First and second drive 2010 Honda Accord Lx-S Coupe
$24,065
$24,065
Tommeter: 76/100
Lb/hp & Torq./hp ratio: 16.71/19.59
Combined avg: 18.15
Summary:
Positives…
- Smooth quiet, quick to rev, and responsive i-VTECH 2.4L engine, surprisingly capable and confidence inspiring chassis tuning, rides like a dream while cruising, well hushed road noise, cavernous trunk, excellent seat comfort, comfortable and roomy rear seats, slick & sporty steering wheel w/mounted audio and cruise controls, great dashboard design, aftermarket accessories and goodies aplenty, Hondas' legendary reliability
Downers…
- No real time MPG or fuel data info available on Accord, reflection from rear windows (without direct sun) distorts view of LCD driver information center, no manu-matic mode or paddle shifters available on Accord, lowest engine torque output of any car tested, exhaust note doesn't impress
Yesterday & today’s drive was the Accord Coupe, a car I first had my eye on two years ago when the 2008 model launched with the Accord redesign. I saw the expose on WTTW Motor Week and liked the lines and performance of this car especially from the fenders back. I still feel a little bit like the front end is a bit too chunky for a sport coupe (too much like the sedan) when compared to the Altima and certainly the Genesis. In person it looks better than photos depict (do you sense a trend with this?) the front end has a bulldog like character about it. You know, the kind of front end that says “move over” to the car in front of you dogging it in the far left lane. The vehicle I drove was a black on black EX-L with sunroof, leather seats, and 5 speed automatic. However the vehicle I'm interested in will be the Lx-S standard coupe (no leather, no sunroof).
Initial impressions:
Upon opening the door and peering in this is by far the best looking cabin design I’ve seen yet. And let’s face it this is the view you have of the car most often. The Honda team did a nice job on this dash which looks especially nice with the blond cloth interior selection as you get a nice two tone dashboard with brushed silver accents that brings even more character to it than the basic black. The radio is again high mounted and there is a LCD based driver information center on the top of the dash. They did recess it nicely into the dash to give the screen some shade but I did notice that there was some trouble viewing the LCD due to light reflections from the rear widows and even sometimes from the sun shining on the dash pad (couldn’t see the AC "on" indicator for example without changing my head position). This is a minor annoyance but since I drive about 90 percent during the daylight hours it might be bothersome over the long term.
The seats are well sculpted and seat comfort as well as head rest support was the best I’ve felt so far (the closest being the VW), and side bolsters were just right for support without the squeeze factor. The blond cloth interior I want is a pretty standard flat fabric (probably a Milliken product) without much accent stitching on the insert panels but it’s basic and works. It’s definitely not of the same quality as the Altima Coupe nor does it appear to be as durable but you sit on it more than you look at it. I’ll hope that should it wear out replacement seat coverings are reasonably priced from Honda. One plus over all the other cars is there appears to be more room inside Accord overall, the dash seems a bit farther away and no tunnel effect out the front window as in Altima. Rear seat comfort and quality is superior to any vehicle tested to date. There's even arm rests on the rear outboard panels with a cup holder. You could likely ride in relative comfort for hours at a time back there. Even with my 5' 9" frame I had approx. two-three inches of head room clearance. For ingress/egress to the rear seats the passenger front buckets is very easy to fold, slide up, and return even for the rear passenger to perform solo. Door effort was well balanced and inside panels provide good sized door pockets and a large deep glove box, including extra console storage under the HVAC controls. However there is no door on this compartment like Altima uses to conceal or keep items from falling out under acceleration.
The HVAC and audio controls are nicely laid out and clear. The large central knob shown does not control the volume (as you would think) but is the selector for the menu screens, the smaller knob above it is for the volume. The menu for controlling sound quality, faders ect. is easy to operate and doesn’t auto clear back to the main mode until you exit. This is good in case you get a phone call or other distraction which will help to remind you what you were adjusting before the interruption. You can also use the excellent steering wheel mounted audio and cruise controls which are probably the best I’ve seen. The more I use this the more I think this is a feature I really want to have in the next car (one less distraction).
The gauge cluster is standard Accord, no pizzazz or thrills for the coupe (did everybody get away from sporty white face gauges now….?) but it is clear and legible with a gear selection P-R-N-D-D3-2-1 lit up on a vertical tree between the tach. and speedo. The gauges don't have the halo rings like Altima, and no racing inspired fonts like Genesis, but they do have a nice silver painted beveled edge. Each tick mark under and between the numbers has a fluorescent back light which really makes them pop in the dark. An oddity I found again across the whole Accord line is the absence of any real time MPG data (avg. MPG, distance to empty, etc). This has been pretty standard on cars for a few years and is a bummer that Honda doesn't offer it on Accord. It's a feature I know I will miss should the car not have it. Honda are you listening? Steering wheel adjustment tilts & telescopes well for achieving the perfect placement without the notchy up/down restriction like Altima.
