SodaLuvr

My dad and I took an 2008 Accord EX-L V6 Sedan out for a spin today, and I came away being fairly impressed with the vehicle overall. The driving position was excellent (just like the Altima), as my knees did not come close to touching the steering wheel, which is an issue with the Camry and the new 2008 Malibu. The interior was also a substantial upgrade over the Camry, especially with regards to the materials and fit and finish. The center stack, which some criticize for its busy look, had a very modern and futuristic appearance to me. The use of a single button to control all functions was very efficient under my use.

On the road, the Accord was comparable to the Camry. The engines were equally strong, despite the lack of a 6th gear in the Accord. The differences in the 0-60 and 1/4 mile times between the Accord and Camry are not noticeable under normal driving. Acceleration was strong even with a loaded car and the A/C running. Unfortunately the Accord's V6 is still equipped with a timing belt, which will require replacement (timing belt, tensioner, water pump and drive belts) about every 100k miles at the cost of around $800. Belt driven engines must be quieter, as this engine was noticeably quieter than the Camry's, which is chain driven.

There were significant differences in the handling department between the Camry and the Accord. The Accord handled very well for a sedan of its size. It was similar to the 3.5SE Altima. The chassis felt very "tight" and the ride was VERY firm. Definitely too firm for a lot of people. The LE V6 Camry I was in several months ago was very soft in comparison, and exhibited lackluster handling.

The Accord does have several negatives. First, wind noise is still a huge issue with the Accord; it was absolutely awful at 70 mph. Very, very noticeable. I also wished bluetooth was available without the navigation option. In addition, I'm not too pleased about the replacement cost for the timing belt.

Still, if I had to pick between the Accord, Camry, Altima, and the 2008 Malibu, the Accord would be my choice. It offers a great driving position and interior, as well as good performance and respectable handling. The Camry's interior doesn't impress me, its driving position is poor, and the 6-speed automatic's transmission has questionable reliability. The Altima offers equal or better handling than the Accord, but the CVT transmission has had a spotty reliability record in the Murano, and the premium fuel requirement in addition to the poor fuel economy of the V6 makes operating costs too high.

P.S. I did drop by the local Chevy dealer on the way home to see the 2008 Malibu. The interior door panels lacked any cloth or leather inserts (all plastic), and my head was touching the roof when I sat in the rear seat. (I'm only 5'11") Also, my knees were nearly rubbing against the steering wheel. I didn't go on a test drive, so I can't comment any further.

INSPIRE 32V

iTrader: (1)

good review, so the accord is a

teranfon

Thanks for the review! Much appreciated. Strangely, I prefer the looks of the seventh generation however, especially the coupe.

Terry

JediMindTricks

appreciate the review.

how would you rate the other 3 after the accord?

SodaLuvr

The SE trim of the Camry is most comparable to the Accord and Altima 3.5SE than the LE trim that I looked at. Also, the Camry's 6-speed auto is rather unreliable at the moment (flare issues), but I think they will be resolved eventually and that would affect my view of the vehicle significantly.

But given the current info, I'd say:

1. Accord EX-L V6
2. Altima 3.5SE
3. Camry LE V6

I didn't take the Malibu on the road so it'd be unfair to rate it.

JediMindTricks

thanks.

curious because the gf is looking at those three cars (accord, altima, and camry)

SodaLuvr

If you are looking for low operating costs, it's hard to beat the Camry. Timing chain, great fuel economy, and runs on regular fuel.

Once they fix the transmission problem, it's a winner as long as you can overlook its poor interior.

iTimmy

I agree, however, I felt the same way about the 6th gens when the 7ths came out, so maybe it will grow on me.

calgary2800

You cant go wrong with an Accord

Ken1997TL

I too have driven an EX-V6 sedan and the ride was not harsh, not even firm. It was very much like a FWD BMW. Little body roll and good ride

Maybe the dealership forgot to reduce the tire pressure during PDI

gdubb

thanks for the review. One thing about the altima I have been reading is that is the owners are getting high 20's mpg on the highway. ALthough the premium is a turn off

SodaLuvr

Possibly. The vehicle also suffered from a lot of wind noise, which others on the Accord forum said wasn't an issue.

