Long-Term Road Tests
2008 Honda Accord EX-L V6
August 27, 2008
"Man this is a big car."
Every time I pull our long-term Honda Accord into my nightly parking space, I seem to utter, or at least think these words. True enough, the Accord I drove home last night is literally a vast departure from the 1991 Accord EX-R my father drove home every night from '90-'94. This is also a point that countless readers have mentioned about this latest Accord, damning it for moving away from its roots.
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- Posted by: JRiz August 27, 2008, 9:32 AM
- Categories: 2008 Honda Accord EX-L V6
August 20, 2008
I, like most other folks, am a complete Olympics freak. I had just been on a week long trip back East and had missed a lot of the competitions. This past weekend was my chance to check them out on a sustained basis.
I got the keys for the Accord and made a b-line for my house. Thankfully I only live and mile and a half from the office so I didn't miss much. I fully admit it, I wanted to see anything. I watched Ping Pong Table Tennis for hours. Don't knock it, it was the only games on at the moment and I didn't care. An American was playing and I was into it.
The Accord remained parked for the weekend. It was only when I had to come back on Monday morning that I had touched it again. Immediately I noticed that center dash. Wow! What a mess of buttons! Nothing like our Fit. Granted the Fit was an econo box, but it's a great example of clean and efficient.
Things don't have to be complicated to be good. I'd rather have function over form any day.
Scott Jacobs, Senior Photographer
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- Posted by: August 20, 2008, 10:28 AM
- Categories: 2008 Honda Accord EX-L V6
August 4, 2008
I noticed recently how we've occasionally racked up a fair number of miles between fill-ups in the Accord. Credit goes to the better-than-average highway fuel economy for a 2008 V6 family sedan (EPA: 29 mpg) and a fuel tank capacity of 18.5 gallons. (Coincidentally, our Toyota Camry, another long-termer I recall having a big fuel range, also had an 18.5-gallon tank.)
According to the Accord's fuel log, Senior Editor Bryn MacKinnon is our marathon driver so far -- she went 402 miles before filling up on 15.99 gallons of gas during her trip to San Francisco last month
Brent Romans, Senior Automotive Editor @ 15,792 miles
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- Posted by: Brent Romans August 4, 2008, 12:17 PM
- Categories: 2008 Honda Accord EX-L V6
August 1, 2008
I guess I got a bit spoiled driving our long-term 2007 Nissan Altima -- it had a backup camera. This might seem like a gimmicky feature to have, but today's newer sedans, with their thick C-pillars and high rear decks, can have rear visibility just as poor as a crossover SUV's. A backup camera can be a nice addition.
Our 2008 Honda Accord EX-L is fully loaded with features, but a backup camera isn't offered. Presumably, it wouldn't have cost Honda much more to add one when it redesigned the Accord?
Score one for the Altima.
Brent Romans, Senior Automotive Editor
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- Posted by: Brent Romans August 1, 2008, 8:51 AM
- Categories: 2008 Honda Accord EX-L V6
July 28, 2008
As cool as it is to impress the neighbors with the G8's smoky burnouts or attack a mountain road in the WRX STi for an early morning drive, sometimes it's nice to get into a car that doesn't require much mental effort. Our long-term Honda Accord is just such a car.
It's roomy. It's comfortable (the recent seat entry notwithstanding). Everything from the controls to the engine operate with a smooth fluidity. And in terms of entertainment, it has all I'd ever want thanks to a very nice audio system with satellite radio and an auxiliary audio input.
Other than the mild annoyance created by the fiddly center-stack controls, this is a car that you can just put in "Drive" and go. And so far, we've logged more than 15,000 miles without any unexpected reliability issues.
Brent Romans, Senior Automotive Editor @ 15,675 miles
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- Posted by: Brent Romans July 28, 2008, 12:15 PM
- Categories: 2008 Honda Accord EX-L V6
July 24, 2008
The Accord chills in the shade in front of the iconic windmill and "comic foreground" photo-op of two guys splitting peas at Pea Soup Anderson's restaurant in Santa Nella.
Took our long-term Honda Accord to the San Francisco Bay Area recently for a joint family trip/bachelorette party. Though I had a bevy of long-term crossovers at my disposal, I decided our small family (two adults, one toddler) could probably manage with a sedan, so I went with the Accord. For the most part, it worked out fine, but it wasn't the perfect I-5 road trip vehicle we had been hoping for.
