'08 Accord

[owequitit]

Here is a thread to put all 08 Accord info.

I was a little late in starting this, but oh well.

Here is a sketch that has been released by Honda of the new coupe.

http://www.vtec.net/news/news-item?news_item_id=639976

A couple of notes:

1)Honda has NEVER debuted any concept Accord anywhere, preferring instead to keep it under ultra tight security until launch.

2)This concept will debut at the Detroit Auto Show in January. Because of the time frames involved in building a concept car, this is most likely a slightly embellished sketch of the actual concept. The real thing probably is done, or very close to it.

Honda always gets flack, and will continue to do so because of their conservative styling (which coincidentally ages well, and probably explains part of the reason they hold their value. (My Dad's 88 STILL looks cool)

I have a feeling that much like the 06 Si, the RL, the Sports4 (2nd gen TSX) there will be some change to the concept, but the overall charachter and look will be very close.

That will be a good thing, because this car has some VERY aggressive styling elements. All Honda ever really needed was a dash of some hardcore style.

3) No word on mechanicals, but expect FF with a 3.2-3.5L V6 that at least matches the Camry/Altimas output. Maybe they will transplant the 3.5L in the 286HP J35 straight across, since the TL will be on the deathbed anyway.

More likely, they would take the base TL engine and massage it.

Or they may introduce a significantly revised V6 also. They did guarantee a big surprise under the hood.

Personally, I think it will be A-VTEC, but we will see. A new V6 with A-VTEC would be nice to see because it would allow a 3.0-3.2L displacement while still performing as well as the bigger engines in the class (the J30 pretty much already does). It may be on just the new 2.4L though.

We will see.

[Dv8]

/needsawd

[owequitit]

/needsawd

Unfortunately, it most likely won't get SH-AWD.

However, the next TSX and TL WILL have SH-AWD.

Apparently, it may fit in the 03-07 Accord afterall. Honda used these as testbeds during development of it.

From a marketing standpoint though, they have to start differentiating Honda and Acura, and SH-AWD is one of the easier ways to do it.

[NutBucket]

From a marketing standpoint though, they have to start differentiating Honda and Acura, and SH-AWD is one of the easier ways to do it.

Wow, you mean I may actually have a reason to get back into a Honda product?

[NAiL05]

Drawings look nice but lets see when they make it. SOunds good though.

[owequitit]

Wow, you mean I may actually have a reason to get back into a Honda product?

It was just a matter of time. When most of the current Acura models came out, the most common competitors were rebaded FWD cars such as the Infinity I30 and the ES300.

When they started the design cycle for the current TL/TSX, the G35 and the new IS didn't exist yet, although, they should have seen it coming.

Takeo Fukui's predecessor was also still in charge (can't remember his name).

His main priority was to shore up Honda's finances to keep them more protected from becoming a takeover target. He did just that, and one way was to milk everything for all it was worth.

I think we will see an added puch for style and substance now that they are EXTREMELY healthy on the balance sheet and the market is becoming more demanding for such things.

As far as upcoming reasons to purchase a Honda/Acura, there are several.

1) SH-AWD through the entire Acura line.

2) TSX with SH-AWD and proabably a version of the RDX's turbo 4.

3) SH-AWD TL with who knows what for power, but Honda typically doesn't have trouble matching output, so I would expect at least 300-320HP.

4) The proliferation of A-VTEC. It won't level the competition, but it will do very similar things to what Valvetronic did for BMW. Plenty of low end grunt for a given displacement, while allowing Honda to maintain their lofty and wonderful powerbands and improving drivability and fuel economy.

5) An upcoming and guaranteed V8 engine. Details are sketchy, but there are rumors of 4.6L displacement and at LEAST 350HP.

6) A new RWD coupe. It may share underpinnings with the next RL, but details on that are sketchy also.

Since Honda is developing a dedicated AWD/RWD platform, it is reasonable to expect more than one AWD/RWD model.