SodaLuvr

Actually, maybe it was just very firm compared to the Camry LE V6, as I was using that as the standard. It wasn't firm compared to a Hummer.

F23A4

I have not ventured to test drive the 08 AV6 EX-L but, I will do so shortly. I look forward to seeing how it compares with my 07 version. As far as wind noise, my 07 AV6 is a bit noisier than my 02 Maxima but not by enough to openly complain.

Nice review Soda.

Trackruner228

iTrader: (1)

For some reason there was a brand new fully loaded coupe parked in the courtyard on campus and it looked really sharp. Everyone I talked to kept saying "Wow thats a Honda" "Man that is a nice car" or "Its so agressive looking." Everyone seemed to really love it.

1killercls

No more Hondas for me untill they have an affordable AWD or RWD platform.

Costco

I like the body lines of the Accord and the interior, but overall the exterior is growing on me. Growing on me as in, I used to think it was ugly as shit, now I just think its ugly.

I'm one of those guys who think the post-facelift 7G Accord looks pretty good though.

F23A4

Thank you.

JediMindTricks

i agree that the refresh is a great looking sedan. the rear, alone, is just miles beyond the original design.

i still believe that the new front > the previous front.

but the refresh rear > the new rear.

charliemike

I saw a silver 2008 Accord EX-L today and damn that is a really nice looking car. I haven't sat in one yet but from the exterior, it looks gorgeous. I really, really dig it. If the interior is good I'd consider that with the fantastic Navi over just about everything in the $30-32k range.

pimpin-tl

What do you think on how it compares to a 06 RL? We are considering trading in our RL for a loaded 08 Accord v6 w/navi, and get also a 08 Civic to replace our 01 Altima which is having problems. One large car payment dropped into two for the same cost.

JediMindTricks

how much longer do you have for payments on the RL?

and how long will the payments be on the accord and civic?

all things equal, i think i would make that move.

if i remember correctly, you don't lose size or power by "downgrading" to the accord. maybe in luxury and technology. but the accord interior is beautiful in its own right.

do you need the AWD?

and if the '01 altima's been causing problems and you're looking to replace it, making this move will solve that problem.

it's almost as if you're not really "downgrading" from the RL to the accord, but tremendously upgrading from the altima to the civic.

pimpin-tl

5 years left on the RL.....

6 years on the two cars.

The AWD has been nice, especially when it gets wet, but we can live without it. The Accord actually has more space than the RL which is a plus. Possibly better gas mileage too.

SodaLuvr

I've never driven an RL. I've rode in a Civic before (07 EX) and wasn't impressed with the ride quality (didn't feel stable) or the engine noise. The engine was very loud at 3/4 throttle.

What's wrong with your Altima?

pimpin-tl

A bunch of things need to be fixed. Mainly maintenance. But due to how much better quality the Civic is over the Altima, I am also sure the Civic is quieter than the Altima via engine, etc that it would be worth it. The car alone is much safer.

TheMirror

Good comprehensive review. Thanks.



"There are two kinds of drivers at Indy - those who have hit the wall, and those who are going to hit the wall"

-Unknown

chiawei

Go take a test drive of the Camry SE V6. I bought one almost 2 months ago as my daily driver.

The Camry SE handles much better than the Accord EX V6.

As far as material goes, I don't think the accord is that much better. The Camry SE's periforated seats looks much better than Accord's leather. Also the Camry SE seats is offers much more support.

Accord V6 felt very weak as compare to the camry (especially off the line). The transmission on the accord simply does not work well with the V6. The camry powertrain is very smooth.

