2008 Honda Accord Introduction

More power, more spacious and more technology herald the arrival of the eighth-generation Honda Accord and indicate that Honda remains a tryer in the Australian large car segment.

Honda recognises that Australians still love their family cars for their comfort, ease of driving, passenger-carrying capacity and their ability to soak up long journeys in this vast continent. Honda has gone one step further and addressed what it believes is a key drawback for this segment, high fuel consumption.

Although not as fuel efficient as the diesels from Europe, the petrol-engined Honda 3.5 litre 202 kW V6 uses 10.0 litres/100km, while the 2.4 litre 133 kW engine uses 8.8 litres/100km. Emissions are, with the V6, 239 grammes of CO2 per kilometre and the 4-cylinder 209 grammes of CO2 per kilometre.

The 2008 Accord V6 is not only Honda’s most powerful Accord ever, with 202 kilowatts, while torque is 339 Newton metres.

The Accord has also grown larger to meet the needs of customers that value seating for five. From a pure performance standpoint, the Accord’s V6 engine provides new levels of driving enjoyment for the Accord nameplate.

Accord History
Honda Australia introduced the Accord in early 1977 after its global launch in 1976.

The Accord has been one of Honda’s most successful cars. Initially launched as a Japanese-built Accord in 1976, by 1982 it was being manufactured both in Japan and in a brand-new automobile assembly plant in Ohio, USA, becoming the first Japanese branded vehicle to be built there. The success of the Accord - and before it the Civic - set a path for Honda, and proved that manufacturing cars for global markets was a viable proposition. Seven more Accord generations followed, leading up to the eighth-generation 2008 Accord.

Honda Accord generations:
• 1st generation - 1976 to 1981
• 2nd generation - 1982 to 1985
• 3rd generation - 1986 to 1989
• 4th generation - 1990 to 1993
• 5th generation - 1994 to 1997
• 6th generation - 1998 to 2002
• 7th generation - 2003 to 2007
• 8th generation - 2008

Manufacturing
Like the rest of the world, Australia originally received its Accord’s from Honda’s Japanese factories, however since 1999 Australia has been receiving its Accords from Honda’s Thailand factory.

The Thai factory supplies its domestic market and exports to over 30 countries throughout the Asia Oceania region.

The Thai factory also supplies Australia with the Jazz, Civic sedan (except Hybrid model) and the CR-V.

The Accord Euro, S2000, Odyssey and Legend are built in Japan while the Civic Type R comes from Honda’s UK plant.

The launch of the 2008 Accord represents many firsts for the Accord model range.

Exterior Summary
The Accord embraces a traditional three-box shape.

The focal point for designing the exterior began with the belief that a sedan should embrace the Accord’s values shared worldwide. Truly a global effort, the Accord design theme of “athletic dynamism” brings together contributions from Honda design centres in Italy, Germany, Japan and the United States.

Dimensionally, the 2008 Accord’s overall length of 4,945 mm is 115 mm longer than the 2007 model, the width of 1,845 mm is 25 mm wider, and the height of 1,475 mm is 20 mm taller. Even though the size is larger in every dimension, the vehicle’s torsional rigidity has increased by 20% as a result of advanced body construction that uses 48% high-tensile steel - the most high-tensile steel by volume of any Accord to date. A significant benefit to the advanced body construction is that total vehicle weight increases by only approximately 5% despite the larger size, greater rigidity and added features.

Dimensions
Length 4,945mm
Width 1,845 mm
Height 1,475 mm
Wheelbase 2,800 mm

Accord Body Overview
• Expressive styling - a more substantial front end featuring a distinctive 6-point grille, taller and longer bonnet line, more aggressive flared guards and unique upper and lower style lines along the body side, and a dynamic roofline.
• Advanced Compatibility Engineering™ (ACE™) - The ACE™ body structure is the latest Honda unit-body construction design that optimises the structure’s ability to disperse crash energy in a frontal collision.
• New frame rail system - Positioning the frame rails inside the Accord’s body structure floor (instead of underneath it) provides a nearly flat bottom under the car, providing greater aerodynamic efficiency and reduced under-floor turbulence.
• Increased rigidity - New design techniques and widespread use of high-tensile steel make the 2008 model the most rigid Accord ever, yielding benefits in ride, handling and an overall reduction in noise, vibration and harshness (NVH).
• More slender A-pillars - Provide a greater field of view without compromising strength.
• Repositioned fuel tank sits lower and farther forward than before for better weight distribution and a lower centre of gravity.
• Fuel tank size increased nearly 8% (was 65 litres now 70 litres).
• Flat-blade windshield wipers provide a modern look and more efficient operation.

Interior Summary
Rather than adding feature after feature to assault the senses; a variety of design techniques were used to enhance the feeling of width and space to express an element of quality. Attention was paid to interior shaping and detailing just as it was for the exterior, where the traditional three-box sedan form was enhanced by sculpting the body panels. The exterior concept of using a bevelled corner where the front bumper and guard meet is similarly applied to the lower part of the instrument panel to provide a spacious feeling when entering the vehicle. Careful attention was paid to the symmetry of the exterior and interior of the vehicle - including sight lines that related the dashboard height and the visual presence of the bonnet to the driver.

