If you have a family of 2 kids – theres a choice. Either go with the soft-roader SUV or a mid-size saloon. But heres the thing, sometimes these soft-roaders are not exactly the best way to manoeuvre about in the urban landscape, hence it can be a little impractical. You’d be surprise but nowadays; the mid-size D-segment saloons are pretty big and practical. So for a good car to take on a long journey and day-to-day drivability, I personally would run with the D-segment saloons..but which one?
If there is any segment of the market that is spoilt for choice right now – its the D-segment market. Think about it.. Below RM200k right now – you have the Europeans with the radical Volkswagen Passat and Ford Mondeo. On the other end of the continent, the Koreans are more than happy to deliver their rendition with the Hyundai Sonata and Kia Optima. The Japanese has been in this game longer than most of them and in Malaysia; we have the Toyota Camry, the Mazda 6 and of course, the best selling D-segment car – the Honda Accord. Recently, Honda has refreshed the Accord and we were given the opportunity to take the Accord for a drive down from the east coast of Malaysia.
The Honda Accord has been around for 38 years now and it has served many families for generations over. But as time goes, the market evolves and the need of the market changes according to time. So Honda needed to step up the game with their new car – not only against its competitors, but also against the needs of their cliental.
With the new generation – the shape has not taken a drastic change to be brutally honest. The overall design still remains relatively similar to the last generation, with the designers redefining certain styling cues like the updated front and rear lights which adds to the biggest change of all. In my opinion, the rear looks of the 9th generation stands pretty frightful as compared to the front that depicts a fairly clean-cut appearance I absolutely approve of. It can be hard to notice on the road as compared to the previous gen – seeing that the 9th generation is an all-new car but step inside and this is where the new iteration shines.
Just like the predecessor, the interior is naturally capacious and we found the space in the back to be relatively more spacious than most of its rivals.. But what we like most about the new iteration is how the interior feels expensive. It is not a dread to be in the Accord because you are flourished with the luxurious comfort and enjoyment to keep one ecstatic.
Where there were analogue radio – in the new Accord, Honda has replaced it with digital LCD screens that acts as the command centre for the car. And at the same time, Honda has equipped the new Accord with a safety feature that promises to improve drivability called LaneWatch where a camera fitted on the left side-mirror works as an assist to attend to blind spots. The screen also features a GPS system that comes as standard. Although we didn’t find the system as user-friendly compared to a stand-alone unit, it is a decent initiative to include the system in the car.
Performance relies on Honda’s 2.0-litre and 2.4-litre i-Vtec engines which is signature to Honda’s staple line-up of cars. The 2.0-litre engine remains similar to the eight-gen Accord although Honda claims that it is about 10% more efficient than before. This engine produces 155bhp and 190nm and a Zerotohundred time of 11 seconds which isn’t very convincing.
However – for an improved performance, is the 2.4-litre variant a better bet? Powered by Honda’s new ‘Earth Dreams Technology’ engine, it produces a maximum output of 175bhp and 225nm. Honda has replaced the K24A engine from the previous gen in favour of their new one, which promises deliver a smoother drive, and at the same time more efficient than the outgoing model. Zerotohundred is achieved in a decent 10.2 seconds.
For its size – the Accord drives very well especially along B-roads which we had the opportunity to tackle on our road trip back from Kuala Terengganu. The chassis is relatively progressive with decent steering feedback at speed. Although the 2.0-litre variant is not as enjoyable to drive as the 2.4-litre, they are both quite nicely matched when it comes to overtaking. The only issue is that the 2.0-litre doesn’t come with paddle-shifters which makes it difficult to get power when you demand for it from the 5-speed automatic.
Amongst the many things than we like about the new Accord – there are a few that we are not fully impressed about. Beginning with the looks, we still think the rear of the car could be largely improved as it sits relatively tall and the large rear lights don’t do the new car justice. At the same time – the engine, although efficient, the power delivery is not gratifying. We dislike how the there is a need to rev the car hard to get power out of the engine.
As an everyday family car – the new Accord will work absolutely brilliantly. For the family that the previous generation Accords have served, this car will seem like an improvement as it is now more refined than ever before. The new Accord is a milestone in the model’s heritage and will stand as a worthy successor to the previous generation. There is no substantial fault with the way it drives and the fact that its practical, it would be the choice for many people looking for a family car.
We give the 9th generation Honda Accord a verdict of :- 7.5/10
