2008 Honda Accord: What's It Like to Live With?
Read the latest updates in our long-term road test of the 2008 Honda Accord as our editors live with this car for a year.
What do you want to know about?
- Introduction
- Navigating to San Diego Part 1
- "VCM" Cylinder Deactivation
- Navigating to San Diego Part 2
- Airport Taxi Duty
- 22 MPG Average
- But, Officer...
- That's Good Looking
- Navigate This!
- Service me, please
- No Manual Shift Control
- Big Kid On The Block
- Busted
- Fuel Economy Update
- Button Parade
- Tap Test 2 (and 3!)
- Good Car for Big Boys
- zaPOW! zaBAM! Zagat!
- Fast Love
- Clear Display
- Less Lumbar, Jack
- Question
- Midsize Excellence, But Hold the "L" and the V6
- Maybe It's A Tumor
- Fuel Economy Update
- Wheel Worries.
- Accord Seat Discord
- Now It Feels Big
- Maintenance Required
- The Police
- You're Fired!
- ECOnnoying
- Dino Leather Seats
- Family Road Trippin'
- Easy Driver
- Backup Camera?
- Fuel Range
- Laser Focus
- How About a Civic V6 Instead?
- Fuel Economy Update
- Rattling Deck Panel
- Missing Mojo
- It's a Big Deal
- Taking the Old Road Back from San Francisco
- Wrap-Up
Introduction
It's not every year we're blessed with an all-new Honda Accord. In fact, it's been five years since we've seen new sheet metal bearing this now-iconic name. With the 2008 Honda Accord V6, the eighth generation of this car since its introduction to the U.S. in 1976, Honda hasn't reinvented the family sedan, but instead has simply perfected it.
Or at least Honda hopes so. The Accord is Honda's bread and butter — some 369,293 examples were sold in the U.S. alone during 2006, so there's a lot riding on its success. The new one is bigger, more powerful, more luxurious and more fuel efficient.
On paper this is a recipe for the usual transportation module. Yet as we said in our First Drive of the 2008 Honda Accord, "Trouble is there's a flipside to all that sensible, middle-of-the-road low-fat goodness and sales success. The Accord has always been bland and ubiquitous. Not anymore."
The 2008 Honda Accord seems more ambitious to us, as if it's aspiring to a new plateau of sedan goodness. Over the next year, we'll discover if it has perfected the modern American sedan.
What We Bought
True to form, Honda's spec sheet is loaded with options bundled into neat little packages. The base-model LX retails for $20,360 with an automatic transmission and comes well-equipped with air-conditioning, cruise control, power windows and locks, tilt-telescoping wheel with audio controls and a 177-horsepower 2.4-liter inline-4 engine. It's a great start, but we wanted more.
The EX-level trim package ($2,700) adds a front strut-tower bar, 17-inch wheels, a tilt-and-slide moonroof, power lumbar support for the driver seat and a 190-hp version of the 2.4-liter inline-4. But once we had a taste of more power in this car, we wanted more, because we believe the chassis is up to it. So we stepped up to an EX equipped with the 268-hp V6.
Armed with an updated version of Honda's fuel-saving variable cylinder deactivation — which allows the V6 to run on three, four or six cylinders depending on driving conditions — this 3.5-liter V6 helps the Accord record 19 mpg city and 29 mpg highway on the 2008 EPA cycle. This feature, available only for the Accord equipped with a five-speed automatic, enabled us to exceed the EPA estimate of 22 mpg with a 24.4-mpg average during our full test.
In comparison, the Accord four-cylinder model is rated at 21 mpg city/31 mpg highway. So the addition of 70 hp carries a penalty of just 2 mpg on the highway, a trade we'll take any day. Oh, there's also a slight hit to the wallet to the tune of $2,100.
At this point we just decided to go whole-hog and add the $4,300 L-package option with its satellite-linked navigation. Leather-upholstered seats and steering wheel, a power-adjustable passenger seat, 270-watt stereo with six-disc CD changer and XM radio, and dual-zone climate control highlight the primary luxury items of the L trim.
Honda prides itself on offering a variety of lively colors (for a change) with the new Accord, including deep Basque Red Pearl and Royal Blue Pearl. Like most buyers, however, we chose to blend into the crowd with Alabaster Silver.
Our loaded Accord rolled off the assembly line in Marysville, Ohio, with a price tag of $30,895.
Why We Bought It
With every new generation of a vehicle as popular as this, questions are raised, even more so in a segment as fiercely competitive as the family sedan market. Has Honda gone too far in an effort to spice up its volume offering, aspired to too much sophistication? Is the high-style-fashion sheet metal too much? Is the ride still grandma-approved, yet enthusiast-ready? Will customers be scared off by the Battlestar Galactica-inspired dash?
Can the 2008 Accord keep pace with the class-leading Toyota Camry and the enthusiastic Nissan Altima? Can it stave off the onslaught of the well-received newcomer from GM, the Chevy Malibu?
In a time when every sedan built, from Korea to Kentucky, is virtually as reliable and equally option-laden, can the Accord muster the mojo to command a $30,000 sticker?
We intend to answer these questions, and more, as we spend 20,000 miles over the next 12 months with our new V6-powered 2008 Honda Accord.
Current Odometer: 3,107
Best Fuel Economy: 26.3 mpg
Worst Fuel Economy: 20.4 mpg
Average Fuel Economy (over the life of the vehicle): 22.9 mpg
The manufacturer provided Edmunds this vehicle for the purposes of evaluation.
We've added a 2008 Honda Accord EX-L V6 to our fleet and I was lucky enough to take it down to San Diego to see my beloved Indianapolis Colts lose a close one to Adam Vinatieri and their own special teams. Or rather, if you're my girlfriend, spend a romantic weekend at the enchanting Hotel Del Coronado.
The new Accord is quite an accomplishment. It maintains a feeling of nimbleness, while also motoring down Interstate 5 with big-car authority and having room for five people.
I've said before that our long-term Altima was my favorite amongst our many fleet members, but I think the Accord has just barely nipped its crown. It may not be quite as fun to drive, but it's certainly no slouch, and it's hard not to love a car that's so tremendously well-rounded. Plus, it costs less than the Nissan and I think it looks better, too.
From the Del Coronado to Qualcomm Stadium and elsewhere, the Accord was a perfect road trip companion — I think it's going to be a good year. Stay tuned for Part 2 when I feature the Accord's tremendous nav system in detail (with video!).