While the interior is far larger than the previous-generation Accord, the fundamental reason for increasing its size is grounded in the goal of producing equal seating comfort for front and rear passengers. Essentially, the vehicle provides a sense of hospitality to all of its occupants. Distinct differences in usable space can be noticed in the hip-point distance between front and rear passengers (+25 mm compared to the 2007 model).

Furthermore, the increased hip-point distance and lower floor allows rear occupant knee space to increase by 75 mm compared to the 2007 model.

The wider interior (+37.5 mm), combined with a more compact lumbar support system (VTi-Luxury, V6 and V6-Luxury models) allows the front seats to be positioned further apart to allow for a 68.75 mm wider centre console compared to the 2007 Accord. Not only does a wider console provide the enhanced functionality, but it also conveys a sense of openness more commonly found in luxury vehicles.

A traditional zone approach separates operation-related instruments (top) and information-related instruments (lower). At night, the controls are further separated by colour to distinguish between climate controls (aqua green) and audio controls (white). Classically-styled gauges for the speedometer and tachometer are round. The steering wheel was meticulously fashioned with a shape, size and mass consistent with the finest luxury cars.

Overall, the biggest improvement of the 2008 Accord is the increased interior size. Sedan customers traditionally value the comfort and utility of greater interior space, and as a result, the new Accord looks, feels, and simply is, bigger. Building on Honda’s already excellent reputation for interior styling (one of the significant strengths of the previous generation Accord), the new Accord has an even greater upscale presence.

Key interior features and benefits include:
• Large, comfortable size - Roomier than any previous Accord, for both front and rear passengers.
• Redesigned front bucket seats are larger and feature lateral support.
• Two interior colours - Ivory leather and Black cloth or leather.
• Rear seat lockable pass-through ski port compartment
• Dual-zone automatic climate control - In all models.
• Audio systems -The system features 160 watts, a six-stack CD player and six speakers. The systems use the central display screen found in all Accord models. Subwoofer standard on V6-Luxury.

The systems include:
• Standard AM/FM/CD with MP3/WMA® playback
• MP3 capability and an auxiliary audio input jack in the centre console
• All models have steering wheel audio controls
• Speed-sensitive volume compensation (SVC)
• Power sunroof - Standard on VTi-Luxury and V6-Luxury only.
• 8-way power driver’s seat - VTi-Luxury and V6-Luxury has memory settings.
• Power driver’s lumbar - VTi-Luxury, V6 and V6-Luxury only.
• 4-way power passenger seat - V6-Luxury only.
• Driver and front passenger auto up/down window controls
• Active Noise Control (ANC) - Only on V6 models with VCM.

Powertrain Summary
All 2008 Accord engines deliver increased power and torque across the board. The Accord is available with a 133 kW 4-cylinder engine (up 8 kW) and a 5-speed automatic transmission, or a 202 kW 3.5 litre (up 25 kW and .5 litre) V6 with a 5-speed automatic transmission. These engines represent the most powerful and advanced in the Accord’s history.

Key engine features include:
• The 2.4-litre Accord 4-cylinder engine produces 133 kW and features a DOHC i-VTEC valvetrain system. It produces 8 more kilowatts than the 2007 Accord’s 2.4-litre engine, due primarily to a higher compression ratio and related engine tuning.
• The 2.4 litre engine has an ADR81/01 fuel economy of 8.8 litres/100km.
• The new SOHC 3.5-litre V6 engine uses Honda’s exclusive i-VTEC valvetrain system that incorporates Variable Cylinder Management (VCM) to enable engine operation in 6, 4 and 3-cylinder modes to improve fuel economy.
• Active engine mounts on the V6 engine work with the VCM system for smooth engine operation.
• The V6 engine has an ADR81/01 fuel economy of 10 litres/100km.
• All engines feature exhaust manifolds built into the cylinder heads, allowing for closer proximity of the catalytic converters and helping both engines achieve Euro 4 standard/compliant emissions.
2.4-litre i-VTEC in-line 4-cylinder engine
• 2.4-litre, DOHC, i-VTEC® in-line 4-cylinder
• 133 kilowatts at 6,500 rpm
• 222 Newton metres at 4,300 rpm
• i-VTEC® (Variable Valve Timing and Lift Electronic Control) + VTC
• Regular unleaded petrol
• Euro 4 emissions compliant
• 5-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifts, Grade Logic Control and Shift Hold Control
3.5-litre i-VTEC V6 engine
• 3.5-litre, SOHC, i-VTEC V6 engine
• 202 kilowatts at 6,200 rpm
• 339 Newton metres at 5,000 rpm
• i-VTEC® provides Variable Cylinder Management (VCM) for fuel efficiency
• Euro 4 emissions compliant
• Regular unleaded
• 5-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifts, Grade Logic Control and Shift Hold Control

Summary
The 2008 Accord’s chassis was developed to increase both driving enjoyment and passenger comfort. The Accord wheelbase of 2,800 mm is 60mm longer than the 2007 model. The longer wheelbases contribute to improved ride characteristics. The suspension design and wider track (along with wider tyre sizes, standard ABS and standard Vehicle Stability Assist) are intended to enhance driver confidence and handling performance in all situations.