2008 Accord

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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.
 
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Ignore those remarks...plenty of time for women later in life! You are one of the "Go To" guys when it comes to Honda/Acura questions...By the way I don't like the Accord or the Camry but I get all excited over the Fit...Have you driven the Fit?...I think there sweet!...Problem is I get a discount on Nissan and Dodge products so the Caliber and Sentra are lookin' good too. I do also like the Element but I think it's a not a huge seller so it is a bit pricey...

By the way...The new Altima is killer lookin'...chicks dig'em...if only that tranny was not a CVT...or tell me is this transmission stout enough?...They worry me, but they might be the way of the future. Reason is Wifey cain't drive a stick and I don't wanna replace a clutch or two teaching her...
 
Originally Posted By: Camu Mahubah
By the way...The new Altima is killer lookin'...chicks dig'em...if only that tranny was not a CVT...or tell me is this transmission stout enough?...They worry me, but they might be the way of the future. Reason is Wifey cain't drive a stick and I don't wanna replace a clutch or two teaching her...

Clutches are cheap compared to transmission rebuilds. Only time will tell if the CVT will hold up in the Altima. Nissan is switching every vehicle in its line-up to a Jatco CVT unit, so I would think that they did sufficient durability testing or else they would have a huge disaster on their hands. The Jatco JF010E CVT that was used in the Murano had a mediocre reliability record as failures began occuring near the 80k mark. It's still the same unit that is being used in the four and six cylinder versions of the current Altima. Improvements in durability may have been made, but I don't know. I do find it interesting though that they use the exact same transmission in the V6 and four-cylinder Altima, which makes me believe that the unit may last longer in the 4-cyl.
 
I'd easily pick the Camry or a heavily discounted Impala over the others.
 
I wonder if Honda has solved its problem with road noise with its newest Accord. I've had several Hondas and Acuras and road noise on anything but the smmoothest of road surfaces was an issue with 'em. To me it was by far a greater issue than wind noise.

That's one area where the Chrysler 300 is far superior to the Accord/TL.
 
Originally Posted By: Camu Mahubah
Ignore those remarks...plenty of time for women later in life!
By the way...The new Altima is killer lookin'...chicks dig'em...


true, plenty of time for women later, but you later refer to the new altima as a chick magnet for the critic.
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Nicely written review. I must assume that you were looking at a base model Malibu because the one's I've saw had a really nice interior.

Oh and who said you can't have girls and cars at the same time?? Just have fun doing whatever you like.
 
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Originally Posted By: GMBoy
Nicely written review. I must assume that you were looking at a base model Malibu because the one's I've saw had a really nice interior.

I sat in a LS and a 2LT (I think) and both had the plastic inner door panels. No leather or cloth inserts of any kind.
 
I think the Accord is the classiest looking car among its competitors. It is kind of BMW-esque. I have yet to get to really look at one up close though. It would be nice if they would do away with timing belts, or at least cut down on the labor involved in replacing them so that the cost isn't so high.

It is too bad that GM didn't do more to dress up the interior of the Malibu. I really like the dash and console on the new ones, but the door panels do look plain, even on the top of the line LTZ. The exterior of the new Malibu looks really nice in my opinion though.
 
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Belt driven engines must be quieter, as this engine was noticeably quieter than the Camry's, which is chain driven.


I wonder if that is true? I do want to drive the V6 Coupe one of these days. If it had looked more like a particular concept version I liked, I'd probably have one now. I'm just not sold on the looks at all.

The Accord interiors is really nice. Quality is above average. I've always liked the interior of my car.
 
The pictures I've seen (and there have been many) didn't do the car justice when I finally saw one in person. I went to a party at a friend's house last weekend and he summoned me into the garage for a surprise. He had replaced his wife's 98 Accord with a 2008. I have to say it was a beauty. The interior reminds me of Infiniti (one of my fav interiors), with a better overall layout. It's such a big car now...larger in person than I expected. It had the same presense as my dad's Charger. I'm impressed....but one thing posted above concerns (disgusts?) me....are they still using timing belts? I would swear I heard they had switched their V6 to chains.
 
I think cars today are taking on a bloated look. Accord should be a bit lighter IMO. Then again, Americans are getting fatter every day.
 
Originally Posted By: buster
I think cars today are taking on a bloated look. Accord should be a bit lighter IMO. Then again, Americans are getting fatter every day.


Another reason for TheCritic to be chasing girls now.
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Mike:

A nice summary overall. I would, however, encourage you to make a sharper distinction between the subjective and objective. On one hand, your eval of the belt v chain thing is objectively presented. But your assessment of the Camry's driving position as awful is very subjective. I've driven several examples of the latest generation Camry, and I found driving position and comfort very good. The Camry now has the telescoping feature for the wheel, as the Avalon does, so almost everyone should be able to position it comfortably, and without it being on the legs (I just "re-evaluated" this in our Avalon this evening -- highly "customizable").

But not to bog in the details, thanks for sharing the info.
 
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