Read the Accord Introduction on Edmunds.com
"VCM" is Honda's acronym for their cylinder deactivation system, a mode which is intended to reduce fuel consumption during light-load operation. When active, the V6 switches to three- (or four-) cylinder mode and illuminates an "ECO" light on the tach.
We'll see how effective it is as the miles pile on, but I observed the ECO light coming on quite a bit during routine driving. The switchover to and from ECO mode isn't quite imperceptible.
It's certainly more noticeable than the last VCM-equipped Odyssey we tested. On balance, the Accord's transitions are about as seamless as those observed in our cylinder deactivation-havin' long-term Tahoe.
Oh, I tried to shoot a photo of the ECO light when parked, but it doesn't illuminate when the key is on and the engine's off, so imagine it right below the tach needle.
And no way was I going to attempt to snap a pic while driving. Driving and shooting is dangerous. Just ask Scott Oldham.
On my trip to San Diego to see my Colts play the Chargers (see Part 1). With more than an hour to kick off, the lot was full and I ended up having to park a mile away, up a huge hill and at the end of tiny Shawn Ave. On the upside, I didn't have to pay for parking.
When finding my way from this spot and throughout the day, the Accord's excellent navigation system came in handy.
I had to travel to multiple destinations all over the city (sometimes repeatedly), which made the "Today's Destinations" function invaluable. I programmed a house address, a Shell station, Qualcomm Stadium and a Target (we needed four emergency rain ponchos for the rain falling on a city that was on fire only two weeks prior). Voice commands allowed me to easily program a destination within seconds, while the control knob and intelligently designed menus made entering and recalling the day's destinations a breeze.
Airport Taxi Duty
The 8:00 p.m. email simply asked, "What are you driving?"
A common enough question in our office, but when it comes from two Edmunds.com editors on assignment in Japan, it translates pretty quickly to, "Can you pick us up at the airport in the morning?"
Lucky for the boys, our long-term 2008 Honda Accord was already stashed in my garage. I responded with the affirmative, "What time?," safe in the knowledge that the Accord's 14-cubic-foot trunk would handle their personal luggage and camera gear, and my daughter's car seat wouldn't be in the way, either.
Had I gone for the Mini Cooper that night, they might've been thumbin' it...
Two words that should strike fear into your heart: house hunting. And with good reason. Despite the fact that the internet makes it easy to view and discard possibilities from the comfort of your own couch, there's still way too much driving around, driving around, driving around that takes place during the shopping period. They call it "hunting" for a reason
We logged close to 400 miles on the long-term 2008 Honda Accord while hunting for the perfect house in the perfect neighborhood with the perfect elementary school, and despite all of the low-speed drivebys followed by the stand-on-the-gas getaways, the Accord scored an even 22 mpg over 362.4 miles. Current mpg over the life of our Accord is now 22.2.
Lucky for us the house hunt is now over, and the Accord waited patiently this morning in our new driveway while Home Inspector Marc made his rounds.
Last night, I was pulled over for only the second time in my life. The first time I think I was 17 years old.
I couldn't imagine why I was being snagged. I was aware there was a cop car behind me and I definitely wasn't speeding or anything like that...
But it turns out I didn't have my lights on.
When I left the office last night, it was the first time I had been in our new Accord, so I took a few minutes to locate everything I'd need and I put the lights on AUTO. When I pulled into my driveway at home, I was trying to take a picture of the nav screen reflected in the windshield. I wanted to write about the glare. I switched off the headlamps to try to capture the reflection but I couldn't get the shot I wanted, so I just turned the car off and went in the house.
A little while later, I went to the store and forgot I had turned off the lights. I'm so used to modern cars doing things like that for me. So, the Redondo Beach PD pulled me over to tell me about my lights.
"They're on AUTO," I said.
"I can see they are OFF from here," he said. "License, registration, proof of insurance."
He said my running lights were on but the back of the car was completely dark and that could be dangerous. The episode could have ended there, but he wanted to know why I had distributor plates. Was I on a test drive? Well, then who owns this car I'm driving? So I explained about my job and how we keep cars for a year and we write about them, etc.
Actually, the Officer was very cool and really nice about the whole thing. He did not give me a ticket, but he left me with a bit of advice, "Always know the car you are driving."
I've heard and read that some people think the new Accord is unattractive. I couldn't disagree more. I think it's the best looking Accord since the late 80's and early 90s. The rear looks best - those dual exhaust outlets give the car a tough look previous Accords lacked.
I'm not alone in my thinking. Yesterday, a neighbor was out walking his dog. He stopped and commented how sharp the car looked. He just bought an A4 and said he'd replace it with the new Accord when his lease is up.
Anyone agree?
I think the navigation system in our Long Term Accord is very nice - good controls, large screen. There's just one problem, I can't navigate around the one thing I really need to navigate around here in Sothern California - traffic. I don't want to hear audible traffic reports, I want the system to route me around accidents and construction automatically. I'd also like to see a graphic depiction of traffic flow.
I can't find real time traffic tied into the nav system as an option. I CAN find a $500 aftermarket nav system from Best Buy that has the feature. Not Good.
Are factory installed nav systems just a waste of money these days?
Saturday morning I hopped into the Honda Accord to run a quick errand and ping a little yellow wrench illuminated on the instrument panel and it said "Oil Life 15%" in place of the odometer reading.
At just over 6,300 miles, and with no issues to speak of, our long-term Accord is off to the dealer tomorrow for its first oil change.
It's a bit curious that Honda chose not to offer a manual shift mode for the new Accord's automatic transmission. It's an increasingly common feature, even for family sedans. I don't use manual shift control very often but I found myself wanting it in the Accord over the weekend when tackling some hills.
Otherwise, our Accord's five-speed automatic is a model of efficient and well-timed shifts
The day an automaker redesigns a midsize family sedan and declares it to be, "Less roomy, less powerful and less luxurious!" is the day that I expect to read a Rolling Stone "Top 50 Albums Of All Time" story and find "Frampton Comes Alive!" in the top 10.
So it's of little surprise that the redesigned 2008 Honda Accord is indeed roomier, more powerful and more luxurious. But I wonder – how much bigger can it get? Out of curiosity, I compared the size of the new Accord to that of the Toyota Avalon. Houston, we have a problem.
The Accord has a 110.2-inch wheelbase, a 194.1-inch length and a 72.7-inch width. People who remember previous Accords as being "right-sized" cars might find these numbers to be uncomfortably close to the Avalon's, which check in at 111, 197.6 and 72.8, respectively.