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- Posted by: Bryn MacKinnon July 24, 2008, 6:13 PM
- Categories: 2008 Honda Accord EX-L V6
July 7, 2008
I thought the 2008 Honda Accord sedan would be a good car to take home over the long Fourth of July holiday weekend. Not too big, not too small--it should work out just fine for any trip we might decide to take.
Within 5 minutes of leaving the office, however, I knew we weren't going anywhere. Pitch the tent in the back yard, kids: we're going to have a "staycation" at home.
Those leather seats might look inviting, but they're as hard as a rock--or so said my buttometer. The cushion had no give, the seams clawed at the pockets of my jeans, and no amount of adjustment would make it go away. I couldn't get out fast enough.
Just call me Mega-sore-a**.
Without saying anything to my wife, we went to dinner. She's 8 inches shorter than me; maybe these seats are better-suited to those of shorter stature.
No such luck. Before she even buckled her belt she was fishing for a non-existent lumbar adjustment (only the driver gets one) to relieve what she termed, "the basketball in my back."
Based on this, I'd have to pass on the leather. The cloth seats are liable to lack the drum-tight surface tension of these leather ones, resulting in more cush for the tush. Sucks that the front passenger doesn't get a lumbar adjustment, though. Last time I checked, all of the folks who've ridden shotgun with me had a spine. It's practically a prerequisite.
Dan Edmunds, Director of Vehicle Testing @ 14,228 miles
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- Posted by: Dan Edmunds July 7, 2008, 6:40 PM
- Categories: 2008 Honda Accord EX-L V6
June 27, 2008
Shh, there, in the tachometer, look! The elusive ECO light. Rarely seen and virtually impossible to photograph, the ECO light signifies that the V6's Cylinders have been Variably Managed. It's supposed to save gas or prove how great their engineers are or something like that, but in reality, it's just annoying.
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- Posted by: Mike Magrath June 27, 2008, 11:05 AM
- Categories: 2008 Honda Accord EX-L V6
June 3, 2008
Just kidding. Actually, you're taking me and J-Riz to Trump National Golf Club in Palos Verdes. We got word last week that a couple spots had opened up in Monday's 19th annual L.A. Automotive Open scramble tournament (benefiting the National Jewish Medical and Research Center), and one look at the pictures on Trump National's website convinced us that it would be well worth the vacation day.
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- Posted by: SadButTrue June 3, 2008, 5:27 PM
- Categories: 2008 Honda Accord EX-L V6
May 29, 2008
I headed over to the Hollywood Bowl last night in the Accord to see The Police. I saw them perform a few times in the ‘80s (I was in kindergarten then) when the lads in the band had a lot more energy. Maybe I’ve been listening to way too much DMX and TI, and maybe it’s due to the band being in the twilight of its career, but during last night’s performance, I repeatedly thought, “Wow - another VH1 version of a great song.” By VH1 I mean: just OK, not quite lame. I had a similar experience driving the Accord...
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- Posted by: Snake Doctor May 29, 2008, 2:51 PM
- Categories: 2008 Honda Accord EX-L V6
May 28, 2008
As our long-term Honda Accord sat in line, waiting to enter the 10 freeway yesterday evening, bing the little glowing orange wrench illuminated and the odometer trip display was replaced with "Oil Life 15%."
Looks like we'll be heading for service soon.
Kelly Toepke, News Editor @ 12,902 miles
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- Posted by: Kelly Toepke May 28, 2008, 8:59 AM
- Categories: 2008 Honda Accord EX-L V6
May 12, 2008
Over the weekend I had to park our 2008 Honda Accord EX-L V6 in one of those really tight parking garages -- the kind where if a couple cars aren't pulled in straight, the space between them is useless unless you have a Mini or Smart. It was then that I realized just how big the Accord now is. "That won't fit, that won't fit," I murmured to myself as I drove down the aisles. Then, I watched a 1st-gen Sienna pull out of this spot and was determined to make it work. The Accord just fit, and I folded in the mirrors to give my neighbors a few extra inches.
Later, though, while loading items into the trunk, I looked in the backseat and couldn't believe how much room there was.
