Fast Facts

Verdict:
A big, well-appointed sedan that handles like a car one size smaller

Good dynamic ability, expansive cabin, easily accessible controls

Engine is sluggish at low revs, information display screen is big but sparsely populated

The eight generation Honda Accord grows in size but stays true to its roots

By Lionel Kong

CARS JUST KEEP getting bigger with each succeeding generation these days, and one wonders how far this can keep going before they start becoming too big for our roads and parking spaces.

The eighth and latest version of the Honda Accord is another one that has been at the receiving end of a serious amount of automotive growth hormones, and is proudly proclaimed by Honda as ‘the biggest ever Accord’, being 90mm longer and 24mm wider than its predecessor.

It looks big in pictures, and even bigger in person. Technically, this is really just one half of the Accord story as the body style that we are getting is the American/Asian version of the Accord. The European and Japanese market Accord is a totally different car, and will be launched in the later half of the year.

The practice of building two entirely different Accords for the world began with the seventh generation car back in 2003, largely because the expectations of Honda Accord buyers worldwide varied greatly. Chitoshi Yokota, the new Accord’s project leader who was in Singapore for the local launch of the new car, tells us that their research had shown that American and Asian drivers wanted size and luxury, while European Accord drivers preferred a mid-sized, sporty sedan.

Both versions of the Honda Accord could be found in Japanese showrooms however, with the Asian version being renamed the Honda Inspire for the Japanese market and sold as an upmarket, luxury car to complement the smaller Japanese Accord.

This makes the car reviewed here only the second generation American/Asian Accord (and second generation Honda Inspire in Japan), despite being the eighth generation car to carry the Honda Accord name here.

Three different variants of the car can be bought here. There’s the basic 2.0-litre version which is the cheapest way to bring home an Accord, then the 3.5-litre V6 version which is the most expensive, and the car seen here, the 2.4-litre version. All the engines feature Honda’s i-VTEC variable cam technology.

Honda has always been a company that refuses to let trends get in the way of good autoomotive design, and the Accord doesn’t disappoint. There are hints all over the car that will immediately draw the attention of a keen driver, and lets you know that this isn’t just another laidback, soft and wallowy cruiser.

Beneath the bonnet, a strut bar links the two front shock absorber upper mounting points. Even though the steering wheel sports dark wood grain accents in the top of the rim, the wheel itself is a small, sporty affair with well placed paddle shifters for actuating the sequential shift function of the five-speed autobox.