Thankfully, the new Accord still drives like an Accord, albeit a bigger one. The steering, handling and power are all pleasing. And the increase in size has made the interior even roomier. No question, it's another home run from Honda.
But if it gets any bigger or heavier on the next redesign, the Accord might as well be Honda's Avalon, with the Civic taking up the midsize spot and the Fit being the "old Civic."
Busted
On my way home Friday, I got a speeding ticket in the Accord. I wasn't really driving very fast but I was in a residential zone and so I was flagged.
It's easy to drive over the limit in the Accord without realizing it. It's so quiet and comfortable and smooth on the road, that you don't get a sense of how fast you are really going... The 268-hp V6 combined with the five-speed automatic transmission gets going pretty darn quick. It only takes 7 seconds to get from zero to 60 mph. I was only moving at 42 mph.
Since that incident, I've been adhering to a strict observance of the speed limits. A lot of Los Angeles is marked at 30 mph. You wouldn't know it by the way people drive in this town. It's kind of fun maintaining the proper speed limit at all times. Other drivers get really bewildered and rebellious.
Actually, it's very difficult to drive at only 30 mph, especially with other frustrated and angry drivers flying past you and honking, especially on a road with "highway" in its name. It's not Pacific Coast HIGHWAY's fault that urban planners went wild and allowed developers to build strip malls on every inch of the HIGHWAY right up to the curb. So we have to drive at 30 mph in case someone wants to pull into one of the five CVSs I pass on the way home.
But anyway, am I bitter? No. I will only grow into a better driver from this experience, as long as I don't get rear ended by all of those other drivers who haven't been stopped by the coppers yet.
The suspense surrounding our long-term Honda Accord's fuel economy has been building since we last reported figures, nearly 2,300 miles ago. We're ready to admit that we've hit the outer limits of everyone's pins-and-needles tolerance. So rest your frazzled nerves. We won't make you wait any longer.
It's time.
Best tank: 26.3 mpg
Worst tank: 16.1 mpg
Average mpg: 21.4 mpg
Our 2008 Accord's EPA estimates are 19 mpg city, 29 mpg highway and 22 mpg combined.
And now for some perspective courtesy of this handy tool, which converts 2007 (and earlier) fuel economy data to account for the EPA's improved 2008 testing standards.
Examine our real-world numbers for our VCM-equipped Accord next to adjusted fuel economy estimates for the 2007 Accord V6 without VCM (18 city/26 highway), and you'll see that even with our 2008 Accord's larger engine and 24 additional horsepower plus our collective tendency toward leadfootedness, we still beat the EPA's adjusted-for-2008 combined estimate for fuel economy for the 2007 Accord. Not too shabby.
When I first took a look at the Accord's center stack, I felt as if I'd clambered aboard the USS Enterprise, with no Mr. Sulu in sight to help me work the controls. Buttons, buttons and more buttons. A button parade
A cornucopia of button-ness. A white-hot button explosion.
But happily, the layout is pretty logical and intuitive, for the most part. I especially liked the doodad (1) that allowed me to alter the temperature setting of the climate control with a simple upward or downward nudge. My one very minor complaint had to do with the location of the "Mode" button, used to alter the flow of air into the cabin. It's found to the far right of the control panel (2), a good distance away from from the driver.
What do you think of the center stack layout? Thumbs up or thumbs down?
You asked for it and I delivered. After I threw up a video blog regarding the Aura's perceived quality featuring the age-old "tap test," quite a few people demanded I do the same for the Accord. Well, I did, and I also did the same test for a Ford Fusion SEL we happen to have at the moment. Sound and light quality differ in the three videos, but I think you can detect the differences. For the record, the more of a "thump" sound they make rather than a "thwack" the better.
Honda Accord
The Accord's center console is much sturdier than the Aura and a little more so than the Fusion. As you can hear, there is a little squeak that emanates from the gear selector, but there's practically no movement (you can only hear the squeek when pushing hard on the console). Also as you'll notice, I slammed on the thing several times to show I wasn't babying the thing. The Accord's dash-top is a little hit or miss, though. The lower squishy bit isn't as squishy as the Fusion or Aura, and the top is fairly cheap. It's smooth, though, unlike the Aura's more coarse surfacing of its lower plastics.
Ford Fusion SEL with Sport Appearance Package
I say the Fusion is the winner here. There's a little more console movement than in the Accord, but in total, I thought all its materials were of a consistantly high quality. The upper and lower dash, for instance, is squishy and it's the squishiest of all three cars. (This is officially the most I've ever written the word "squishy"). Our Altima features similar quality, but I think our five-speed Fusion looks better - with the exception of its old "brick" stereo head unit and power wheels gauges.
So there you have it, although I doubt this ends here.
Good Car for Big Boys
When my neighbor came to my door to talk about the 2008 Honda Accord EX-L he filled the entire doorframe. My son thinks he looks a bit like the Newman character in "Seinfeld." He's actually a larger version of Newman, much taller and an extremely friendly guy.
"I want that car!" he said, pointing to our long term Honda Accord. "I want that exact car!" (He has a tendancy to say everything at least twice.)
"I thought you were driving that Caddy," I answered, referring to a brand new CTS I'd seen him in...
"That's a rental," he said. "And I don't like it. The door piller hits me in the shoulder." Then he turned and pointed at the Honda again, "I want that car. I want that exact car."
I knew that the new Accord was much bigger than the previous generation (the trunk is nothing short of cavernous) but I had no idea it could handle someone as tall as my neighbor. But here was living proof of it.
Turned out my neighbor was negotiating a lease for a Honda with a local dealership. We ran the numbers on my home computer using Edmunds basic lease calculator. It turned out that the $309/month payment he was being quoted required a $4,000 down payment.
My neighbor left a bit discouraged to find out it would require so much cash out of pocket to swing this deal. But he had a plan: "I'll ask them to crunch the numbers. That's what I always say."
After he left I turned to my wife and said, "I sure hope he gets that car." She added, "That exact car."
zaPOW! zaBAM! Zagat!
Our long-term Honda Accord's optional nav system comes loaded with Zagat Survey ratings and reviews for a whole lotta restaurants in the major cities of the United States. It's a neat bonus for those times when you're cruising around a new city (or just an area of your hometown you're not familiar with) and you're hit with a sudden barbecue craving (or Italian food or Mexican food or Asian Fusion or vegan or what-have-you).
