Road Test: Honda Accord V6

Review by Feann Torr - 6/August/2008

The race is on: car makers are now well and truly in hot pursuit of the ultimate low emission vehicle.

Demand for personal transport that pollutes less and costs less to run, but that doesn't compromise on interior space or standard features is set to increase significantly in the next decade.

And though we will be waiting a few more years for the electric car revolution to begin in earnest, changes are already on the way.

One of the intermediate solutions to reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions is cylinder deactivation, and Honda can lay claim to the first V6 vehicle in Australia fitted with this technology.

In a nutshell, the engine can shut down two or three of its six cylinders when their not needed, such as highway cruising, which reduces the amount of fuel it burns.

The idea sounds very good, and the marketing makes it very tempting. 

But is Honda's new Accord V6 just a gimmick, or does it really live up to the hyperbole?

Inspecting this large Japanese sedan from a dozen paces away, it's evident that Honda wanted to bring a new dynamic to one of its longest running models.

By and large the Japanese car maker has achieved this, as the Accord V6 is a step up from the previous model in terms of styling.

Gone are the meandering lines, the dull headlight design, and dumpy rear end -- all replaced with a far more appealing, somewhat chiseled look.

The Honda Accord V6 has an angular design with a touch of the BMW 5 Series about it, and the new styling is a big improvement in my book and makes a strong impression;it has a purposeful stance and its profile is more distinguished.

Touches of chrome around the windowline and front grille are tasteful and not overblown, while smaller touches like the character lines on the bonnet also add to the car's sense of purpose.

One of the things about the vehicle's design that interested me was that the car is longer than a Commodore, but doesn't look it.

The overall design cues and also the vehicle's proportions - particularly the stubby boot - are such that the Accord doesn't looks like an oversized battering ram.

It's not your traditional Honda buzz box either. The Accord V6 is big and it's got more power than Commodore, Falcon and Aurion.

Measuring 4.94 metres long, Honda's Thai-built Accord V6 is longer than the Holden Commodore (4.89 metres) and though it's not quite as wide as its Aussie rival, it's still a big car with plenty of room for people and their belongings.

The boot is fairly large and its 450 litres compares relatively well with large Australian-made cars, with enough room to fit a couple of recalcitrant kids.

Greeted with chrome door handles, getting into the car is easy and settling in and familiarising yourself with the controls doesn't take long.

Not unlike Audi for instance, Honda has developed an ergonomic space that contains intuitive features: most of the cars controls are where you'd expect them to be.

The buttons on the steering wheel are neatly marked out and govern cruise control and audio options, and things like the electric window and mirror controls are located on the driver's side door.

The dashboard contains easy-to-read instruments and everything is laid out in a logical way. Though the interior has a nice look and feel about it and uses good quality plastics with good fit and finish, it's also quite plain in some ways. Nevertheless, the cabin makes a positive impression.

Once you've found a comfortable seating position thanks to the 8-way power adjustable driver's seat (with power lumbar adjust) and the reach/tilt steering wheel, it's time to set off and see what this new-fangled V6 Accord is all about.

After a few minutes on the road it's obvious that Honda has delivered yet again on driveline refinement. Not only is the engine smooth and responsive, but the whole thing motivates in a refined manner.

The 5-speed automatic may not be the most advanced gearbox on the market but it pairs well with Honda's high tech 3.5-litre V6 engine, and the shift action from the gear lever between drive and park and reverse etc. is remarkably short and sweet for an auto slushbox.

It's a fairly quiet car too, even when you take to the accelerator pedal with intent, but the most impressive aspect of the drivetrain is the Variable Cylinder Management or VCM.

When you drive onto the freeway and the Accord V6 has finished accelerating, almost as soon as you hit the cruise control button a little green 'ECO' light blinks on to tell you that the engine has stopped using all six of its cylinders.

The V6 engine can run on either 4- or 3-cylinders but there's no way of telling which mode it's running while you drive the car.

As the first engine with cylinder deactivation we've tested here at the Motoring Channel, I won't lie, there was a little apprehension. First generation technologies are often a bit buggy or not-quite-right, but we noticed nothing awry with the new VCM.

The transition from V6 to V4 or V3 is seamless. 

