We drive Honda's BMW basher
31/01/2003 09:49
Wheels24 editor John Oxley

Move over BMW, there's a new sports sedan alternative - Honda's hot and handsome, and very luxurious, 140 kW Accord Type S.
Will it measure up to the extremely tough opposition in its sector? We drive it - see for yourself!.


It was deep into a fast lefthander, halfway between Kaapsehoop and the N4 highway to Nelspruit, in Mpumalanga, that I realised the Honda Accord was special.

I had entered the corner quickly, and as the cliff face on my left opened up to give me a better field of vision, I realised I could floor the accelerator and drive even harder into the upcoming right-hander before chucking it into yet another tightening bend.

And so it went on, bend after glorious bend, with the Accord hanging onto the road as if glued there while my passengers hung onto the grab handles and enjoyed every minute.

It all felt so safe.

Yet we were really moving, the sort of envelope you challenge in a BMW 330i or a Mercedes C320.

What's more we were doing it in a car that, quite frankly, knocks the others into a cocked hat when it comes to sporting good looks and sheer street cred!

The seventh generation Accord, it has just come into South Africa for the first time, and at around the same time as its release in Europe.

European design

And don't be confused between this car and that found in the US - this one was designed in Europe for European tastes. It's taut, it's tasteful and it's terrific.

With an all-new body that grabs huge chunks of its styling cues from track racers - deep front and rear air dams, side skirts, and wide alloy wheels in gunmetal grey - it's a visual stunner, yet manages at the same time to hit the market with the best production sedan drag co-efficient to date, a staggering 0.26 in a car that comfortably seats five, with huge luggage space to match.

Add to that a four-cylinder double overhead camshaft engine dripping with high tech, a very slick-shifting six-speed gearbox, F1 style double wishbone suspension, and all the electronic driver aids needed to keep it on the island, and the recipe is for fun, fun, fun.

But that's not all it's about.

Honda has thrown in more than a handful of luxury, with leather on the seats and the steering wheel, trendy carbon fibre-like trim on the armrests and the centre console, plus electric windows and mirrors, power steering, central locking, and an integrated music centre with front-loader CD player and six speakers.

There's a tilt and telescoping steering column so you can get the best possible driving position, coupled with a height-adjustable driver's seat, plus lumbar support in the driver's reclining backrest.

Interestingly the electrically-operated mirrors feature turn indicators a la Mercedes E and SL, and are heated so they clear quickly after misting up, and there's heat-blocking tinted glass and fog lights front and rear.

Other features include climate control aircon adjustable individually for driver and front passenger, remote controls on the steering wheel for the sound system, 60/40 split rear seat to increase the size of the already ginormous boot, and a centre console box with a sliding armrest.

Keyless entry (including the boot) is via a transponder key system with immobiliser.

Six airbags

Dual airbags are fitted at the front, together with side airbags plus a dual curtain system, and other safety features include ABS with electronic brake distribution, and VSA traction control.

The brakes feature big ventilated discs up front and solid ones at the rear, with the handbrake where it should be - between the front seats - and prove very effective, with uneven surfaces failing to upset their equilibrium.

Suspension, as mentioned, sees double wishbones and an anti-roll bar at the front, with an independent setup featuring five links and an anti-roll bar at the back. Works beautifully to give a great balance between handling, roadholding, and ride qualities.

As far as handling is concerned, the car is basically neutral, but can be persuaded to oversteer slightly to give a power slide out of tight corners - effectively tightening the bend - and the car, with sticky 205/55R16 rubber on 16 x 6.5 JJ alloy wheels, feels as if it can take a lot more power than its 140 kW before letting go.

Talking of power, the Accord Type S gets one of the most sophisticated power plants on the market, a 2 354 cm3unit incorporating i-VTEC, which means both variable valve timing and lift control AND valve timing control.

Essentially, this means you get a very wide torque band, plus the ability to bang out lots of power at the top end. Translated into numbers, this means 140 kW at 6 800 r/min (with most of that available from much lower down the rev range) and 220 Nm at 4 500.

The result is a car that is delightful to drive fast or slowly, that reacts quickly to driver input - aided by a drive-by-wire throttle - and which returns exceptional fuel economy.

I've already made mention of the 6-speed manual gearbox, which further ensures the engine stays well within its power band, but it deserves more than just a passing reference, for it's one of the smoothest gearchanges I've ever encountered, making driving this manual better than a lot of autos.

