Honda Accord V6L 2013 Review

Price Guide: (not including statutory and delivery charges): $51,990
Options fitted: (not included in above price): N/A
Crash rating: N/A
Fuel: 91 RON ULP
Claimed fuel economy (L/100km): 9.2
CO2 emissions (g/km): 217
Also consider: Mazda Mazda6 Atenza (from $49,660); Lexus IS 250 (from $55,900); Toyota Aurion Presara (from $49,990); Volkswagen Passat V6 (from $56,490)

Honda's “full-size” Accord has been a poor second cousin to the slightly smaller but more dynamic Accord Euro. Having two quite different cars sold under the same name remains a confusing marketing ploy that is almost impossible to explain, but Honda persists.

That the bigger Accord has been primarily designed for the US market, where the model has always done well is part of the explanation, but how that works in Australia is open to question.

However, with the latest generation full-size Accord, Honda has subtly moved away from its previously conservative status with a sleeker, edgier design that has more appeal across the age groups.

And, as the barely-visible Honda luxury aspirant, the Legend, ceases production, it has lifted the top of the line V6L Accord’s status, not really that far short of Toyota’s upmarket Japanese brand Lexus.

With a swag of new electronic safety aids, a larger interior and higher price tags that lift the V6L variant above $50,000 (plus on-road costs), the Accord asks customers to think of it as something you might consider in the same breath as a Lexus IS 250.

It's a bit early to make any judgement but, pitched against the now five year-old current-model Euro, the new Accord is off to a good start. Year to date (October 2013) the Accord is sitting on 2570 sales where the Euro is languishing at 1599 – pretty much a reversal of traditional roles. Year to date figures in October 2012 showed the Euro sitting at 5591 sales with the Accord registering just 990 sales.

And although the top of the line V6L is selling at a premium price, the regular four-cylinder VTi is pretty affordable at a recommended retail of $31,490 – actually less than the base auto-trans Euro that is tagged at $32,640.

In this case though we are talking about the upwardly mobile V6L which, at $51,990, brings all the new Honda tech as standard. This includes the ADAS Advanced Driver Assist System, a reversing camera, the LaneWatch blind spot monitoring system on the left side of the car, satellite navigation, a premium seven-speaker audio, power rear window shade (with manual shades for the rear side windows), active noise control and LED low-beam headlights with active follow-the-road technology.

ADAS includes things like LKAS Lane Keep Assist System, CMBS Collision Mitigating Braking System and adaptive cruise control in addition to the left-side blind spot monitoring.

Sitting on 18-inch alloy wheels and equipped with a leather interior including eight-way adjustable front seats (with memory for the driver) the V6L is lacking very little.

On the road, the re-worked iVTEC 3.5-litre V6 feels immediately smoother than the 2.4-litre four-cylinder versions. It’s also quite quick, delivering its sizable 206Kw in a velvety rush that kicks in maybe a little late (the maximum 339Nm of torque isn't developed until 4900rpm) but delivers strongly all the way to the 6600rpm redline.

It sounds pretty good too – although it begins to sound less comfortable towards the upper reaches of the rpm band – and is helped in its mission to maximise fuel economy though a revised cylinder shutdown that now operates on three or six cylinders, rather than the three-four-six system used before.

The result, among other things including revision of the intake and exhaust ports, revised valve timing and a general friction-reducing exercise, is a quantifiable improvement in fuel economy – as much as seven per cent according to Honda.

The V6L also gets a six-speed, two-mode auto transmission where four-cylinder models make do with five speeds. This adds an extra degree of driveline refinement and, according to Honda, plays a significant role in the fuel economy improvements.

On test, we actually slightly undercut the still not overly impressive official claim of 9.2L/100km with a figure of 9.1L/100km.

The Accord’s new (lighter and smaller) six-speed auto transmission works well, providing smooth, quick shifting and a degree of intuition via Honda's Grade Logic Control. Shift Hold Control holds chosen gears where appropriate to minimise restless “hunting” up and down the ratios. Manual control is available through paddle shifters, or via the console lever.

Coupled with a new MacPherson strut front suspension, which replaces Honda's long-standing preference for wishbones (although the rear end continues with a multi-link arrangement), the drivetrain makes the Accord feel noticeably more agile on the road, firmer riding and generally sportier.

The V6L's bigger 18-inch wheels with their 235/45-series tyres help balance out the Accord's more front-biased weight distribution while the electric power steering, though somewhat light at the wheel, is still well-enough weighted and swaps from lock to lock in a reasonable handy 2.5 turns.

Six airbags and a swag of safety aids, including whiplash-minimising front seats, make for the sort of equipment normally associated with five-star NCAP ratings, but the Accord only achieved four stars when put to the test.

Even though the car is 75mm shorter overall, with a 25mm smaller wheelbase, the Accord treats rear-seat passengers with respect with plenty of legroom (up 33mm), shoulder room and headroom. While the boot – complete with full-size alloy spare – is decently-sized at a quoted 457 litres. Load-through access is provided via a reasonably sized aperture exposed when the single-piece rear backrest is dropped.

A couple of things about the Accord's prolific safety aids puzzled us.

The blind-spot system didn't really seem to offer a lot more information than a properly adjusted left-side mirror, while the active cruise control was far from subtle in its reactions when closing in on slower traffic.

On approach, the active cruise control system would slow the car gradually, up to a point. But as the gap closed to the vehicle ahead, the system seemed to always wait until a little too late before matching speed and invariably applied the brakes too abruptly for comfort as the gap to the car ahead lessened.

The result was that we left the system deactivated most of the time, especially with a build-up of road traffic. Other systems used by other manufacturers can be relied on to monitor traffic and control the car smoothly in practically all circumstances. And, indicating the problem was not just confined to the V6L test car, we experienced the same behaviour in a spec’d-up VTi-L four-cylinder Accord as well.

We didn't get to experience the Accord's self-steering Lane Keep Assist System -- that is able to automatically keep the car in its chosen lane -- nor did we activate the Volvo-style Collision Mitigation System, but we hope both work a little more unobtrusively.

A surprise was that the cruise control also tended to allow the Accord to run away on long descents, well past the selected speed, despite the grade logic control and the radar cruise control’s active braking capability.

Despite these frustrations, the ninth-generation Honda Accord V6L is a more refined, dynamic car than its more languid predecessor.

The gap to the Accord Euro has closed noticeably and this, in concert with the minimal pricing differentials between the cars at entry level, maybe partly explains why the balance has shifted.

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