You cannot feel a thing - no subtle thumps or shifts - and fuel efficiency levels can be improved if you do a lot of highway or constant speed driving.

In and around the city and in stop-start traffic the Accord is not as efficient, but is still pretty handy for a V6-powered large car that tips the scales at 1615kg.

Exact fuel consumption figures were hard to come by at first because only the range-topping Accord V6 Luxury gets a trip computer, which is one of my biggest gripes with the car.

It seems odd that a trip computer should be unavailable on three out of four models in the Accord range, unless... Unless Honda is secretly trying to ween us off our insatiable thirst for telemetric knowledge.

But seriously, if an entry-level small car has a trip computer, why can't this one?

Class-leading fuel reduction technology is one of the foundations of the new Accord - and a key marketing feature - so wouldn't it have been prudent to offer a fuel consumption gauge on all models? All I want to know is how much fuel it's gulping down...

Honda claims the Accord V6 has an average fuel consumption of 10 litres of petrol per 100km. 

We used about half a tank (35 litres) of fuel and covered 450 kilometres, so our test average was 7.7-litres per 100km. Suffice to say we didn't thrash the engine too much, but there was some stop-start commuter driving in there and a touch of hard driving to test the chassis.

Speaking of hard driving, the Honda Accord V6 is no sports sedan. It does tend to wallow a bit through tightening corners when you're pushing it hard, but it was surprising to find that torque steer isn't too bad when you open the throttle mid-way through a corner.

With more power than the Falcon, Commodore and Aurion (although only just) at 202 kilowatts, the Accord V6 can hustle. 

Stomp on the accelerator pedal and the Accord pulls away from standstill easily, but it's not until the revs rise above 3500rpm that the big Honda really starts dancing. 

Mid-gear roll acceleration and overtaking isn't too bad - its 339Nm of torque helps here - but you feel the 202 kilowatts of power more than the torque, and it's not until you get the engine singing at high revs that the big Honda really moves.

The Japanese car maker has delivered a well-adjusted chassis for the Accord, but one that is skewed more towards comfort than performance. 

It's not as well balanced nor as agile as the 4-cylinder Accord Euro, but then it is bigger and heavier and a bit meaner looking.

Roadholding is fairly good. The grip from the 225/50 R17 tyres is more than adequate for most situations, and even in wet conditions (the traction and stability controls are also reassuring when it rains) the car has an assured feel on the road.

First and foremost however, the Accord V6 was designed for comfortable cruising, and that it does with aplomb.

The ride is very nice and smooth and together with a quiet cabin it conveys a sense of prestigiousness more than sportiness.

Though the steering could have a little more weight and feel to it, the car is thankfully very responsive and you don't need too much steering input to get the car peeling off down 90° side streets and what not.

On the whole the Accord V6 is an intelligently designed large car. It's big enough for the family, can tow trailers up to 1200kg, and has good quality cloth upholstery and plenty of contemporary features.

Standard features on the entry-level Accord V6 aren't too bad, with things like a 6-speaker CD stereo with speed-sensitive volume, climate control, cruise control, electric windows and mirrors, 8-way power drivers seat, keyless entry, and a strong retinue of safety features.

As well as six airbags, including curtain airbags covering front and rear passengers, the Accord gets stability control, traction control, brake assist and three child seat anchorages.

If you have more money to spend on an Accord V6 you could go for the range-topper, the Luxury, but you'll be spending closer to $50k. It adds things likeautomatic HID headlights, an electric sunroof, automatic wipers, a reversing camera, leather seats, a smarter stereo with sub woofer, and satellite navigation. Oh, and a trip computer.

Overall: 4/5

Honda's new Accord V6 is a very pleasant car to drive, and the new V6 engine system that can shut down cylinders and reduce fuel consumption is more than just a gimmick. It really works.

Though it's not the most inspired front-wheel drive large car to ever come out of Japan, it's very roomy, it's quiet and refined, and much-improved over the previous Accord V6, with the clever cylinder deactivation technology the icing on the cake.

Honda's new Accord V6 and its variable cylinder management is not a panacea for high petrol prices, but it is a very promising technology and it will save you money at the fuel pump.

With more accolades than any other car in its range, Honda's Accord is the company's most awarded car and with innovations like we're seeing here, it'll be a contender for many more awards to come.