Now, not only can you get the name, address and phone number of the closest spot and a map/directions to get there, like you can with a lot of navigation systems, but with the Zagat ratings at your disposal, you';ll know before you walk in the door of that barbecue joint if you should go with the pulled-pork sandwich or the smoked brisket plate, or just skip the meat altogether and order the mac-and-cheese. Plus the pioneer of user-generated content also gives price estimates and rates the ambiance of each restaurant.
The limitations of the Zagat database is that it's limited. I';m willing to allow that one entity can't publish ratings and reviews for every restaurant in the country, but I was disappointed how often a search gleaned more than one chain restaurant or when well-known and (in-my-moderately-foodie mind) noteworthy local spots were ignored, especially given Zagat's reputation for leaning toward the higher end of the segment.
But it was easy enough to use once I got the hang of the interface. And I liked the ability to search in any town the database covered. I sat at a stoplight in Santa Monica and hunted for vegetarian food in the Rogers Park neighborhood of Chicago and had fun browsing my dining possibilities should I decide to road-trip across the nation in the Accord.
There was one moment this weekend that was emblematic of what I like best about our Honda Accord.
I was waiting to make a right turn that would take me east on Olympic Boulevard. Coming at me from the west of said boulevard was a phalanx of cars, bearing down with the speed and urgency of fighter jets. I had a choice to make.
Should I wait a few minutes for the deluge of cars to pass? Or did I have enough juice on tap to make the turn and gain speed quickly enough so as not to disrupt the flow of traffic?
Well, when the car is our Accord V6, replete with 268 horsepower and 248 foot-pounds of torque, juice, I had learned, is never a problem. So I mashed the gas pedal and went for it, and the Accord rose to the challenge. An ordinary family sedan wouldn't inspire that kind of confidence, but with cars like the Accord, the 270-hp Altima V6 and the 268-hp Camry V6, the family sedan segment simply isn't that ordinary anymore.
A pet peeve of mine, automotively speaking, is when a vital display washes out. In this case "vital" being the display for the XM satellite radio info. Driving into work this a.m., as I crept along the freeway at 10-20 mph, I flicked through a few of the "decades" radio stations and couldn't see the upper half of the display that shows song title, artist, etc. I soon discovered that there was an easy solution.
I did the usual knee-jerk reaction of twisting the instrument panel light dimmer up. Turning it all the way up (also indicated by a "beep") switched the screen's illumination to the night mode of white on black, which worked perfectly in this instance. Much easier than diving into a sub-menu to change the screen's format. And yes, switching on the exterior lights does the same thing. Sorry for the cell phone pics, but you get the idea.
For the most part, I'm a fan of the Honda Accord's seats and the driving position. I find the leather-wrapped front buckets supportive in both aggressive driving and generally comfy over long distances. However, if I'm going to nitpick, there's just too much upper lumbar. Every time I get into the car and set my seat just right, I press the lumbar button but it deflates only the seat's lower portion. Although the set-up produces proper posture, it takes a while for me to get used to it — which I eventually do, since I forgot about it during several long-distance journeys in the Accord.
Our Cadillac also makes me press the lumbar button in vain, making me feel like I'm sitting against a board.
This is certainly one of those personal preference situations since both cars' seats have been generally well-lauded — perhaps lumbar enthusiasts would take a different view than I.
This weekend, I refueled the Honda Accord and it cost more than $52 even though it had a quarter tank of gas. Yikes. And that's nothing compared to what it costs to fill up an SUV.
So, I have some questions for you:
How are you coping with the sky high price of gasoline?..
Have you changed your driving habits?
Are you paying more attention to things like tire pressure?
Are you driving less?
Are you thinking about getting a more fuel-efficient car?
Have you read this article on Edmunds.com?
We Test the Tips
I get a lot of satisfaction out of driving our 2008 Honda Accord EX-L V6. Partly, this is because its personality and cabin layout bear many similarities to the previous Accord, which I also liked. My favorite detail is the amazing feeling of spaciousness when you're seated in the cockpit — something that no other manufacturer has quite managed to copy over the years.
Larger physical dimensions undoubtedly help out the current-gen Accord in this regard, but all that extra weight shouldn't be good for the driving experience
Yet, somehow it's not a problem at all. The Accord turns in more crisply than ever before and has excellent steering feel. I never liked the highway ride of previous Accords, but this one has an excellent blend of comfort and control — something like a premium-brand sedan.
Here's the thing, though. I think the car loses some of its Accordness when loaded with a V6, leather and navigation. It gets expensive, obviously, and for no good reason when the base 177-hp four-cylinder engine is so capable. (Yeah, we only got a 9.3-second 0-60 and a 17.1-second quarter-mile out of an LX-P tester, but it felt quicker than the numbers.) Plus, I think the cloth seats are more comfortable.
"Its NOT a TOO-mah!"
Well, alright. But how else to explain the protruding headlights on the current-gen Accord? Does anyone think this was a good stylistic move? I grimace every time I see an Accord from this angle.
What is going on here?
Otherwise, I really like this car. Steering feel and accuracy are spot-on, body motions are nicely controlled, and the mandatory slushbox is smooth and responsive. This is a family sedan for people who like to drive, even if the V6's lack of low-end torque and uninspiring fuel economy make a compelling argument for sticking with either of the available fours. Too bad Honda still insists on letting an intrusive amount of road noise filter into the cabin — Honda aficionados will tell you this is part of 'driver involvement,' but to me it just seems unrefined. The ride's pretty flinty over pockmarked pavement as well; I don't mind so much, but the average family sedan buyer might.
Three months and 4,200 miles have passed since we last updated our long-term Honda Accord's fuel log. High time we gave you the digits, no?
Our lifetime average is 21.1 mpg, so we're still not quite hitting the EPA's estimate of 22 mpg for combined driving, despite my husband';s determination to keep the green ECO dash light lit during a stint behind the wheel this weekend.
Our best tanks are generally in the mid 20s, worst tanks drop into the 16-17 range.
We've used 436.1 gallons of fuel and have driven it more than 9,000 miles since we took ownership of the Accord last fall.
Pictured is the right-front wheel of our long-term Honda Accord. Please note the wheel curbing near the top of the photo. While I'm not sure who did it, it's pretty clear how it happened. It's equally clear that it's going to happen again and again and again.
Why? No, not because we're careless drivers, but because of the wheel design. Check the second picture. Not only are these wheels really ugly, but the middle of the spoke bows out from the tire. Traditionally the tire is the first thing that would contact a curb — some tires even have handy hard rubber guards at the widest spot to absorb such uh-ohs — not here, it's wheel-first, baby!
