Long-Term Road Test Update
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After 21,000 miles, color us impressed.
Months in Fleet: 9 months
Current Mileage: 21,000 miles
Average Fuel Economy: 28 mpg
Average Range: 481 miles
Service: $203.97
Normal Wear: $0
Repair: $0
Every year, automotive paint suppliers make a big deal about their annual color “forecast,” which has all the variability of weather in San Diego. Black and white, along with their gray and silver offspring, always dominate. This is why the paint business is only slightly more exciting than watching it dry. Oh sure, the suppliers will dream up dozens of new shades and hues every year, using actual colors. This year BASF rolled out 65 of them, with catchy palette names like “Multiverse,” “Syncopace,” and “Dequalize,” whatever any of those mean. Not that it matters: BASF’s own survey shows that 60 percent of consumers drive vehicles of a “neutral color,” like our dark gray 2013 Honda Accord Sport.
The drab color is our biggest complaint with our long-term Accord sedan, which speaks well for Honda’s engineering team. The product planners and bean counters that decided the manual-transmission-equipped Accord Sport can only be had in black and gray, however, should be counted among the many enemies of fun. (It gets worse: The manual four-cylinder Accord coupe comes only in Henry Ford’s favorite color.) In a world of 24-bit color graphics, the grayscale spectrum offered by Honda does the Accord a disservice just as it contributes to the vicious circle of color neutrality. Buyers can’t pick red cars if there aren’t any.
We brought up this point of view with Honda, which basically said we should just be happy there’s a manual transmission at all. The Accord Sport model is selling well (exceeding expectations, Honda says), making up about 21 percent of four-cylinder Accord sales, but the take rate for the six-speed is only 7 percent. Overall, manual-equipped Accords represent just 3 percent of volume. Honda says keeping build-combination complexity low contributes to manufacturing and distribution efficiency, which helps keep the base price of the Accord Sport at just $24,505. That’s only $1000 more than a Civic Si sedan, so perhaps we should stop complaining.
Secret Pleasures
Regardless, having eight choices for body color is not enough enticement to give up the Accord Sport’s gearbox, which is our favorite thing about the car. It is among the best manual transmissions extant, with short throws, direct paths between the gears, and a fluidity to the shifts that not only makes us happy each and every time we have reason to exercise the clutch, but also reveals the secret genius of the Accord.
This is a car that, on the outside, appears to be a mere appliance. It is as capacious as a chest freezer without being difficult to park between the yellow stripes at the strip mall. It is handsome enough, neither unduly flashy nor slightly dumpy like the previous Accord. Its wife-acceptance factor is outrageously high, and if Honda produced a badge that read “Practical” instead of “Sport,” it would still fit. Yet the car is discreetly pleasurable to the enthusiast in so many ways, starting with that shifter. Indeed, all goodness flows from that interface, although the Accord’s magical suspension is nearly its match. Able to transport even carsick-prone offspring without spilling Cheerios and juice boxes, yet capable of dancing all the way home once said youngsters have been dispatched to their ballet lessons, the Accord Sport’s handling defines balance.
Halting Measures
If there’s a downside to the Accord’s excellence, it’s that it also encourages heroic driving, which has taken a toll on our brakes. We noticed a vibration through the brake pedal after a few months, so when the service indicator lit up for an oil change around 10,000 miles, we had the dealer perform an inspection. All four rotors were turned under warranty, ameliorating the problem for a while, but by the time our second service warning tripped just after 20,000 miles, the vibration had reappeared. This time the dealer resurfaced just the front rotors, which seems to have worked for now. Having the rotors turned twice within 20,000 miles, however, has us concerned, as Accords have long carried anecdotal reputations for having weak discs.
The only other issue we’ve had with the Accord was a cracked fog light, which was repaired under warranty, as the dealer said there was no sign of impact. The charges for two oil changes, and two inspections have amounted to just $203.97. We also spent $172 to have winter tires mounted and dismounted. (Dunlop Graspic DS-3’s in the same 235/45-18 size as the factory all-seasons, currently listed at $155 each from the Tire Rack.) The Accord has been frugal in motion as well, averaging 28 miles per gallon.
Indeed, the Accord’s value price is frequently mentioned in conversations about all manner of vehicles, from Abarth Fiats and Kias to Porsches and Lincoln MKZs, always in amazement at how Honda can offer so much that is so good for so little.
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
Continued…