Long-Term Road Test Intro
arrow
Embarking on a 40,000-mile review of an evergreen 10Best winner.
Date: February 2013
Months in Fleet: 3 months
Current Mileage: 3,457 miles
Average Fuel Economy: 29 mpg
Average Range: 499 miles
Service: $0
Normal Wear: $0
Repair: $0
We’d like to tell you that considerable thought went into the selection of our long-term Honda Accord, that it was only after several high-level meetings and a sophisticated analysis of all possible build combinations that we arrived at the decision to park this particular car in our fleet for a 40,000-mile test. But that would be overstating the case a bit. Honda actually has made it simple to unravel the Gordian knot of the new, ninth-gen Accord order sheet with the appropriately named “Sport” trim level, available only on the four-cylinder sedan. As to why we’re bothering with the Accord in the first place, well, if you’re asking that question then you haven’t been paying attention, have you?
With the requisite six-speed manual (a continuously variable transmission is optional on all four-cylinder Accords), an Accord Sport comes in just two colors: black and dark gray. Honda calls the hues “Crystal Black Pearl” and “Modern Steel Metallic,” but we see them more as “New Concert T-Shirt” and “Concert T-Shirt You’ve Been Wearing Since College.” We chose the latter, obviously. Beyond that, we saw no need for back-up sensors on a car with a standard reverse camera, especially when the Accord offers such good visibility in all directions. The interior is black cloth, full stop, and that’s it, no more choices to make.
Gloriously free of dealer-installed accessories, our Accord Sport stickered for $24,180, a mere $1710 more than a base Accord LX. That extra cash covers a modest power boost, 18-inch aluminum wheels, fog lamps, a tasteful spoiler, and chromed dual-exhaust tips.
While all four-cylinder Accords now have direct-injected, 2.4-liter engines underhood, the dual exhaust on the Sport bumps horsepower from 185 to 189 and torque from 181 lb-ft to 182. That’s one pony fewer than in last year’s Accord EX, but an additional 20 lb-ft of torque, a trade-off that helped our Sport scoot 0–60 mph nearly a second quicker than the last manual EX we tested. At 6.6 seconds, our four-cylinder Accord is still about a second slower than the 278-hp V-6 models, but it’s time we’ll gladly leave on the table, as the V-6 sedan can’t be had with a manual transmission.
Snick-Snick Like Wolverine
It’s the six-speed gearbox that has most excited us through the first few thousand miles. Wielding our Accord’s shifter is like landing repeated deathblows with a fly swatter. The manual makes every bit of the 2.4-liter’s power satisfyingly tractable. And even though we think the Accord’s optional continuously variable transmission is the best of its kind, it’s still a CVT and not as engaging to drive as the stick.
While occasionally we find ourselves overpowering the Accord’s front tires—a Honda four that produces decent torque is a new thing, after all—for the most part this is an easy car to drive. The steering is quick and direct, the clutch is light, and the suspension is firm enough to handle aggressive driving.
We can imagine our Accord Sport dodging cones on an autocross course just as well as navigating traffic in the Costco parking lot, and initial testing indicates we might have fun proving out that theory. The car produced 0.87 g of grip on our 300-foot skidpad and turned in a 175-foot stop from 70 mph. Top speed is governed at 126 mph, which is plenty fast, as once the you pass the legal highway limit, say, while turning a 15.2-second quarter-mile at 93 mph, the Accord no longer feels as steadfast as it did a few seconds earlier.
Keep It Simple
Inside, Sport trim upgrades include only a leather-wrapped wheel and a 10-way power driver’s seat, but all Accords come with automatic climate control, Bluetooth, and steering-wheel-mounted phone and audio-system controls. An eight-inch LCD infotainment screen is also standard, although in this trim its capabilities are somewhat limited, meaning you can scroll through your iPod’s music selection but there’s no navigation system and the only smartphone app included is Pandora. Also, the large screen displays a relatively small amount of information and does so in a small font.
Choosing a Sport also means forgoing LED daytime running lamps, adaptive cruise control, collision- and lane-departure warning, satellite radio, and Honda’s new LaneWatch system, which shows a view of the passenger-side blind spot on the LCD screen when the right turn signal is on. While all that equipment is nice to have, it can add more than $10,000 to the price and none of it really has much to do with driving.
As some of these higher-spec Accords have cycled through our testing fleet, we’ve discovered further reason to be satisfied with our inexpensive model. The logical layout of its instrument panel—with audio and infotainment controls grouped high on the dash, above the climate controls and just below the LCD screen—gets all mucked up in navigation-equipped models. These high-end Accords get a second, smaller, touch-screen LCD that replaces the top array of buttons and knobs with a different set added below the climate controls. This bifurcated configuration has made us appreciate the relative simplicity of our car. One thing common to all Accords, however, is a steering wheel that often seems to be obscuring a clear view of the speedometer, although this quirk is, of course, dependent upon driver and seat adjustment.
Also dependent on the driver: fuel economy. Inexplicably, we are averaging 29 mpg during our first 3000 miles in the car, 1 mpg more than the EPA combined average. We’ll chalk that up to the winter weather and the snow tires that were fitted to the car a few days after it arrived. We promise that we haven’t started driving like your mother, no more than this Accord was designed for her. Like it says on the trunk, this is the Sport model. Unlike many vehicles that advertise themselves thusly, our Accord shows every indication of delivering on the name.
Specifications
VEHICLE TYPE: front-engine, front-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door sedan
PRICE AS TESTED: $24,180 (base price: $24,180)
ENGINE TYPE: DOHC 16-valve inline-4, aluminum block and head, direct fuel injection
Displacement: 144 cu in, 2356 cc
Power: 189 hp @ 6400 rpm
Torque: 182 lb-ft @ 3900 rpm
TRANSMISSION: 6-speed manual
DIMENSIONS:
Wheelbase: 109.3 in
Length: 191.4 in
Width: 72.8 in Height: 57.7 in
Curb weight: 3276 lb
PERFORMANCE: NEW
Zero to 60 mph: 6.6 sec
Zero to 100 mph: 17.7 sec
Zero to 120 mph: 28.6 sec
Rolling start, 5–60 mph: 6.9 sec
Top gear, 30–50 mph: 11.1 sec
Top gear, 50–70 mph: 11.2 sec
Standing ¼-mile: 15.2 sec @ 93 mph
Top speed (governor limited): 126 mph
Braking, 70–0 mph: 175 ft
Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad: 0.87 g
FUEL ECONOMY:
EPA city/highway driving: 24/34 mpg
C/D observed: 29 mpg
Unscheduled oil additions: 0 qt
WARRANTY:
3 years/36,000 miles bumper to bumper;
5 years/60,000 miles powertrain;
5 years/unlimited miles corrosion protection;
View Photo Gallery