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- Posted by: Erin Riches May 12, 2008, 10:40 AM
- Categories: 2008 Honda Accord EX-L V6
May 9, 2008
This was my first time in the 2008 Honda Accord sedan, and it was generally what I expected. Simple, functional, not-so-flashy, not-so-sporty.
The ride was smooth enough but I kept wanting a little something from the engine for passing, etc. that it was never able to deliver. It isn't gravely underpowered but it would be nice to have a little more back-up the times I needed it. It is a V6.
I was more excited about the interior, which I think manages to keep things simple while looking pretty stylish. The controls are a bit too clustered together to the point of confusing, but once you get used to it, the center console is very easy to navigate...
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- Posted by: Glenn McClanan May 9, 2008, 3:15 PM
- Categories: 2008 Honda Accord EX-L V6
May 1, 2008
Pictured is the right-front wheel of our long-term Honda Accord. Please note the wheel curbing near the top of the photo. While I'm not sure who did it, it's pretty clear how it happened. It's equally clear that it's going to happen again and again and again...
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- Posted by: Mike Magrath May 1, 2008, 3:08 PM
- Categories: 2008 Honda Accord EX-L V6
April 28, 2008
Three months and 4,200 miles have passed since we last updated our long-term Honda Accord’s fuel log. High time we gave you the digits, no?
Our lifetime average is 21.1 mpg, so we’re still not quite hitting the EPA’s estimate of 22 mpg for combined driving, despite my husband’s determination to keep the green ECO dash light lit during a stint behind the wheel this weekend.
Our best tanks are generally in the mid 20s, worst tanks drop into the 16-17 range...
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- Posted by: Bryn MacKinnon April 28, 2008, 5:45 PM
- Categories: 2008 Honda Accord EX-L V6
April 21, 2008
"It’s NOT a TOO-mah!"
Well, alright. But how else to explain the protruding headlights on the current-gen Accord? Does anyone think this was a good stylistic move? I grimace every time I see an Accord from this angle...
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- Posted by: SadButTrue April 21, 2008, 2:36 PM
- Categories: 2008 Honda Accord EX-L V6
April 8, 2008
I get a lot of satisfaction out of driving our 2008 Honda Accord EX-L V6. Partly, this is because its personality and cabin layout bear many similarities to the previous Accord, which I also liked. My favorite detail is the amazing feeling of spaciousness when you're seated in the cockpit -- something that no other manufacturer has quite managed to copy over the years.
Larger physical dimensions undoubtedly help out the current-gen Accord in this regard, but all that extra weight shouldn't be good for the driving experience...
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- Posted by: Erin Riches April 8, 2008, 3:42 PM
- Categories: 2008 Honda Accord EX-L V6
April 7, 2008
This weekend, I refueled the Honda Accord and it cost more than $52 even though it had a quarter tank of gas. Yikes. And that's nothing compared to what it costs to fill up an SUV.
So, I have some questions for you:
How are you coping with the sky high price of gasoline?..
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- Posted by: Donna Derosa April 7, 2008, 3:43 PM
- Categories: 2008 Honda Accord EX-L V6
April 2, 2008
For the most part, I'm a fan of the Honda Accord's seats and the driving position. I find the leather-wrapped front buckets supportive in both aggressive driving and generally comfy over long distances. However, if I'm going to nitpick, there's just too much upper lumbar. Every time I get into the car and set my seat just right, I press the lumbar button but it deflates only the seat's lower portion. Although the set-up produces proper posture, it takes a while for me to get used to it -- which I eventually do, since I forgot about it during several long-distance journeys in the Accord...
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- Posted by: JRiz April 2, 2008, 9:34 AM
- Categories: 2008 Honda Accord EX-L V6
March 17, 2008
A pet peeve of mine, automotively speaking, is when a vital display washes out. In this case "vital" being the display for the XM satellite radio info. Driving into work this a.m., as I crept along the freeway at 10-20 mph, I flicked through a few of the "decades" radio stations and couldn't see the upper half of the display that shows song title, artist, etc. I soon discovered that there was an easy solution....
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- Posted by: johnnyturbo March 17, 2008, 11:00 AM
- Categories: 2008 Honda Accord EX-L V6
March 10, 2008
There was one moment this weekend that was emblematic of what I like best about our Honda Accord.
I was waiting to make a right turn that would take me east on Olympic Boulevard. Coming at me from the west of said boulevard was a phalanx of cars, bearing down with the speed and urgency of fighter jets. I had a choice to make...
