Accord-ion act
The smallest-biggest Japanese luxury sedan
Muscular presence, spacious, handles like the rest of the family 
Engine needs more low-end grunt, central console niggles Honda’s large sedan gets the stretch, but is the entry-level 2.0-litre engine up to the job?
By Derryn Wong
IT’S INTERESTING TO see how legislation shapes the minds of the car-buying public.
In America, there’s no such thing as road tax, so over there they’re enamored of giant 12-litre hemi-engines that sit in muscle cars or giant pickup trucks. Singapore and Japan feature restrictive road tax laws for cars with engine capacities larger than 1600cc, which has led to the ‘big car – small engine’ phenomena.
Honda expects sales of the 2.0-litre to equal that of the higher-performance 2.4, which reflects healthy demand for the smaller option. Nowhere is this more apparent with the latest Honda Accord in 2.0-litre engine incarnation.
We apologise for what may be the worst ‘Accord’ joke in print but really, that’s the long and short of it: the new car has gotten substantially larger at 9cm longer, 2.5cm wider and with an almost 6cm longer wheelbase. But it’s the new styling which really boosts this up-sizing of the car to all eyes.
The previous car could be described as non-descript, much like the EK series of Civics it accompanied, and had a sort of ‘blink and you’ll miss it’ quality. This time round Honda designers opted for angular and chunky styling, with big air intakes, grille, fenders and bumpers.
The styling might not be to everyone’s liking, but the new Accord certainly has a much larger on-road presence than the car it replaces, encroaching even German giant territory almost. And while you’ll never find a 1.6-litre engine in an Accord (nowadays), with this much stretching out, even a 2.0-litre engine sounds mismatched.
But first things first. How does the smallest Accord match up in handling? Almost as well as its bigger brothers, we’re glad to report, and with excellent ride quality too. The same chassis and double-wishbone suspension are shared across the range, so this doesn’t come as a major surprise. Double-wishbone suspension is generally thought to give better handling but at the price of taking up more space: Honda is putting its money where its mouth is when they advertise sporty driving with the Accord. On a side note, the 2.0-litre lacks Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA) present in the 2.4 and 3.5-litre variants.
With 156bhp, the 1,997cc single overhead camshaft engine generates enough poke to get the Accord going to 100km/h in 11 seconds, exactly the same as the Toyota Camry. With peak torque of 189Nm it’s no slug as it is, but this is made at 4000rpm: at low engine speeds the car does seem reluctant to get moving.
Having undergone the accordion treatment, the Accord is now the biggest Japanese large sedan on the market, a good 10cm longer than it’s major rivals the Cefiro and Camry with a longer wheelbase as well.
The interior is cleanly laid-out, airy and spacious with great visibility as well. Handsomely done leather seats provide ample support while the swooping dash and central console add to this feeling of elegant space. The 2.0 gets a four spoke steering wheel in leather and lacks the wood trim of the larger models. Aside from a driver-only power seat and rear screen, that’s the only thing it lacks. The central information screen provides useful info but has a slightly confusing layout and lacks the all-important fuel consumption monitoring feature.
But all in all the Accord presents an excellent choice :If size and comfort is your priority and you don’t mind sacrificing a little on driving dynamics, then the Accord 2.0 ticks all the boxes.
NEED TO KNOW
Honda Accord 2.0 (A)
ENGINE TYPE 1,997cc, 16 valve in-line four
MAX POWER 156bhp at 6,300rpm
MAX TORQUE 189Nm at 4,300rpm
GEARBOX 5-speed automatic
TOP SPEED 210km/h
0-100KM/H 9.5 seconds
PRICE $98,800 with COE
WARRANTY 3 years / 100,00km
CONTACT Kah Motor Pte Ltd
TELEPHONE 6840 6888
