Melbourne Motor Show: Honda Accord

By Matt Brogan | February 29th, 2008

The eighth generation Accord is a Thai built offering featuring Honda’s “three engines under one bonnet” technology which sets out to challenge the perception of V6 engines being gas guzzlers.

The new Accord uses a 3.5-litre V6 featuring what Honda calls Variable Cylinder Management. It allows running on six, four or three cylinders. Under acceleration or high speed driving all six clinders fire but in cruising or low speed urban driving it drops back to four or three. Honda says the transition is seamless and unnoticable to the driver. The benefits are lower fuel consumption and emissions.

Honda says the 3.5-litre 202kW V6 achieves 10.0 litres/100km, while the 2.4 litre 133kW four cylinder version uses 8.8 litres/100km.

Standard safety equipment includes Vehicle Stability Assist, new dual-chamber front and side airbags on all models, side-curtain airbags (on VTi-Luxury, V6 and V6-Luxury versions) and active front head restraints

All models use a 5-speed automatic transmission with paddle shifts.

Lcat

10lt/100klms? what would be the consumption without the bespoke variable cylinder management? doesn’t seem to be much of a reduction in consumption.
Mike

Thumbs down Honda. Doesn’t look as good as the outgoing model. Mondeo and Mazda6 much better looking cars….
Godspeed

Looks like they got the rear end off a BMW 7 series… Don’t think it really looks any better or worse than the (regular, non-Euro) outgoing model.

Makes sense though, this will be the bigger, blander version while the Euro will continue to be the sharper, more dynamic sister car
Captain Mainwaring

Mike, when you mention Mondeo and Mazda6 you seem to be confusing this with the new Euro. It’s not, it’s the ‘big’ Accord, and whilst no style leader it’s miles ahead of the nerdish old one. But I’m stuffed if I can work out how this whiz-bang high-tech engine uses virtually the same amount of fuel as a 4 litre Falcon.
Richo

Mike – this is the replacement for the regular (yank) accord, not the accord euro which will be launched later this year or possibly as late as early next year. Compared to the US accord this is a much better looking car.

As for the fuel consumption, i thought it would be better then that personally… however official fuel economy figures often don’t tell the real picture. In heavy stop start traffic V6′s are usually horrendously bad averaging around 16+ liter per 100, however this thing would presumably be running on 3 or 4 cylinder most of the time in heavy stop start traffic so the advantage over a normal V6 would greatly increase and not necessarily be reflected in the ADR average economy
Richo

personally i think it looks great
Joober

was at the show earlier today, all i can say is the interior looks much nicer than the outgoing model, as for fuel consumption that rather poor, VCM 3cyl 4cyl 6cyl would have hoped for a bigger drop somewhere in the 8ltr/100 region…
Alec

I saw it from a distance at the motor show, and thought it was a 5 series..

considering its longer than a falcon, it wasn’t that bog inside
Fred

3, 4 or 6 cylinders, it’s still .1l/100km more than the Aurion. Maybe if they work out their deficit on useful torque, the fuel numbers should be better.
Eyma Teapot

So is this one of those overpriced, overated Jap built Hondas or worse, One of those overpriced, overated Thai built Hondas?
Al Juraj

This car is horrid yet again, perhaps even uglier than the Epica. Square front that flows into a round, compact rear with a tail that looks like an unfinished job. Too bad its great looking dash is wasted around a dorky body.

I also don’t believe that cylinder shut-off blah-blah. Those Hemis from Chrysler also have this kind of technology, but still require bottomless petrol.
Ford

actually when they mean 3 cylinders 4 and six thats is all six cylinders in V6 form at the same time.

They actually mean that …. for example if the cylinder 1 fires now , it wont fire next time , but the cylidner 3 will.

so instead of having all 6 waiting for the cycle to wire and get all 202kW out to the flywheel.

they would skip a cylinder or two , but always using all six , but with less cycles.

therefore in theory cutting down the fuel consumption.

It doesnt shut down permanently 2 cylinders. They are all working , but less.

Which means that one part of the engine wont wear out , and the other say 2 cylinders not being used.

its not a bad car , but Aurion looks more advanced and a Falcon BA-FG even more impressive.
Debrah

I agree that Fords six is more advanced and that they were and are still ahead of their time.
But thats out of the subject here. Though i have to admit i have achieved 8 to 9L from my AUIII 4L Falcon when driven very carefully with out any unwanted throttle poking. Very similar to my EL Fairmont probably because the engines are identical -technically-, and as far as i can recall it thats almost 2L less than my husbands VTII commodore executive .
Fred

Yet another Honda gimmick. Their engines that don’t have cylinder shutoff are since having torque problems at low revs. How much more can less cylinders do?