2008 Honda Accord Test Drive Review - Poem
Test drive reports are really not all that useful. I would never buy a car simply because I read a review from someone who thought the car was great. Yet sometimes it is useful to read other opinions to help us form our own thoughts more completely, and make well rounded decisions.
In the past I'd avoided testing cars, but since I'm currently looking around for a car myself, I might as well present some of my opinions here, as they might be of some help. But to make this one a little more interesting (or even less useful) I would like to present it in the form of a poem.
Lydia, this one's for you
The Accord I can't Afford
But wouldn't want anyway - by peter
Last week I went to test a car,
To walk to the dealer was not far,
Honda have them everywhere.
Locations are picked with great care.
Testing new cars is always fun,
Doesn’t really matter how they run,
Just to hear the engine roar,
Then go home and give it a score.
Today the subject was to be,
A car that is out of reach for me:
Honda’s new 2008 Accord,
Is not a car I can afford.
But let me tell you how I feel,
After a short stint behind the wheel.
My conclusions might surprise you,
so you feel disappointed, much like I do.
The car I tested was a 2.4 top model,
A car that was made to molly coddle,
with features that you just don’t need,
and an engine that allows you to speed.
But you still have to turn the key
To make it start, which should not be.
Even Vios has a button that you press,
That makes it start with zero stress.
But Honda didn’t bother with this,
And it’s not a feature I would miss.
But when you shell out this much baht,
You’d really think they’d include that.
Driving out onto the road,
I start to notice the steering load,
It changes as you change your speed,
but the timings can be hard to read.
The engine pulls away with ease,
neat controls make driving a breeze,
Visibility is also very good,
spoiled only by a bulging hood.
Push down hard on the accelerator,
And the engine sound is a little greater,
Slightly raspy note to the engine noise,
Unexpected from these expensive toys.
As we continued on our way,
I noticed something that made me say:
“What is that noise, that squeaky sound?”
I raised my brow and looked around.
The squeak was coming from the dash,
I was tempted to give it a bash,
But I didn’t give it a slappin’,
The bumpy road surface made it happen.
The bumpy road is common too,
and there is nothing you can do,
to avoid the bumps and undulation,
they’re all across this Thailand nation.
And this is where things get annoying,
A fault which stops me from enjoying,
This Accord which aims for luxury,
but can’t sit still and is too bouncy.
Not that this car is all bad,
but I do feel a little sad,
That Honda didn’t make it great,
And make the new car worth the wait.
If you offered this car to me,
I’d rather go for the Camry,
Of course it has it’s problems too,
But the choice in the end is up to you.
No offence but...
you seem to be more biased towards Toyota?
I have yet seen 1 good review for Honda...
a bit disappointed myself
I have always considered myself a Honda fan and I adore the last Accord (before the facelift) in Thailand, but I went for a test drive in a new Accord and I found myself disappointed too. The car looked great but it didn't drive as well as I hoped. It didn't handle the road that well--I expected the ride to be much smoother than I experienced, but I could feel every single pebbles on the road. Seriously though, something like that shouldn't be ignored in a sort-of-executive car from the Japanese giant car manufacturer.
Good reviews for Honda are everywhere...
Hi again,
No offence taken. I wouldn't consider myself to be biased towards Toyota though. Actually, I like the Nissan Teana more that the Camry, but Camry fitted the rhyme better. ;-)
I guess like everything in life it comes down to personal preference in the end. I have never been a Toyota fan, and I'm actually considering buying a Honda at the moment.
Toyota have obviously gone the route of making their cars ride the bumps well, and the trade off with be that they must be sacrificing on handling. In the Altis, Camry and even the new Vios, you don't get the same connected feeling with the road as you do in the Accord and Civic.
But given the poor condition of Thai roads, and the fact that you spend a lot of your time going in a straight line on rough surfaces, I think I would find life much less irritating behind the wheel of a Toyota.
