The ninth generation Honda Accord was recently launched in Malaysia and Adlis K and I had a look at the latest version of a popular sedan. We liked it. The overall look of the car is more cohesive and balanced compared to the earlier car and more impressive in real life compared to pictures of the car.
Malaysia will have two engine variants with three specifications. The flagship Honda Accord in Malaysia is the Honda Accord 2.4l VTIi-L. This car has the new Honda Earth Dreams Technology 2.4liter engine and a slew of gadgetry to entice carbuyers out there for an on the road price of RM172,800.00. Cheaper than the Toyota Camry 2.5v, its natural competitor in its class.
The entry level 2.0liter Accord comes with a base 2.0l VTi spec at RM139,800.00 (which basically has fabric seats instead of leather) and a luxury specced version, the Accord 2.0l VTi-L which has most of the goodies found in the 2.4liter car but with a smaller engine and a smaller price tag of RM149,800.00 compared to the 2.4liter car. The 2.0liter cars are also cheaper than the Camry 2.0liter variants too.
What's good about the car.
A lot actually. The 2.4 as mentioned above gets Honda's latest 2.4liter engine. It has something called 'Earth Dreams Technology' throw into it. What this means is that efficiency, or fuel economy takes priority instead of absolute power. It has class average 175ps and 225Nm torque to play with and some eco-modes for fuel saving driving.
I do like the fact that Honda Malaysia has chosen not to fit the CVT transmission for the Malaysian market. Instead of the ultra efficient CVT that the rest of the world gets together with a 6 speed manual option, we get a traditional torque convertor 5 speed automatic transmission. It may not be as efficient as the CVT but it actually helps refinement as torque convertors do not hold the engine at peak power like how CVTs do and which makes them pretty noisy when trying to drive fast in them.
The other mentionable gadget is the Lanewatch system in the 2.4liter car. A camera sits under the passenger rear view mirror which helps the driver out by limiting the car's blindspot on the left side of the car. Aside from this two items you can get most of the other gadgetry in the cheaper, 2.0liter car.
All cars share active noise cancellation by the active noise/sound control systems in all variants. It should make the Accord a very quiet ride. You also get two monitor screens in the cars, GPS in the two top models and a whole slew of goodies that you can read elsewhere. What I wish to tell you folks out there is the fact that this Honda Accord is very well put together.
The level of material quality used is higher than before and I have to say it is close to BMW in quality. The tactile feel of all controls feel very good (for its class) and it passes the knuckle rap test with flying colours. The driving position is typically Honda, meaning its very good. If one were to compare with the Toyota Camry, it wins hands down. If compared to the Mazda 6, it has a better interior too. Headroom and leg room is good, front and rear. No problems for a chubby lad like me.
Externally, the car seems like an evolution of the earlier car. Everything that needs to be ironed out has been ironed out. It looks very balanced and everything flows nicely, albeit slightly conservative. But conservative sells. Take a look at the current Toyota Camry, they try making it into a hulk of a car and you don't see as many of them on the road as before. The earlier Camry was a manager's favourite. The current one is too bulky and squarish for its own good. Then if you were actually looking for a 2.0liter company car, the 2.0liter Camry comes with an ancient 4 speed automatic. You won't get high tech in a Toyota. And in the days of petrol increases, a four speeder will never get you good fuel economy compared to the Honda Accord's five speed automatic. It's cheaper too, remember.
Now if you compare to the Mazda 6, the new Honda Accord is a better bet simply because the Mazda 6 will start to get outdated in about three days or so. Note that anything that follows trends or tries to be cutting edge tends to get out of fashion sooner than conservatively styled items. The previous Mazda 6 is a good example.
I believe that this 2013 Honda Accord is the new king of the Company car for managers category usurping the Toyota Camry. The only exception I can think of buying this car is the fact that the Malaysian Government has made it the car for senior government officers. So there will be many of them around pretty soon.
Adlis K thinks this would be a problem if you actually intend to spend your own money for one as a whole lot of them would be around and you'd be another face in the crowd. But if your company buys this for you it isn't a problem as its a fantastic car for the price. Beggars cannot be choosers. Even at RM150,000. Just make sure you don't buy black or silver - favourite government car colours in our opinion.
UPDATE: Test Drive of the 2013 Honda Accord 2.0 vti-l HERE
2.0liter VTI-L
Photos courtesy of Adlis K
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