In house Accord poll

[owequitit]

There have been some rumors of Honda re-merging the global Accord platform, i.e the North American Accord would be the same as the Japanese and Euro Accord.

Do you think this is a good idea or not?

[CATMAN]

It really does not matter to me at all. As long as the design is pleasant.

[kouzie]

i.e the North American Accord would be the same as the Japanese and Euro Accord.

Do you think this is a good idea or not?

Not a bad idea at all.

[ilovemycb7]

It's an interesting idea and depends a lot on how they pulled off marketing along with structuring of the acura/honda brand.

This would make the TSX pretty much pointless. Which I believe has been a good seller for Acura. Also would expect price of the accord to drop and perhaps fall out of direct competition with the camry, altima, malibu that have all grown in size as well.

I'm not really sure how I feel about it, I am sure Honda has thought it all out whatever they decide.

[ilovemycb7]

Scott, I've actually been waiting to read your opinion on this one.

[owequitit]

I am not sure what it is yet. Having owned both old and new, I am torn. I miss the maneuverability of the old ones, but the new ones offer so much more in other areas.

I will present an "internal" debate at some point when I have time.

[93_f22aky]

i like both really althow i voted for the second choise the reason being even thow are cb7 are smaller then the newer accords they are still roomy inside i i have never felt cramped in my cb7 like i have in my wifes 93 taurus .

[ilovemycb7]

I am not sure what it is yet. Having owned both old and new, I am torn. I miss the maneuverability of the old ones, but the new ones offer so much more in other areas.

I will present an "internal" debate at some point when I have time.

Haha. I'm with you on this one. Although I'll bet I'm not with you on the amount of information I have.

Benefits to both. However, for me it boils down to what makes money. Not what makes the enthusiast happy. If they can market a TSX sized accord to compete with larger camrys and malibus then go for it. But I'm going to say that's hard to do with out being viewed as different category. Same way Acura does well, but they aren't really viewed in the same light as MB and BMW.

[C91BLX7]

If the 5th gen V6 had bigger balls that would have been perfect, a smaller car with a big motor. something like a CB with a J35 and a newer styling and such.

[ilovemycb7]

If the 5th gen V6 had bigger balls that would have been perfect, a smaller car with a big motor. something like a CB with a J35 and a newer styling and such.

Is it possible to design a fwd car of that weight with that much hp tq and still make it refined enough to compete?

[owequitit]

Haha. I'm with you on this one. Although I'll bet I'm not with you on the amount of information I have.

Benefits to both. However, for me it boils down to what makes money. Not what makes the enthusiast happy. If they can market a TSX sized accord to compete with larger camrys and malibus then go for it. But I'm going to say that's hard to do with out being viewed as different category. Same way Acura does well, but they aren't really viewed in the same light as MB and BMW.

OK. I have thought about this, and here is what I conclude.

I would like to see a return to 1 global Accord. The current Euro/Japanese/TSX is a bit smaller than our US Accord, but it is plenty large for this segment of car IMO. The size difference between the 2 is also not as drastic as it was when the 6th gen debuted. The reduced size could be used to shed some weight, which has its own set of dynamic advantages. It would also most likely allow Honda to retain a competitively sized car, without having to resort to land barges.

It has been rumored that Takeo Fukui was interested in returning to 1 global Accord, which means ours would basically be the same as everyone else's, as it was prior to the 6th gen. This would give a couple of advantages for Honda. It would allow less develpment cost, because they would only need to design one car instead of 2. This has the potential benefit of increasing profitability of the model. There is another rumor that Fukui was also interested in returning to a 4 year model cycle, rather than remaining at the 5 year cycle, which was probably originally intended to help offset the cost of the 2nd Accord model. By switching BACK to a 4 year product cycle, it would allow Honda to be more flexible with market conditions. It would also allow them to update more frequently than the competition, which would help them maintain an advantageous position in the marketplace. Honda has pretty much always incrementally improved their models, and with a 4 year product cycle, they would be able to respond 20% faster to market conditions, and they would have more frequent refreshes, which would give them a perception advantage against everyone else who remained on 5-7 year development cycles. The huge volume of the Accord worldwide would make this financially feasible, just as it was with the 1st-5th gen Accords. Most of the competion don't have the volume to probably justify the 4 year cycle, especially on US only models, as cars like the Altima and Sonata, sell a fraction of what Honda does. The only other car in the segment that could probably justify it is the Camry.

Now, here is a potential downside. The American public would have to embrace a potentially smaller car. I don't know if they would, although they are more likely now, than at any other point in history. Also, if Honda could shorten the overhangs, then they could potentially shrink the car, without losing any interior space. IMO, this would be more in line with what I know Honda is capable of, and it would give the Accord a better size to space ratio, which is something they no longer have as decisive a lead in, but is an important perception in this segment. So "smaller" might not actually be "smaller." Also, with as many complaints as I have heard about the current US Accord's size, they may be receptive. I personally don't think the new Accord is that bad, but it is a fairly large car. I would drive the shit out of it personally though, especially the coupe.

The current TSX was designed with for a V6 from the start, so there is no reason why the next one couldn't do the same. I would like to see more svelte proportions, and trim tailoring of the stlying. I wouldn't mind less busy, but frankly, that is what is popular. Even if they only managed to get 100-200lbs off the car, that would still be a good amount. Keep HP the same, and voila', better performance the old fashioned way. The way that once was almost the modern domain of Honda. The could probably rid us of VCM too, and make the difference even greater, while not losing MPG.

The merging of the platforms might also allow them to make large strides in materials quality as well, which is one area newer Hondas have suffered in relation to older ones. The secondary plastics in the older Hondas (like B pillar covers, steering column covers etc) are not as good as they used to be. Overall, the cars are still well built for their categories, but the decisive lead they once held seems to be somewhat diminished, especially for a PERCEPTION standpoint. I don't think they are crappy now, but I will NEVER complain about more quality at the same price.

Dynamically, smaller is better, as long as it comes with a corresponding weight decrease. BMW is a good example of this. Despite the fact that a 3 Series is about the size of a Civic, it weighs over 100lbs more than the Accord. While I am not saying the 3 series is a turd, it IS heavy for its size. Of course, if that weight came with the benefit of rigidity, etc, it is easier to swallow, and smaller size is still the best way to achieve both goals. After all, it is easier to make a 20' bridge lighter and stiffer than a 200' bridge.

I also want to see a return to the more responsive Accords of yore. I KNOW it is possible, because they have done it with the coupe, and with aftermarket suspension, the chassis still have the responsiveness of yore. I honestly believe that the reason Honda has held off on that is the need to keep from stepping on Acura's toes. Hopefully, with Acura diverging more from Honda, it will give the Accord more headroom to be the car that I know it can be.

Also, having owned a 6th and 2 7th gen Accords as well as test driving several 8th gen Accords, I want them to do it without making me sit on the floor again, and with the NVH improvements they have made. I like the features, I like the room, and I like the ride overall.

[owequitit]

http://www.motorauthority.com/early-...acura-tsx.html

I came across this today. I don't put very much faith in it, as I don't see it being all that credible, but it does discuss a few specific changes I would like to see.

[owequitit]

Is it possible to design a fwd car of that weight with that much hp tq and still make it refined enough to compete?

Yes.