The argument often made by auto journalists (of which I don't claim to be) is that Toyotas are built for those who don't really like driving, but just want as comfortable and quiet a ride as possible, while Hondas are true drivers cars, providing the sharp handling and ride characteristics to provide an enjoyable experience.
Now I'm not saying there is anything wrong with this at all, but my preference would be for less bumping and more smoothness in the ride of the Accord.
To be fair to Honda, this poem shouldn't really be considered a true review. I didn't even touch on many aspects of the car, but those interested in the Accord would be very wise to test drive before the book the car. Some of the aspects of the car that appear to make it a winner on paper just don't add up when you are in the drivers seat.
One example... the drivers seat. The 2.4 EL that I tested had electronically adjustable seats, and the driver seat included a forward/backward toggle switch to adjust lumber support for the lower back. This seems like a nice feature to have, pressing the switch forward to increase the support seemed to move a solid bar forward into my back and made me very uncomfortable. I've experienced this feature in other cars (including the 1.8 G Altis) and it is very nicely done, feeling like an inflation of air, rather than a metal bar.
I started this article by pointing out the limited usefulness of car reviews. Even if everyone on the internet was saying that a car was the best ever, I would always go and drive it myself before buying, and trust my own judgement. Don't trust my review either, if you are interested in the Accord go and drive it, it might fit your requirements perfectly.
Good comment
I am relieved to hear that you are a Honda fan but still give negative comments on Honda. This shows that your reviews are not biased. I am also, like you , looking for a car to buy and depend heavily on reviews before purchasing. If a reviewer is biased towards a particular branding, it is not a good review. But yours is not the case. It is based on pure driving pleasure or comform. I guess if we want best of both worlds, we will have to go for BMW. :O
Good Job!
In an unrelated note, I would like to report that I always need to login my userid at least twice before I can post any comment. If not it wont register that I have logged in. Anyway you can report this to the webmaster?
webmaster
I am the webmaster, so you have just reported it. I'll look into this. There has been an issue with this for some time, sorry about the inconvenience, please be patient. I'm planning a major site update in the coming months, which I hope will solve this and other issues.
Maybe it is because.....
Hmm i was wondering if the difference in quality as compared to the older model is because of the fact that the new Accord wasn't really an Accord. After browsing through the Honda Japan website, i realised that the 'new Accord' over in south east asia is actually called the 'Inspire' over in Japan! We can even get a hint of this fact from the models availabe. The trims of the new Accord availabe are: 2.0L, 2.4L, 3.5L! Notice the big difference in cc.
However, the 'Inspire' in Japan is aiming at the 3.0L and 3.5L market. Therefore, we would expect even better performance and interior design but sadly this was not the case =( yes the space is bigger (partly due to the fact tt it is marketed as a higher cc car in japan) but ergonomics and handling wise it isnt better than the past.
Accord has been "Inspire" in Japan since 2003 model
Hi,
The "Inspire" branched replaced the accord in Japan in 2003, but it is virtually identical to the American (Thai and rest of Asian) accord, with only Europe getting a different Accord. But it is true that the Inspire was supposed to be a step up from Accord, sitting just below the Legend.
This new Accord we have in Thailand has the same styling of the rear lights as the Inspire, unlike the US model, which is the only notable difference between the Thai and US model.
The 3.5 litre Accord is an unusual choice by Honda, since it attracts impossibly high tax here in Thailand, it puts it in a price range well above the 2.4 model. THB 1.2 million more. The old 3.0 litre Accord was under 2 million baht. And since they have the 3.0 litre engine in the Japanese Inspire, it is strange that they decided to go so far..... perhaps trying to compete directly with the V6 Camry.
Anyway regardless of the handling issues, and the ergonomics, and the fact that there are 1000's of buttons to work out, the fact still remains that the Accord is selling very well in Thailand since its launch Late last year. Obviously this has been helped by the price drop due to E20 compatible engines.