Honda Accord 2008

One of the things I like about my home country Nigeria, is that we always have an alias for something that's trending. From the 'my oga at the top' mantra, to Akpo's jokes, to different dance styles that have come and gone...there's always an AKA for something new happening. This is also not uncommon to automobiles.
When Honda released  the 2003 Accord, we dubbed it EOD or "End of Discussion". Fast forward to 2006  when the Accord released at that time was called "Discussion Continues". In the year 2008 Honda tried its best to outdo every other Accord made in the past years. And guess what, they succeeded! Don't look now but here comes the Honda Accord 2008, inadvertently named "Evil Spirit".



Sitting in the cabin of the 2008 Accord makes you feel like you're in a 5 seat movie theater. Its so roomy, that you'll never feel cramped (or claustrophobic!) after driving for extended hours in it. Now it has to be said that this is expected of the new Accord for it is the biggest and most powerful of all Accords before it. Honda also did some impressive work on the fuel economy. As a matter of fact, all 2008 Accord engines get better highway fuel economy than the 125-hp 1990 Accord and even come close to the tiny 68-hp 1977 edition. If that's not applaudable, then i don't know what is. What's also great is the second-hand value of any Accord including the 2008 model. Trade it in whenever you want for some good cash. Any Accord user will hurriedly tell you that its never let them down at any time (or any stretch of road), and they are right. The Accord brand has gained the reputation of being a very competent, trustworthy vehicle that drives on for years.

Interior

As the look from outside would suggest, the 2008 Accord is indeed roomy inside. If you shut your eyes in the cabin you'll almost feel like you're sitting on your favourite sofa in the living room of your semi-detached duplex! It is that roomy. Ample leg room, arm room (for burly people), and head clearance which includes rear passengers as well. In fact the 2008 Accord offers the most interior space available in the mid-size segment. 

The materials used in the interior are of very high quality, though some users have complained about noise from outside filtering rather loudly into the cabin. This is certainly not a deal breaker in my books. The trunk in the sedan features a decent 14 cubic feet of space, 1 less than the Camry and Nissan Altima, while the coupe has 11.9 cubes, which is ok for two door cars.

The central control stack has buttons that goes on for days. The design will most likely wow a younger auto audience than appeal to older drivers. All in all, a great place to be the inside of the 2008 Accord.

Exterior
When you spot any 2008 Accord driving down the road, it seems to have a loud and proud ambience that proclaims 'I am the king of the road'! In a world of Bentley's, Merc's and BMW's, this proclamation might be the Accord getting far ahead of itself. 

But not too far ahead though because the 2008 Accord impresses all around and is one of the better cars on the roads today. Looking at the exterior design almost gives you peace inside your soul. Bold lines and endearing curves make up the chassis of the Accord. I especially love the grille and stern looking headlights. They just stare right back at you. The posterior in my opinion lets down the rest of the design. Could have been more impressive

Specs And Performance
The 2008 Honda Accord is available in sedan and coupe body styles. The sedan comes in LX, LX-P, EX and EX-L trim levels, while the coupe comes in LX-S, EX and EX-L trims. The sedan's base LX comes standard with 16-inch steel wheels, keyless entry, full power accessories, cruise control, a tilt-telescoping steering wheel, fold-down rear seats and a six-speaker stereo with a single CD/MP3 player and an auxiliary audio jack. The sedan's LX-P adds 16-inch alloy wheels, auto up-down front windows and a power driver seat. The coupe's base LX-S trim includes the LX-P's equipment (minus the passenger-side auto-up window and power driver seat) and adds an in-dash six-CD changer.




The EX adds 17-inch wheels and a sunroof to each body style's upgraded LX trim level. The EX sedan gains the in-dash six-CD changer, while the EX coupe gets a premium stereo system with subwoofer. The EX-L trim level adds leather upholstery, auto-on headlights, dual-zone automatic climate control, leather-wrapped steering wheel, heated front seats and satellite radio. The EX-L sedan gains the premium stereo system, while the EX-L coupe gains the power driver seat.
The lone option is a navigation system available on the EX-L trim level that includes voice-activated controls and Bluetooth.
The 2008 Honda Accord comes with a choice of powerful and fuel-efficient engines. The LX and LX-P sedans come with a 2.4-liter four-cylinder that produces 177 hp and 161 pound-feet of torque. An upgraded version of that 2.4-liter engine that makes a class-leading 190 hp is standard on the EX sedans and all coupes. A five-speed manual is standard with the four-cylinder engines, with a five-speed automatic optional. Available on the EX trim levels is a 3.5-liter V6 that produces 268 hp and 248 lb-ft of torque. A five-speed automatic is typically standard with this engine, though the V6 coupe is available with a six-speed manual.

The Accord's fuel economy is very impressive. Both four-cylinder engines with automatic transmissions achieve 21 mpg city and 31 mpg highway, while the six-cylinder with the automatic gets 19 mpg city and 29 mpg highway. These numbers match the current mpg champ, the Toyota Camry, and better everything else in its class. The V6 coupe with the six-speed manual gets a 17/25 mpg rating, as it lacks the V6's otherwise standard cylinder-deactivation technology. 


My Take
The 2008 Accord is certainly one of the best midsize sedans to go for when one is looking to be in a vehicle that performs optimally in any driving condition. It might not handle quite as sporty as Toyota Camry but in our traffic congested roads, driving comfortably and exquisitely will definitely trump youthful and racing finesse. The Interior is a nice space to be, the exterior is awesome to look at and it drives beautifully well. Throttle response is perfect. Tops marks for safety and fuel economy. The age long argument between the Accord and Camry models about which is a better sedan rages on, but the results are now in. If you need a sporty sedan that's like a terrier that licks you all over when you open the front door coming in from work and wouldn't quit when you say 'down boy!', then the Camry is a better choice. But if you need maturity, suaveness and composure every time you get in behind the wheel of a car, no doubt you're in good hands with the 2008 Accord.

Summary
CAR TYPE Sedan
       2.4-liter in-line 4
       177 horsepower @ 6500 rpm
       161 lb.-ft. of torque @ 4300 rpm      
       EPA city/highway fuel economy: 22/31 (manual), 21/31 (automatic)
       
       2.4-liter in-line 4
       190 horsepower @ 7000 rpm
       162 lb.-ft. of torque @ 4400 rpm
       EPA city/highway fuel economy: 22/31 (manual), 21/31 (automatic)


       3.5-liter V6
       268 horsepower @ 6200 rpm
       248 lb.-ft. of torque @ 5000 rpm
       EPA city/highway fuel economy: 19/29
TOTAL SEATING 5
FUEL TANK CAPACITY 18.5 gal
PRICE Starting From N4.0 m (Brand new), N1.9m (Used. this varies between dealers)

Autoakuko Rating: 4/5