This was my first time in the 2008 Honda Accord sedan, and it was generally what I expected. Simple, functional, not-so-flashy, not-so-sporty.
The ride was smooth enough but I kept wanting a little something from the engine for passing, etc. that it was never able to deliver. It isn't gravely underpowered but it would be nice to have a little more back-up the times I needed it. It is a V6.
I was more excited about the interior, which I think manages to keep things simple while looking pretty stylish. The controls are a bit too clustered together to the point of confusing, but once you get used to it, the center console is very easy to navigate.
My single biggest gripe is the seats. To me, they felt inordinately stiff and non-comforting. And I don't mean this in a racing seat way. More in an old VW seat that needs more padding kind of way. If this car was a 1998 instead of 2008, it would be a forgivable, but I think most any new car should feel relatively comfortable after a single night of driving.
Over the weekend I had to park our 2008 Honda Accord EX-L V6 in one of those really tight parking garages — the kind where if a couple cars aren't pulled in straight, the space between them is useless unless you have a Mini or Smart. It was then that I realized just how big the Accord now is. "That won't fit, that won't fit," I murmured to myself as I drove down the aisles. Then, I watched a 1st-gen Sienna pull out of this spot and was determined to make it work. The Accord just fit, and I folded in the mirrors to give my neighbors a few extra inches.
Later, though, while loading items into the trunk, I looked in the backseat and couldn't believe how much room there was. I was reminded of a road trip I took 14 years ago with my mom, stepdad and younger brother. The four of us piled into Mom's 1993 Accord for the 20-hour drive from Cape Girardeau, Missouri, to Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina. (It was the largest car we had and we couldn't afford to rent something bigger.) Needless to say, it wasn't a terribly comfortable ride and eventually everyone had to take a turn in the backseat to keep the peace.
While I have misgivings about the large footprint of the 2008 Honda Accord, there's no question it's a better candidate for family road trips than its forbears of the '80s and '90s.
As an aside, I checked the oil when I fueled up this morning. The hood goes right up without a prop rod, and the orange-ringed dipstick is right out in front. The dipstick is also slightly heavier-duty than many I've encountered recently, making it easy to reinsert. The Accord's oil level checked out fine.
As our long-term Honda Accord sat in line, waiting to enter the 10 freeway yesterday evening, bing the little glowing orange wrench illuminated and the odometer trip display was replaced with "Oil Life 15%."
Looks like we'll be heading for service soon.
I headed over to the Hollywood Bowl last night in the Accord to see The Police. I saw them perform a few times in the ‘80s (I was in kindergarten then) when the lads in the band had a lot more energy. Maybe I've been listening to way too much DMX and TI, and maybe it’s due to the band being in the twilight of its career, but during last night's performance, I repeatedly thought, “Wow - another VH1 version of a great song.” By VH1 I mean: just OK, not quite lame. I had a similar experience driving the Accord.
You're Fired!
Just kidding. Actually, you're taking me and J-Riz to Trump National Golf Club in Palos Verdes. We got word last week that a couple spots had opened up in Monday's 19th annual L.A. Automotive Open scramble tournament (benefiting the National Jewish Medical and Research Center), and one look at the pictures on Trump National's website convinced us that it would be well worth the vacation day.
For all you curious golfers out there, the course is about what you'd expect from The Donald. It's immaculately maintained and ridiculously scenic (not surprising since it's perched right on the edge of the Pacific), but there are some kitschy elements as well, like the — count 'em — two man-made miniature-golf-style waterfalls out on the course, or the in-cart GPS system's dubious claim that this is the number one course in California. As for Team Edmunds, we shot a tidy four-under 67 for the day. Pretty respectable, I think, given that we were the only twosome in the tournament, which meant we each hit two balls every time (and were thus on the verge of fatigue-induced indifference for the last few holes).
And the Accord? It's gotten way too big for my taste, but every time I drive it I'm impressed anew by its wonderful steering (as was Erin awhile back). Not too light, surprisingly communicative for a family sedan, effort builds nicely as cornering angles sharpen, and it tracks like the proverbial bloodhound on the highway. Here's a controversial claim for you — having driven the Accord and the new Jag XF Supercharged back-to-back today, I think the Accord's steering gives up nothing to the Jag's. Needless to say, the Accord blows away its new TSX cousin in this department.
Shh, there, in the tachometer, look! The elusive ECO light. Rarely seen and virtually impossible to photograph, the ECO light signifies that the V6's Cylinders have been Variably Managed. It's supposed to save gas or prove how great their engineers are or something like that, but in reality, it's just annoying.
I know what you're thinking, the actual cylinder deactivation process is annoying; there must be a shutter or a jolt when the system active and deactivates. Wrong. The annoying part is the light.
On. Off. On. Off. On. Off. On. Off. ARG! The bright green light is the brightest thing on the dash when illuminated and its sudden illumination triggers the eyes downward. Every time the light turns on I look down with a quick "Uht-oh, what just happened" glance. It might as well just black out the windshield every time it goes off and replace the view of the road ahead with a mural of happy kittens and panda bears playing in a green field with singing birds and factories that emit rainbows. Because really, that's all that ECO light is doing, saying "Hey, fella' good work saving the planet. You've offset enough carbons with that light pedal touch to nullify the fact that your $14 shoes were made by a factory in China that burns tires for heat."
I did manage to find a solution to the problem: Leave the transmission in 2 or D3 and the ECO light never turns on.
I thought the 2008 Honda Accord sedan would be a good car to take home over the long Fourth of July holiday weekend. Not too big, not too small — it should work out just fine for any trip we might decide to take.
Within 5 minutes of leaving the office, however, I knew we weren't going anywhere. Pitch the tent in the back yard, kids: we're going to have a "staycation" at home.
Those leather seats might look inviting, but they're as hard as a rock — or so said my buttometer. The cushion had no give, the seams clawed at the pockets of my jeans, and no amount of adjustment would make it go away. I couldn't get out fast enough.
Just call me Mega-sore-a**.
Without saying anything to my wife, we went to dinner. She's 8 inches shorter than me; maybe these seats are better-suited to those of shorter stature
No such luck. Before she even buckled her belt she was fishing for a non-existent lumbar adjustment (only the driver gets one) to relieve what she termed, "the basketball in my back."
