automatic. You won't get high tech in a Toyota.
And in the days of petrol increases, a four speeder will never get you
good fuel economy compared to the Honda Accord's five speed automatic.
It's cheaper too, remember.
Now if you compare to the Mazda 6, the new Honda Accord is a better bet
simply because the Mazda 6 will start to get outdated in about three
days or so. Note that anything that follows trends or tries to be
cutting edge tends to get out of fashion sooner than conservatively
styled items. The previous Mazda 6 is a good example.
I believe that this 2013 Honda Accord is the new king of the Company car
for managers category usurping the Toyota Camry. The only exception I
can think of buying this car is the fact that the Malaysian Government
has made it the car for senior government officers. So there will be
many of them around pretty soon.
Adlis K thinks this would be a problem if you actually intend to spend
your own money for one as a whole lot of them would be around and you'd
be another face in the crowd. But if your company buys this for you it
isn't a problem as its a fantastic car for the price. Beggars cannot be
choosers. Even at RM150,000. Just make sure you don't buy black or
silver - favourite government car colours in our opinion.
UPDATE: Test Drive of the 2013 Honda Accord 2.0 vti-l HERE
2.0liter VTI-L
Photos courtesy of Adlis K