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- Posted by: Warren Clarke March 10, 2008, 4:59 PM
- Categories: 2008 Honda Accord EX-L V6
March 3, 2008
Our long-term Honda Accord’s optional nav system comes loaded with Zagat Survey ratings and reviews for a whole lotta restaurants in the major cities of the United States. It’s a neat bonus for those times when you’re cruising around a new city (or just an area of your hometown you’re not familiar with) and you’re hit with a sudden barbecue craving (or Italian food or Mexican food or Asian Fusion or vegan or what-have-you).
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- Posted by: Bryn MacKinnon March 3, 2008, 4:28 PM
- Categories: 2008 Honda Accord EX-L V6
February 26, 2008
When my neighbor came to my door to talk about the 2008 Honda Accord EX-L he filled the entire doorframe. My son thinks he looks a bit like the Newman character in "Seinfeld." He's actually a larger version of Newman, much taller and an extremely friendly guy.
"I want that car!" he said, pointing to our long term Honda Accord. "I want that exact car!" (He has a tendancy to say everything at least twice.)
"I thought you were driving that Caddy," I answered, referring to a brand new CTS I'd seen him in...
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- Posted by: Philip Reed February 26, 2008, 9:17 AM
- Categories: 2008 Honda Accord EX-L V6
February 8, 2008
You asked for it and I delivered. After I threw up a video blog regarding the Aura's perceived quality featuring the age-old "tap test," quite a few people demanded I do the same for the Accord. Well, I did, and I also did the same test for a Ford Fusion SEL we happen to have at the moment. Sound and light quality differ in the three videos, but I think you can detect the differences. For the record, the more of a "thump" sound they make rather than a "thwack" the better.
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January 28, 2008
When I first took a look at the Accord's center stack, I felt as if I'd clambered aboard the USS Enterprise, with no Mr. Sulu in sight to help me work the controls. Buttons, buttons and more buttons. A button parade...
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- Posted by: Warren Clarke January 28, 2008, 1:41 PM
- Categories: 2008 Honda Accord EX-L V6
January 24, 2008
The suspense surrounding our long-term Honda Accord’s fuel economy has been building since we last reported figures, nearly 2,300 miles ago. We’re ready to admit that we’ve hit the outer limits of everyone’s pins-and-needles tolerance. So rest your frazzled nerves. We won’t make you wait any longer...
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- Posted by: Bryn MacKinnon January 24, 2008, 5:11 PM
- Categories: 2008 Honda Accord EX-L V6
January 22, 2008
On my way home Friday, I got a speeding ticket in the Accord. I wasn't really driving very fast but I was in a residential zone and so I was flagged.
It's easy to drive over the limit in the Accord without realizing it. It's so quiet and comfortable and smooth on the road, that you don't get a sense of how fast you are really going...
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- Posted by: Donna Derosa January 22, 2008, 3:26 PM
- Categories: 2008 Honda Accord EX-L V6
January 21, 2008
The day an automaker redesigns a midsize family sedan and declares it to be, "Less roomy, less powerful and less luxurious!" is the day that I expect to read a Rolling Stone "Top 50 Albums Of All Time" story and find "Frampton Comes Alive!" in the top 10.
So it's of little surprise that the redesigned 2008 Honda Accord is indeed roomier, more powerful and more luxurious. But I wonder – how much bigger can it get? Out of curiosity, I compared the size of the new Accord to that of the Toyota Avalon. Houston, we have a problem.
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- Posted by: Brent Romans January 21, 2008, 10:31 AM
- Categories: 2008 Honda Accord EX-L V6
January 14, 2008
It's a bit curious that Honda chose not to offer a manual shift mode for the new Accord's automatic transmission. It's an increasingly common feature, even for family sedans. I don't use manual shift control very often but I found myself wanting it in the Accord over the weekend when tackling some hills.
Otherwise, our Accord's five-speed automatic is a model of efficient and well-timed shifts...
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- Posted by: Brent Romans January 14, 2008, 12:45 PM
- Categories: 2008 Honda Accord EX-L V6
January 7, 2008
Saturday morning I hopped into the Honda Accord to run a quick errand and ping a little yellow wrench illuminated on the instrument panel and it said "Oil Life 15%" in place of the odometer reading.