Based on this, I'd have to pass on the leather. The cloth seats are liable to lack the drum-tight surface tension of these leather ones, resulting in more cush for the tush. Sucks that the front passenger doesn't get a lumbar adjustment, though. Last time I checked, all of the folks who've ridden shotgun with me had a spine. It's practically a prerequisite.
The Accord chills in the shade in front of the iconic windmill and "comic foreground" photo-op of two guys splitting peas at Pea Soup Anderson's restaurant in Santa Nella.
Took our long-term Honda Accord to the San Francisco Bay Area recently for a joint family trip/bachelorette party. Though I had a bevy of long-term crossovers at my disposal, I decided our small family (two adults, one toddler) could probably manage with a sedan, so I went with the Accord. For the most part, it worked out fine, but it wasn't the perfect I-5 road trip vehicle we had been hoping for.
Before we got on the road, I read Dan Edmunds' post about the Accord's seat comfort, furrowed my brow and then tried to be cautiously optimistic about the potential long-haul comfort of the driver and front-passenger seats. My heinie is sad to report that Dan was right. Though my husband and I were both able to find comfortable driving positions, the rock-hard seat did lead to severe cases of dead butt unless we did seated gluteal isometrics and took frequent breaks (fortunately, a given when traveling with a small child). We both experienced quite a bit of lower back numbness, as well. The fixed upper lumbar support was also problematic for my husband, who prefers zero support in that area, but I found it just fine.
The back seat had plenty of room for the kid's gigantic, but beloved, Recaro Como car seat plus all of our road trip junk (snacks, cooler with drinks, pillows, toys, books). However, with the car seat secured in the center seating position, it was a bit tight when either my husband or I sat back there with her in an attempt to allay her boredom. Not impossible, but not great for longer stints, and the back seats weren't as relatively comfortable as the front ones. She ended up entertaining herself for the majority of the miles.
Significant wind and road noise made listening to anything but kids music on the audio system pointless. I know that Hondas are known for their road noise, but I didn't expect the wind noise, too. As such, we got quite familiar with our daughter's new favorite album.
Fuel economy for the 800+ mile trip (which consisted of a good deal of in-city driving, as well as the highway miles) was 24 mpg. EPA estimates for the 2008 Accord are 19 city/29 highway/22 combined.
Overall, I'm not sorry we chose the Accord for our trip (V6 power, controls were easy to use, satellite radio and auxiliary jack), but if I owned this car, I might not be too eager to take another road trip in it anytime soon.
As cool as it is to impress the neighbors with the G8's smoky burnouts or attack a mountain road in the WRX STi for an early morning drive, sometimes it's nice to get into a car that doesn't require much mental effort. Our long-term Honda Accord is just such a car.
It's roomy. It's comfortable (the recent seat entry notwithstanding). Everything from the controls to the engine operate with a smooth fluidity. And in terms of entertainment, it has all I'd ever want thanks to a very nice audio system with satellite radio and an auxiliary audio input.
Other than the mild annoyance created by the fiddly center-stack controls, this is a car that you can just put in "Drive" and go. And so far, we've logged more than 15,000 miles without any unexpected reliability issues.
I guess I got a bit spoiled driving our long-term 2007 Nissan Altima
— it had a backup camera. This might seem like a gimmicky feature to have, but today's newer sedans, with their thick C-pillars and high rear decks, can have rear visibility just as poor as a crossover SUV's. A backup camera can be a nice addition.
Our 2008 Honda Accord EX-L is fully loaded with features, but a backup camera isn't offered. Presumably, it wouldn't have cost Honda much more to add one when it redesigned the Accord?
Score one for the Altima.
I noticed recently how we've occasionally racked up a fair number of miles between fill-ups in the Accord. Credit goes to the better-than-average highway fuel economy for a 2008 V6 family sedan (EPA: 29 mpg) and a fuel tank capacity of 18.5 gallons. (Coincidentally, our Toyota Camry, another long-termer I recall having a big fuel range, also had an 18.5-gallon tank.)
According to the Accord's fuel log, Senior Editor Bryn MacKinnon is our marathon driver so far — she went 402 miles before filling up on 15.99 gallons of gas during her trip to San Francisco last month
Laser Focus
I, like most other folks, am a complete Olympics freak. I had just been on a week long trip back East and had missed a lot of the competitions. This past weekend was my chance to check them out on a sustained basis.
I got the keys for the Accord and made a b-line for my house. Thankfully I only live and mile and a half from the office so I didn't miss much. I fully admit it, I wanted to see anything. I watched
Ping Pong
Table Tennis for hours. Don't knock it, it was the only games on at the moment and I didn't care. An American was playing and I was into it.
The Accord remained parked for the weekend. It was only when I had to come back on Monday morning that I had touched it again. Immediately I noticed that center dash. Wow! What a mess of buttons! Nothing like our Fit. Granted the Fit was an econo box, but it's a great example of clean and efficient.
Things don't have to be complicated to be good. I'd rather have function over form any day.
"Man this is a big car."
Every time I pull our long-term Honda Accord into my nightly parking space, I seem to utter, or at least think these words. True enough, the Accord I drove home last night is literally a vast departure from the 1991 Accord EX-R my father drove home every night from '90-'94. This is also a point that countless readers have mentioned about this latest Accord, damning it for moving away from its roots.
But then I climb in the enormous back seat and look into the enormous trunk. Or I behold all the luxurious bells and whistles Honda has added to make this EX-L V6 a junior Acura. For most families, there is no doubt that this is a better car than its predecessors. It still drives beautifully, too. It's not as sporty as the Altima or Mazda 6, but it does find a middle ground between those sporty models and a Camry-like barge that I think appeals to many buyers.
For me, however, I agree that this Accord isn't the car it once was. Something this big just can't be that fun. So let me bounce an idea off you. Although shorter in overall length than my dad's old Accord, today's Civic has about the same wheelbase, it's wider, it's taller and heck, it's four-cylinder engine makes the same horsepower. In other words, today's Civic is yesterday's Accord. Today's Accord is yesterday's, well, Honda Avalon.
So how about a Civic V6 instead? Something along the lines of 210 hp, with cylinder deactivation to help limit fuel consumption. Sure, this is extremely unlikely — especially in today's world. But for those like me who value the manueverability and agility of a smaller vehicle, with ample V6 power, I think a Civic V6 makes sense. I'd much rather own/drive that than our jumbo Accord. What say you?
Like fast-food portions and the people who live on them, the Honda Accord has grown larger over the years. No longer the trim midsize gal she once was, the Accord has blossomed into a full-size momma with a big trunk and certain inescapable needs at the fuel pump. And there's no shame in that, folks.