Driving impressions:
One thing about this car is when you start the engine you can tell it’s a Honda right away. That unmistakably smooth purr of the i-VTECH 2.4 is music to the ears, though once the door is shut it’s barely perceptible. The 5 speed automatic has an attractive shifter with two-tone handle whose movement feels precise and gated well. The engine sounds great but the exhaust is nothing special and would be an area to upgrade to get that nice sport coupe sound with an aftermarket cat-back. Another oddity I found was that none of the Accord line offers either a manu-matic mode to the transmissions or a paddle shifting option. This is becoming pretty standard in the industry and for a leader like Honda to omit this seems odd, especially on their flagship model as they do offer it on the FIT. At least the gear selector allows you nearly full control from 1-2-D3-D (fourth or fifth depending on speed) which somewhat makes up for the lack of manu-matic ability.
Pull the shifter back to D and you can pull away with very little throttle input. Steering at parking lot speeds is about near perfect effort. The cars road manners are superb and the on center feel is excellent. This is probably the best ride quality of all the cars tested so far. Visibility is very good out the windshield and the large rear quarter windows diminish blind spots. Reverse parking can be a bit tricky as the rear deck is high, but the view out the side mirrors is very good. 4 wheel disc brakes are decent and firm with about average pedal travel required to induce hard stops.
This car isn’t the quickest off the line compared to the other cars tested but it moves well at speed. This is probably due to the fairly high rpm required to reach peak torque of 4,400, but passing or merging onto on ramps is easy as the engine develops plenty of ample power and kick down is quite responsive. Approaching the Rohlwing road U curve I found the accelerator pedal actually has a detent feel to it (at about 80% travel) and you need to push it about an inch further for true full throttle. This is where the i-VTECH 2.4 really comes alive and propels you from 30-70 MPH in about 4 seconds pulling strong all the way to its lofty 7k rpm redline (very quick)! Entering the Rohlwing road U curve it took a slight lean and set in nicely at 40 MPH (+20 over limit) and held on with plenty of grip (no tire howl!). The suspension tuning might be the best balanced of all the other cars, and once it sets itself on a curve (with minimal body lean) there's lots of confidence and communication from the wheel and suspension. Coming out the back of the U curve I could even apply mild power with only a marginal drift (felt like a few inches) of the front end. The car stays well planted and tracks on a predictable line.
I think this is impressive performance from a nearly full size car. In nearly every maneuver the car remains composed and nimble. Kudos to the Honda engineers for keeping the weight of the car low at 3,175 lbs. I noticed in the specs. the V6 car weighs nearly 300 lbs more and uses a 27mm front stabilizer vs. the 26mm bar on the 2.4 i-VTECH equipped Lx-S car. I may opt to upgrade that part which can be ordered from Honda for (amazingly!) only $60 and could possibly be dealer installed. Interestingly there is no factory strut tower brace as in Altima, Golf or Genesis coupes but this could easily be added from the vast Honda aftermarket. Even without the MPG info center display I believe the 31 MPG rating should be quite easy to meet and exceed as the 5 speed overdrive (0.566 5th gear ratio) combined with the 4:44 final drive axle results in just 1,800 rpm at 55 MPH, 2k at 60 and 2,500 rpm at 75 MPH (interstate speed) which is just a couple hundred RPM higher than the CVT Altima. It may not be capable of the mileage of the Altima (1 or 2 MPG less) but it makes up for it in engine smoothness and intake plumbing alone. I also think the kick down is more responsive, but perhaps a second drive of the Altima will confirm that. Edit 6/17: Second drive of the Altima confirms that while the CVT and engine do combine for good acceleration and passing ability, the Accord Coupe's kick down is simply more responsive. It takes good advantage of the high revving i-VTECHs impressive upper power band and since the engine is so smooth and willing above 4K RPM you'll never hesistate to use it.
Under the hood the 2.4 i-VTECH engine looks very clean and the placement of the wiring, various cables and battery is tidy. Again we have some significant room around the engine for it to breathe with plenty of sensors hand accessible. One plus to the Honda over the Altima is that the intake manifold is on the front facing side of the engine and the plumbing runs directly right toward the fender with minimal bends (nice!). This is superior for a couple of reasons, as the engine gets hot the air coming through the radiator can help to keep the air ducts and intake manifold cool. This also means the exhaust manifold is near the firewall concentrating all that heat in one area. Way to go Honda team!
The driving dynamics of this car are an advantage over the other cars tested. Not that it handles better than say the Genesis or the Golf TDI but it may be a better balance of achieving nimble performance and a comfortable ride. The standard equipment is only a couple of features less than the competition but the car makes up for it in driver comfort, road feel and that superb i-VTECH engine. The other attractive factor is that the dealer is willing to sell the car at invoice, which also makes the price pretty attractive at $21,889. This car likes me I can tell, and it’s pretty mutual too as the scores reflect. Thanks to John I. (from Schaumburg Honda) for letting me put her through the paces on two separate drives, he’s a good sport.
The Tommeter:
Comfort - 9
Design interior - 8
Design exterior - 6
Powertrain - 7
Handling - 7
Fuel economy – 8
Electronics/convenience - 7
Engine note - 7
Fit & function - 9
Must have factor - 8
Total: 76/100
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