At just over 6,300 miles, and with no issues to speak of, our long-term Accord is off to the dealer tomorrow for its first oil change.
Kelly Toepke, News Editor @ 6,303 miles
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- Posted by: Kelly Toepke January 7, 2008, 5:13 PM
- Categories: 2008 Honda Accord EX-L V6
December 31, 2007
I think the navigation system in our Long Term Accord is very nice - good controls, large screen. There's just one problem, I can't navigate around the one thing I really need to navigate around here in Sothern California - traffic. I don't want to hear audible traffic reports, I want the system to route me around accidents and construction automatically. I'd also like to see a graphic depiction of traffic flow...
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- Posted by: Brian Moody December 31, 2007, 12:15 PM
- Categories: 2008 Honda Accord EX-L V6
December 26, 2007
I've heard and read that some people think the new Accord is unattractive. I couldn't disagree more. I think it's the best looking Accord since the late 80's and early 90s. The rear looks best - those dual exhaust outlets give the car a tough look previous Accords lacked...
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- Posted by: Brian Moody December 26, 2007, 11:27 AM
- Categories: 2008 Honda Accord EX-L V6
December 12, 2007
Last night, I was pulled over for only the second time in my life. The first time I think I was 17 years old.
I couldn't imagine why I was being snagged. I was aware there was a cop car behind me and I definitely wasn't speeding or anything like that...
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- Posted by: Donna Derosa December 12, 2007, 2:44 PM
- Categories: 2008 Honda Accord EX-L V6
December 3, 2007
Two words that should strike fear into your heart: house hunting. And with good reason. Despite the fact that the internet makes it easy to view and discard possibilities from the comfort of your own couch, there's still way too much driving around, driving around, driving around that takes place during the shopping period. They call it "hunting" for a reason...
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- Posted by: Kelly Toepke December 3, 2007, 5:07 PM
- Categories: 2008 Honda Accord EX-L V6
November 30, 2007
The 8:00 p.m. email simply asked, "What are you driving?"
A common enough question in our office, but when it comes from two Inside Line editors on assignment in Japan, it translates pretty quickly to, "Can you pick us up at the airport in the morning?"
Lucky for the boys, our long-term 2008 Honda Accord was already stashed in my garage. I responded with the affirmative, "What time?," safe in the knowledge that the Accord's 14-cubic-foot trunk would handle their personal luggage and camera gear, and my daughter's car seat wouldn't be in the way, either.
Had I gone for the Mini Cooper that night, they might've been thumbin' it...
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- Posted by: Kelly Toepke November 30, 2007, 12:35 PM
- Categories: 2008 Honda Accord EX-L V6
November 29, 2007
On my trip to San Diego to see my Colts play the Chargers (see Part 1), I ended up parking here. With more than an hour to kick off, the lot was full and I ended up having to park a mile away, up a huge hill and at the end of tiny Shawn Ave. On the upside, I didn't have to pay for parking.
When finding my way from this spot and throughout the day, the Accord's excellent navigation system came in handy...
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- Posted by: JRiz November 29, 2007, 2:31 PM
- Categories: 2008 Honda Accord EX-L V6
November 26, 2007
"VCM" is Honda's acronym for their cylinder deactivation system, a mode which is intended to reduce fuel consumption during light-load operation. When active, the V6 switches to three- (or four-) cylinder mode and illuminates an "ECO" light on the tach.
We'll see how effective it is as the miles pile on, but I observed the ECO light coming on quite a bit during routine driving. The switchover to and from ECO mode isn't quite imperceptible...
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- Posted by: Jay Kavanagh November 26, 2007, 5:34 PM
- Categories: 2008 Honda Accord EX-L V6
November 20, 2007
We've added a 2008 Honda Accord EX-L V6 to our fleet and I was lucky enough to take it down to San Diego to see my beloved Indianapolis Colts lose a close one to Adam Vinatieri and their own special teams. Or rather, if you're my girlfriend, spend a romantic weekend at the enchanting Hotel Del Coronado.
The new Accord is quite an accomplishment. It maintains a feeling of nimbleness, while also motoring down Interstate 5 with big-car authority and having room for five people...
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- Posted by: JRiz November 20, 2007, 2:56 PM
- Categories: 2008 Honda Accord EX-L V6