Here's a look at the latest mileage figures:
Best Fuel Economy: 28.7 mpg
Worst Fuel Economy: 14.5 mpg
Average Fuel Economy: 21.1 mpg
Thus far, our average falls just short of the EPA's combined estimate of 22 mpg.
The Accord's mileage to date trails that of our Toyota Camry , which logged an average fuel economy of 24.9 mpg when its test drew to a close last year. Our Camry real-world numbers were more impressive than its EPA estimate of 23 mpg combined.
Keep in mind, though, that the Camry's experience with us was somewhat different from the Accord's — the Toyota spent four months in Michigan under the care of a single editor.
I've noticed recently that when driving our long-term 2008 Honda Accord over broken or rough pavement, a buzzy rattle would crop up. It would go quiet when the road smoothed out.
A brief investigation this morning revealed that the large plastic panel behind the rear headrests is the culprit.
Any other Accord drivers experiencing this?
So I had our long-term Honda Accord EX-L V6 over the weekend, and it got me to thinking: Since when did the Accord become an also-ran?
I grew up on Accords — my parents had a '94 EX and a '98 LX — and back then, the Accord was clearly the family sedan to have if you liked to drive (save perhaps for the Nissan Maxima SE). A decade later, the Accord ranks a distant fourth in the fun-to-drive category, by my count, trailing the Altima, Mazda 6 and Ford Fusion/Mercury Milan, in that order. Shoot, if the Hyundai Sonata SE had less novocain in its steering, the Accord would fall to fifth.
One might suspect that the Accord has compensated for its loss of sportiness by morphing into a Camry clone. But it hasn't. It's still got a flinty ride over broken pavement, and there's still more road noise than I'd like. As for our long-termer's V6, it's a fuel-swilling laggard (21.1 mpg lifetime average vs. Camry's 24.9, 0-60 in 7.5 seconds) that pales in comparison to the Camry's sublime six.
Unlike some of my colleagues, I love the seats — wish I could take 'em with me from car to car. And the steering feel is above-average (though I'd take the Altima's spot-on rack in a heartbeat). But other than that, I think the only advantage the Accord enjoys anymore is its reputation for reliability.
Am I imagining things, or has this car lost its mojo?
There's something that just doesn't make sense about our Long Term Accord. It has tons of tech - satellite radio, Bluetooth, navigation, CD changer and voice commands for lots of features. It even has a calculator and a unit converter (pictured) for distance, temperature and automotive measurements. However, it does not have real time traffic on the nav screen - NOT GOOD.
It just doesn't make sense; everything is already in place - XM radio and a nav screen. I need Nav Traffic A LOT more than I need a unit converter. Acuras have the feature, this loaded Accord should too.
I drove up our long-term 2008 Honda Accord EX-L V6 up to Napa, CA on Sunday — and unfortunately not for the usual, winery-touring reasons. When it was time to come home yesterday afternoon, I knew I couldn't squander another lovely fall day on the I-780, I-680 and I-580. So I picked my way though mid-afternoon San Francisco traffic to California Highway 35, aka Skyline Boulevard.
Although there are a lot of cool, gnarly little roads branching off Skyline (which does have a view of the Silicon Valley skyline), the boulevard itself is only moderately curvy, which was ideal for our '08 Accord, which has taken some criticism for its size (extra large).
I really enjoyed the drive. Within the limits imposed by the all-season tires, the chassis feels good — stiff, balanced, predictable. The steering provides some feedback (and you get some through the driver seat as well) and it feels quite accurate: Getting the Accord set up for corners is quite easy.
Instead of diverting onto Highway 9, my escape route from Skyline involved Black Road, which is narrow, twisty and often lacks a center line. Yet, I had no trouble keeping the big Accord out of the way of oncoming, smaller cars even when they were taking up more than their share of blacktop.
Complaints from the Skyline run center on the brakes. I didn't get any significant fade, but the pedal didn't feel firm and I think the rotors might be a touch out of round. When I noticed this, I tried to avoid taxing them.
Acceleration was also an issue on Skyline when I took advantage of a passing zone. Even with a V6, the Accord is simply too heavy to gather itself up instantaneously and what looked like an easy pass ended up causing a little anxiety. That said, I had no issues with the car's quickness on the interstate and it dispatched the I-5 "Grapevine" at my preferred pace. In addition, it's tough to argue with the fuel economy: I wasn't trying to be efficient and I got 23.8 mpg over 854 miles. I never did better than 22 in our CVT-equipped Nissan Altima.
I was also surprised by how comfortable I found the Accord. I agree with Josh that the car rides busily over the washboard slabs that comprise LA freeways. But in the Central Valley and NorCal, where the freeways are paved more normally, the car rode just fine — compliantly, even — and road noise wasn't a big problem. I even liked the driver seat, which I spent a total of 8 hours in yesterday. Yes, it's a firm seat, but I think that's what makes it decently supportive.
Finally, I like that audio information moves to the secondary display when you're busy watching the map screen: I could see the score of Sunday's Dodgers/Giants game. Unfortunately, it's XM rather than the local AM radio station providing the feed that manages the updates, so the displayed score sometimes lagged behind reality.
Wrap-Up
Why We Bought It
Durability
Performance and Fuel Economy
Retained Value
Summing Up
Honda has spent 30 years quietly perfecting the midsize family sedan. Through eight generations, some Accords have had three doors and some Accords have had three speeds, yet all have shared Honda's unique appreciation for practical, efficient mobility. The Accord first came to North America in 1976, and the car earned such a popular reputation for quality and dependability that it began to be built here in 1982 as well.
The Honda Accord secured a spot as the top-selling Japanese sedan in this country shortly after its introduction and has never looked back, even after the Camry ultimately outpaced it in sales. It is the definition of what Americans want in a midsize family sedan, combining Japanese-style reliability with American-style comfort in a package that looks European. And its functional, reliable and affordable nature has earned it lasting popularity, even though style and flash have never been part of the package.
Why We Bought It
For 2008 Honda threatened to add an element of style to the new Accord. A change to a formula so predictable that we have practically set our watches to it for decades. We couldn't pass on the opportunity to test a long-term 2008 Honda Accord EX-L V6. After all, it is one of the important reference points in the American car market. So we ordered one up.