I did not drive the LE V6. But the SE V6 is a much tighter car as compare to the Accord EX V6. Accord feels like a boat.

phile

I was hoping they'd retain the LED lights for the new model, but obviously not.

Also, the JDM Accord (Inspire) has a better rear. It has the additional strip of light on the trunk. In the US version, there's just too much empty real estate back there. And it also has the turn signals on the side mirrors.

pimpin-tl

We owned a 07 Camry XLE V6 and it was a lemon, was replaced with another exact replacement, it also a lemon. Toyota bought both of them back. Both the trannys failed under 2k of miles. I seriously doubt the Camry handles better than the Accord. It felt like a Buick driving it. Our RL handles better than the Camry did. The Camry interior quality is poor. Very poor. Painted plastic all over, sharp edges on the plastic that can cut you, areas that need aligned, and so on. Loud engine. I can go on but I rather not. Since I have owned two of the cars and not just test driven one, I can tell you the Camry quality is bad. It is even bad mouthed on the Toyota forums now.

Mokos23

I don't like the new Accord sedan rearend, I've seen it both at night and during the day. It looks odd to me. I still have never seen the new Accord coupe still! wtf? I drove by a Honda dealer to see if I could see it, but it wasn't in the lot at all.

jjanders

Good review. I would like to test drive one soon. The only downside of the new Accord to me is the size. The sedan is 194", even though the coupe is 4" shorter @ 190", it's still 15" longer than my current car ('02 Protege).

Currently I'm looking at both the Civic and Accord. A Civic EX-L has the better mileage and is cheaper, and though the motor is great, I'm looking for a bit more power. The Accord wouldn't be too much of a power upgrade (due to the weight increase), but would get as good mileage as my Protege does. I'd like something a bit bigger, but not sure about 15" bigger.

chiawei

My camry V6 SE has been fine thus far.

Go test drive the SE. I did nt drive the XLE nor the LE.

As far as engine loudness goes. I really don't think that is the case either.

I did not like Accord's center console, too busy.

The SE handles better than Accord EX.

I will agree that Camry has way too much plastic. But accord isn't much better.

pimpin-tl

I just got to see the new Accord at lunch today. And I am quite impressed with it. It is definitely much better than the Camry, or Altima for that matter. Once I see numbers that the Camry can out handle the Accord, then I will believe it then. But the 5th gen Camrys are having a lot of problems, it's all over the toyotanation forums as well.

dom

No offense, but you sound like you're trying to justify your purchase. Handles much better? I seriously doubt that. A MT head to head test thought the Camry SE did handle better but not significantly better.

IMO the Accord's interior quality was MUCH better. The Toyota's was shockingly poor.

Accord feels like a boat, I can maybe agree with, maybe. But compared to a Camry? Thats like the saying the Queen Mary out handles the Titanic.

I don't own, nor intend to own either BTW.

dom

Having said that, I'm not trying to say the Accord is the better car. Both have their strengths and weaknesses. Be happy with what you have.

JediMindTricks

just saw an accord sedan while at lunch, and yea. i think the thing about the rear that bothers me is it's so empty.

slater01TL

I have seen a few on campus, and i really like the looks of them...especially the coupes. i cant wait till more people start owning them so i can hopefully see some modded ones...i bet they look sick with rims and that kinda stuff..

phile

Saw a black coupe. Looked really nice.

Mokos23

finally saw my first new Accord coupe today! It does look nicer in person. I thought a guy would be driving it, but some older woman probably in her mid 40s was driving it. She had a blue tinted license plate cover with a chrome frame on it. looks nicer than the Altima coupe, but doesn't look nicer than the G37 or 350Z.

Saintor

I am a 2x Accord ex-owner and I did test drove a 08. Deceived. Feels HUGE, the dash is complicated and it was not feeling much sporty.

This thing is carvernous, the seats are great, it is silent, I like its front end (much less the rear).

But I want more fun factor in my car.