Automatic version

Talking of which, there is the possibility of an automatic version of the Accord later this year - Honda SA is looking hard at it.

"We are currently investigating the possible introduction of an Executive version of the same car which will focus even more on comfort and luxury and slightly less on sportiness, and will be fitted with a five-speed automatic transmission rather than a six-speed manual," managing director Masahiro Matsushita told Wheels24

Graham Eagle, who heads up the Honda SA car division, added that the company was almost at its target of 25 dealers, with a couple ready to be signed up to bring the total around the country to 24.

Sales were increasing, and it was expected the new Accord would attract customers in a new market segment from those currently buying the company's four and five-door Civic models and the 4x4 twins, the CR-V and HR-V.

Matsushita said it was also possible South Africa might see the return of the rip-snorting S2000 sports car in the not too distant future.

But back to the Accord Type S.

Firstly, the price - R242 000 on the dot. And Eagle stressed Honda has contained its prices pretty well throughout the "rand crisis," so expect this one will stay with us a while.

Secondly, my specific likes. The styling, the engine, the gearbox, the feature list, the extremely high standard of fit and finish, the power, the comfort, the handling.

Dislikes: The high load sill into the 450 litre boot, the low ground clearance from that deep front spoiler.

 

Actually this is a South African site, but still...

 

cool...thee old gav is back...i wasn't a fan of your new posting style

 

:P

 

Hmmmmmmmm..... That new accord looks awefully familiar....

 

beater


Why does everyone always wanna try to beat BMW? Its like its everyones goal.

 

It's ok, it was good while it lasted

 

can someone translate the KW and Nm to something us Americans can understand. Or, should I just check the TSX site for figures.

 

140kW = 187.7431 hp
220Nm = 162.2634 lbf-ft

TSX has different specs than the Euro version.

 

The funny thing is that, in BMW's executive meetings, these guys would give their left ^%&*(*&^ to achieve 1/2 the Accord sales numbers with the 3 series around the globe.

What you dont see Crazy Sellout is that Honda is much more of a danger to BMW slowly entering their turfs (especially in Europe), than the other way around.

On the finance/sales/numbers game, the Accord is way ahead. It is just us, the market, who wishes their Accords/CLs drove more like BMWs. So dont get confused.

 

ALso, R242,000 is $28,154. So, pretty expensive in South Africa.

 

What accord are you talking about??

 

what does sales have to do with anything? So what you saying is that the CIVIC can be a bmw beater cuz it sells more?

Sorry i dont follow I know 3series and the tsx suppose to be in the same level, but come on... saying its a bmw beater cuz of its value is just silly.

 

Hey gav, you should post this article over on www.acura-tsx.com too.

 

poor mans 330i or C320 i guess ....

 

I guess my opinion is in the minority when it comes to the TSX but it reminds me of a civic with luxury features and an acura emblem. How could anyone put it in the same class as a 3 series BMW? Not that I'm putting BMW's up on a pedestal. I like the 330 but it is just too overpriced for what you get. The 325 is severely underpowered for a car which costs mid 30's. ( yes i know you can get it for less but a "luxury car" should have items like leather, sunroof, and xenon lights standard) Now the M is another story. Worth every penny IMO.

 

it's built off the the same midsize platform as the new NA accord/tl...dimensionally similar to the NA accord(which is quite similar to the 3 series) and has all the options you reference standard..... to each their own though.

 

theres more about a car than standard options. But you are right, to each their own.

 

it'll handle much better than a cl-s too I'm not saying the tsx is necessarily the best car out there. But it should handle and be at least as quck as a 325i which is respectable givne the fact the same options would cost 10 grand more on a 325. I just didn't get the civic comparison.

 

A FWD BMW beater. Hell the IS 300 and G35 can barely meet/beat it, and most people would still get the 3 first. A 4-cylinder, FWD car. RIiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigggggggghhhhhhhtttt.....

But hell, Acura marketing does claim the RL is a luxury sport sedan.

 

i sat in a tsx last night and it was very nice and solid. seats felt great, interior was well designed, etc.


i'll take one

 

Well, Acura is positioning the TSX to compete with the 3 series. And, as others have posted here, it will outsell the Bimmer...so yeah, I see how it can be considered a bimmer basher.

I would most definitely buy a TSX Type S before a 330. So even if it doesn't live up to your criteria, it's my bimmer basher.