All aspects of the Accord have grown for this new-generation car. Interior and exterior dimensions grew, as did engine size and output for both four- and six-cylinder versions. The new 3.5-liter V6 in our EX-L generates 268 horsepower, a substantial improvement that kept pace with the other power increases we've seen in the midsize sedan segment.
Our long-term test fleet further influenced our decision to add the Honda. We had already had a Nissan Altima and Toyota Camry in the garage. First drive and full test impressions sized up the Accord as a compromise between its closest competitors. The Altima was biased toward a sportier ride, while the Camry followed the path of most comfort. Could the Accord establish an effective middle ground between the two?
Durability
Many aspects of the 2008 Honda Accord feel deliberately understated, including the way it drives. Climb behind the wheel and there are few distractions. Seats are reasonably comfortable. Engine power is adequate without being overwhelming. It doesn't require much mental effort to drive. Wind and road noise are well isolated. But sometimes this bland personality lulls its driver into going down the road on mental autopilot.
Managing Editor Donna DeRosa fell under the Accord's spell to the point where Johnny Law got involved. DeRosa recounts, "I hadn't been pulled over since I was 17 years old. This is the second time — ever. So I couldn't imagine why I was being snagged by the Redondo Beach PD. I definitely wasn't speeding. But it turns out I didn't have my lights on. A little earlier I had driven to the store and forgot I'd turned off the lights. When I got back into the car the running lights turned on automatically, so I thought the headlights were on, too."
A few months later DeRosa fell victim to the Accord's siren song once again. She wrote on the long-term blog pages, "On my way home Friday I was in the Accord and got pulled over again. Only three times in my life, but twice in this car. And this time got a speeding ticket. The Accord is so quiet, comfortable and smooth on the road you don't get a sense of how fast you are really going. It's easy to drive over the limit without realizing it."
Senior Editor Erin Riches has reflected on life in the cabin of our Accord. She notes, "The cabin layout bears many similarities to the previous Accord, which I liked. My favorite detail is the amazing feeling of spaciousness when you're seated in the cockpit. It's something no other manufacturer has quite managed to copy over the years. Larger physical dimensions undoubtedly help the current Accord in this regard. Here's the thing, though. I think the car loses some Accord-ness when loaded with a V6, leather upholstery and navigation. It gets expensive, but for no good reason when the base four-cylinder is so capable. Plus, I think the cloth seats are more comfortable."
Road Test Editor Brian Moody commented on the Honda's tech bits, "Our Accord offers a lot of technology. Satellite radio, Bluetooth capability, navigation, CD changer and voice commands for many features. It even has a calculator and unit converter for distance and temperature. However, it does not have a real-time traffic readout on the navigation screen. Not good. It just doesn't make sense. Everything is already in place — XM radio and a nav screen. I need nav-traffic much more than a unit converter. Acuras have this feature. A loaded Accord should, too."
We did not have any major mechanical issues with our Accord during its 20,000-mile tour of duty. Our only minor issue was with the rear brake pads, which had to be replaced at the 15,000-mile mark. We experienced a similar lifespan with the rear brakes on our long-term Accord Hybrid.
Body shop work on a quarter-panel and some scuffed wheels were the extent of the cosmetic problems we encountered with the 2008 Honda Accord. The body damage was the result of low-speed parking lot maneuvers and a now multicolored cement pillar. Wheel damage was more the result of design. Our Honda was equipped with a set of wheels that protrude beyond the tire sidewall. As one might expect, the wheel impacts unsuspecting curbs before the rubber does.
A new tire was the only other unexpected out-of-pocket expense. A nail punctured the P225/50R17 Michelin Pilot a little too close to the sidewall for a safe repair. As luck would have it, there weren't any Michelin retailers in the town where we sustained the damage, so we bought a Bridgestone Potenza in the correct size.
Total Body Repair Costs: $250.00
Total Routine Maintenance Costs (over 12 months): $219.69
Additional Maintenance Costs: $242.54 for a tire replacement
Warranty Repairs: None
Non-Warranty Repairs: Rear brake pad replacement
Scheduled Dealer Visits: 2
Unscheduled Dealer Visits: None
Days Out of Service: None
Breakdowns Stranding Driver: None
Performance and Fuel Economy
From a performance perspective, the 3,500-pound Accord is sportier than in years past, but showed some signs of aging after 20,000 miles of dutiful service.
Acceleration to 60 mph from a standstill required 7 seconds (with 1 foot of rollout like on a drag strip) when new, but grew to 7.8 seconds by the Accord's final test. Quarter-mile times slowed from 15.3 seconds at 95.4 mph to 15.8 seconds at 90.3 mph.
From 60 mph the 2008 Honda Accord consistently used 127 feet to brake to a stop. Senior Road Test Editor Josh Jacquot noted after testing, "Brake pedal effort is light, even at full ABS engagement. Good responsiveness and effectiveness, but fade is inevitable after just a few stops."
Speed through the slalom reached 65.6 mph at 1,000 miles, but it had dropped to 63.5 mph by the end of the car's term with Edmunds.com. In contrast, lateral force around the skid pad remained constant at 0.80g.
Best Fuel Economy: 28.7 mpg
Worst Fuel Economy: 14.5 mpg
Average Fuel Economy: 21.0 mpg
Retained Value
The 2008 Honda Accord EX-L entered our fleet with its $30,895 MSRP in tow. After 12 months and 20,000 miles, its value depreciated 20 percent according to Edmunds' TMV® calculator. Over the same amount of time, our long-term Camry and Altima each declined 26 percent in value. Honda's tradition of high resale value is still intact.
True Market Value at service end: $24,601
Depreciation: $6,294 or 20 percent of original MSRP
Final Odometer Reading: 19,480
Summing Up
A conversation that took place in the halls of Edmunds.com yesterday summarizes our time with the Honda Accord.
"Can I drive the Accord tonight? I haven't driven it home in awhile."
"Umm...its long-term test ended four weeks ago."
"Oh. Can I drive the GT-R instead?"
Our test of the Accord came and went before many of us realized it. This car's staunch reliability and admirable build quality limited the opportunities for negative gossip. And its bland appearance helped maintain the car's low profile in the fleet. In the end, the Honda's not-too-sporty but not-too-comfortable persona meant it was never the first choice when it came to choose a ride from our test fleet, but it also was never the last one picked.
Perhaps no news is good news in the case of the 2008 Honda Accord. It lives up to its heritage and does all you can ask, staking out the middle ground in the world of midsize family sedans. The Accord faithful will not be disappointed.
The manufacturer provided Edmunds this vehicle for the purposes of evaluation.