2008 Honda Accord Sedan and Coupe Review

August 22, 2007 By Peter  
Filed under Autos, Coupe Cars, Sedans & Saloons


2008 Honda Accord Sedan and Coupe Review
We all know that the Japanese offer a perfect balance of style and engineering sophistication when it comes to their cars, this is true when you look at the new 2008 Honda Accord which comes in two variations the Sedan and a Coupe. Here we will try to write a simple review of what the new 2008 Honda Accord will offer us, what we do know is that the interior is more spacious, and the new engine provides the Accord with more power but not at the expense of fuel economy as that is still outstanding.

So let’s look at the 2008 Honda Accord Sedan first, Honda hope that this car will become the benchmark in this category which features other midsize vehicles such as the Nissan Altima and the Toyota Camry. Honda knew that they had to be very bold when styling the new Accord and it seems as if the Japanese automaker has pulled it off.

2008 Honda Accord Sedan

The front end of the Honda Accord Sedan is more substantial thanks to the use of a 6-sided grille, and also the line of the hood is much higher. The fenders are more arched; add this to lower styled body lines and a sweeping roofline and you have a winning formula. The end result of these features is a car that looks and is in fact more spacious, this now means that the 2008 Honda Accord will be classed as a large sedan.

As the interior is larger passengers feel more comfortable as there is more legroom, and the passengers can also sit further apart, this is great if you have children who do like to argue. To increase the cargo capacity is a lockable rear seatback; there is also a pass-through for things like skis.

2008 Honda Accord Interior

The 2008 Honda Accord Sedan is 76mm longer, and 26mm wider, the wheelbase is up at 60mm, although this does not sound much with cleaver designs in the interior it is a winning combination to provide more space.

Now to the 2008 Accord Coupe, the way that Honda is advertising this car is that it is fun to drive. Honda have approached this car by giving a more sportier and aggressive feel and look, the Accord Coupe wants and could very well become a sporty leader. What makes the Coupe different to the Sedan is the fact that the car has a 100% unique sheet metal, fantastic glass and exterior lighting add these together and what you have is an aggressive looking car.

The grille on the Accord Coupe is recessed, and when the projector-beam halogen headlights are switched on then the front of the car looks very mean. As we know wheels make a car and the 17-inch aluminum wheels which come as standard look cool, but on the Coupe V-6 you will have 18-inch aluminum wheels instead. Although the wheelbase is 60mm shorter on the Coupe over the Sedan, the chassis is the same.

2008 Honda Accord Sedan Dash

The aerodynamics on both the Coupe and Sedan help to reduce noise, the bottom of the car is flatter this helps to reduce drag and improve fuel economy. Also to improve wind resistance is perfectly shaped windshield wipers, window moldings and door mirrors. To reduce the wind noise in both 2008 Honda Accord’s are a dual door-seal system this also stops the intrusion of rain. If you thought Honda was going to stop there then you would be wrong, take the 190 hp 4-cylinder and V-6 Accords, they have reduced their operating noise by using insulators and acoustic engine covers under the hood.

With the engine there are two types of the 2.4-litre 4-cylinder engine, one produces 177hp while the other pushes out 190 horsepower. There is also a 3.5-litre i-VTEC V-6 engine, this pumps out 268hp.

2008 Honda Accord Engine

For safety the Honda Accord has airbags at the front for the passenger and driver, driver’s and front passenger’s dual-chamber side airbags, and also side curtain airbags. Honda have integrated into the Accord design an Advanced Compatibility Engineering, this allows an enhanced body structure when your vehicle is involved in a frontal collision with other vehicles of different heights.

Both the Sedan and Coupe versions of the 2008 Honda Accord go on sale on the 21st September.
Visit http://www.honda.com/

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Comments

5 Responses to “2008 Honda Accord Sedan and Coupe Review”

  1. Bill Bugbee on August 22nd, 2007 8:40 pm

    Honda is still chasing Toyota. With a redesigned 2007 Camry beating Honda to market by one entire model year, while offering both better looks and a clean burning PZEV gas-hybrid option.

    Honda should concentrate on scaling their 2008 model FCX (HFC) drive system into the mass-production Accord — and most certainly, position their dirty diesel models for the European market and keep them out of the US.

  2. Logan on August 23rd, 2007 3:58 am

    Bill Toyota can only accomplish having a PZEV vegicle with a hybrid, Honda does it on the V6 and I4 and soon the deisel will burn cleaner, quieter, more powerful, and will get better gas mileage than the Camry Hybrid. Honda the one that introduced the hybrid vehicle to North America and if they beleived that a hybrid powertrain would be better for the Accord they would put it in there but they dont.

    If you go to motortrend.com they compared the new Accord and new Camry and they chose the Accord over the Toyota.

  3. Log in on August 24th, 2007 6:12 pm

    I own a 2005 Honda Accord 4cyl, 4dr Sedan. I am very satisfied with my car and after more than 2 years of driving it I am still impressed. My only problem with the car is the break rotors and the break pads.

    Looking at this new Accord, I can’t help noticing that from a side-view it is an Infiniti, from a front view it is a Hyundai Sonata. The interior is not impressive and I have to say my 2005 interior looks much better. What a mess!!!!

    The new Accord looks creative but not nice, it is as if you collected parts from several cars and put them together. The front grill is so ugly and cheap.

    It is sad for me to say that I am not going for this new Accord. My next car will probably be an Acura TL if they produce a new design or may be I have to go look so place else. I have always been a loyal Honda customer, but not this time.

  4. Bill Mathewson on August 25th, 2007 6:01 am

    The new Accord coupe is way over-styled. Yuck! Our ‘02 Accord coupe has the tightness of design and stance that made it so popular, and after 70K + miles of trouble-free performance (w/ some selective upgrades along the way), we’ll most likely pass on the ‘08 Accord. It looks far too boy-racer, but that crowd will probably ignore it also. Honda/Acura need to look at what made the ‘90-’93 Integra and the ‘98-’02 Accords so desirable - design-wise. (the new Camry & Solara are putrid, but sell to a somewhat different crowd/it’s Hyundai that they need to watch!) Get back to basics - adopt a no-nonsense design ethic, and make the drivetrain/suspension unbeatable (like Alfas once were). Until then, we may just slap a turbo or an H22 into our already mod’d ‘02 EX coupe and be happy. . .

  5. Mister Honda on December 8th, 2007 6:50 pm

    Bill Bugbee. Honda is the way to go hands down. If anything, Toyota is chasing Honda. But, if you’re talking about trucks and SUVs. You may be right…

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