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Today's Drive: 2014 Honda Accord

There’s no denying that Mr. Honda was a genius, but he also nearly ran his company into the ground.
2014 Honda Accord.
2014 Honda Accord.

There’s no denying that Mr. Honda was a genius, but he also nearly ran his company into the ground. Obsessed with perfection, he backed up the production line time and again with new innovations and insights — the engineers eventually set up a desk for somebody to field all his brainwaves.

It was no way to build a car, even if the car in question was actually pretty good. The Honda 1300 was the first proper Honda passenger car and it had any number of clever tricks. Sadly, it wasn’t a sales success.

The next car to come along was the Civic, and we all know how that went. However, this time Mr. Honda was forced to allow his engineers to stop pulling their hair out in frustration and work together in a more harmonious fashion. Little wonder than they’d soon produce a vehicle called the Accord.

But then something happened. The svelte little Hondas of the 70s, 80s, and 90s ballooned into huge machines that were somewhat spongy. The Accord grew so much it crossed from mid-sized to full-sized; comfy, sure, but where’s the personality? Happily, a proper Accord returned last year and the harmony is back.

Design
Not much has changed for the 2014 model in terms of the Accord’s sheet metal, assuming you discount the optional Hybrid version with its blue-green enviro-cues. It’s a conservative design, yet the more I look at it, the more there is to like.

While slightly shrunk in size, this is still a big, wide car yet the clean styling avoids it looking cumbersome. You get 18” alloys on both the Touring and Sport trims, but the stock 17” rims look just fine and will have cheaper-to-replace tires anyway.

There is the slight worry that the LED treatment on the Accord’s front headlights is going to start looking a bit dated as the LED-as-decorative style fades out of the luxury market. However, as an overall effort, the front fascia manages to look distinctively Honda without looking too distinctive. This is a car that should age well on the outside.

Environment
However, that ageless beauty is only skin deep. While there’s much to like about the interior of the Accord in terms of spaciousness, the application of technology leaves something to be desired.

Just as the split-level instrument binnacle on the Civic has its detractors, the Accord’s twin screen setup is going to puzzle more than a few people. Why’d they do that? The top 8” screen looks nice but it’s operated by a rotary control, while a second lower screen handles the audio functions and is at a lower resolution.

It’s odd, but it works — and yet a simpler layout probably would have been better. Having said that, the integrated LaneWatch sideview camera is the sort of clever innovation that only Honda could come up with: every time you put your right turn indicator on, a camera mounted on the right mirror shows a nice clear display down the side of the car, making watching for cyclists easy and parallel parking a cinch.

Other than that, the back seats are simply enormous, and ditto the trunk. This Accord might be slightly smaller than the previous generation, but the nips and tucks don’t seem to have diminished the interior space much at all.

Performance
One feature that all Hondas used to have was a fun-to-drive essence that extended right across the range. No wonder kids were hopping up hand-me-down hatchbacks back in the day: those cars had dual-wishbone suspension and carved up corners like they were born on a track.

While the Accord is far more refined than the Hondas of yore, it still has a bit of that racing spirit tucked under the hood. The four-cylinder option makes a reasonable 184hp at 5000rpm and 181lb/ft of torque at 3900rpm. The dual exhausts on the Sport models uncork an extra 5hp, and the V6 stomps out an impressive 278hp and 252lb/ft.

Honda, bless their hearts, will sell you an Accord with a real six-speed manual if you want, but you’re better off selecting a Continuously Variable Transmission if you don’t want to wait. I know, I know: a CVT. That can’t be good for driving fun, can it?

Truth be told, Honda’s nailed this transmission. Unless you’re brutal with the throttle, it doesn’t whine and rubber-band too much and is extremely smooth and efficient. Even better, the Accord’s chassis is that of one of the ballerinas the H-badge used to put out, meaning that it’s really quite quick and nimble. The electric power-steering is well managed, without being over boosted, and it frankly feels like a return to form.

Tackling a curving on-ramp, the four-cylinder Accord carried enough speed through the corner that little power was actually needed for extra acceleration. That’s just the way an old Honda would have made the most of its power, and the payoff is a great driving experience with minimal penalty at the pump.

Features
Standard equipment in the mid-size sedan segment is usually very good and the Accord is no exception. The 8” display and a backup camera are standard, as is Bluetooth handsfree, automatic headlights and heated seats. Move up to the Touring-spec trim and get leather heated seats fore and aft, satellite navigation and a multi-angle rear camera.

Fuel economy is rated at 7.8L/100kms in the city and 5.5L/100kms on the highway. The new five-cycle testing would likely indicate a 10-15% bump in those figures, but the Accord did return very good fuel economy in the real world, particularly the way the CVT worked in the city.

Green Light
Roomy, comfortable cabin; lively driving dynamics; good value from base model.

Stop Sign
Overcomplicated twin-screen infotainment; styling may be too conservative for some.

The Checkered Flag
Finds the balance between the practical needs of a mid-sized sedan and the twinkle in Soichiro Honda’s eye.