Perhaps, this will be a dedicated Acura platform and we will see the next RL and TL show up on it as well. Perhaps the TL will skip a generation and will fall onto at the next (2013) FMC. I don't know. It would be nice if it happened sooner rather than later though.

This would make sense from a competitive standpoint. It would also allow Honda to make the FWD based SH-AWD available to the Honda line without raping and plundering Acura Sales or brand image.

The fact that Acura goes global in 2008 makes me think that we will see much more investment in propietary Acura Technology. Just a hunch.

7) The next NSX. A rip roaring 500+ HP NA V10. Some say FR I think they will surprise us and stick to MR. I hope.

Honestly though, for the real consumer, AWD/RWD is nothing more than a marketing toy.

[owequitit]

Drawings look nice but lets see when they make it. SOunds good though.

Everyone keeps saying this. I think the market will be very pleasantly surprised by the similarities.

Like I said, the car debuts in less than 4 weeks, so the concept already exists. They mostly likely had an artist sketch it, which is what we see. Even if you tone down the embellishments to a realistic level, it is still going to be a looker.

Besides, the Civic Si concept was a "tuned" looking version of the real thing. Everyone thought that was exaggerated too. But it wasn't.

In order to get the production versions on the lot by August/Sept, production has to begin in May/Jun, which mean retooling will probably begin a few months before that. If that is the case, they aren't going to be able to change much from the concept, and will probably just use it to build momentum for the marketing dept. The Accord Sedan concept is supposed to debut at NYIAS in April.

[NutBucket]

Yeah, I agree that for 95% of consumers the drive system doesn't matter at all. But I'm that 5% damnit and I've seen the light! FWD sucks!

[gloryaccordy]

It's just the Accord coupe, so I'm not expecting the world from it. A-VTEC will be a nice touch...but I really wanna see a RWD Acura lineup.

[owequitit]

It's just the Accord coupe, so I'm not expecting the world from it. A-VTEC will be a nice touch...but I really wanna see a RWD Acura lineup.

That is one reason I love the Accord. People are never expecting much.

Including the GTO on the highway the other day that was dick to the '06.

And I hear you too Nutbucket, but unless there is inclement weather or the car actually gets used on some form of track, then there is no real advantage. Like you said 95% of people.

Besides, in my experience, it comes down to the driver much more than which wheel are pushing/pulling.

Even the track can be argued, because if you set a FF up for a track, it can do just fine. You can even induce cornering oversteer.

[NutBucket]

Well, one thing that is VERY hard to overcome with FF is wheelspin, especially on launch. And yes, I could definitely induce oversteer in my Accord....but its just not the same as punching it through a corner and having the tail step out.

Torque steer is just another issue of course. I read that Mazdaspeed3 deals with torque steer by cutting engine power.....not exactly a good solution in my opinion.

In my limited experience, the two most stable, neutral cars I've driven are Subarus and Evos, wet and dry.

[gloryaccordy]

FF can be fun, but ultimately, it will get to a point where you have a choice...steer, or accelerate. But that is another thread.

[NutBucket]

I think its more a question of, at some point there's just too much power for the front wheels to handle. I believe the SRT-4 and Mazdaspeed3 are two good examples. I'd venture to say the TL and Altima V6, Maxima V6, etc also fall into that category.

[growguy]

Yeah, I agree that for 95% of consumers the drive system doesn't matter at all. But I'm that 5% damnit and I've seen the light! FWD sucks!

and for us canadians who drive through the snow 4-5 months of the year, awd is a blessing - performance in all road conditions.

[owequitit]

Well, one thing that is VERY hard to overcome with FF is wheelspin, especially on launch. And yes, I could definitely induce oversteer in my Accord....but its just not the same as punching it through a corner and having the tail step out.

Torque steer is just another issue of course. I read that Mazdaspeed3 deals with torque steer by cutting engine power.....not exactly a good solution in my opinion.

In my limited experience, the two most stable, neutral cars I've driven are Subarus and Evos, wet and dry.

Launching is more of a challenge yes, but AWD comes with some launching challenges too. I have seen a lot of broken driveline parts because someone was trying to hard to get it out of the hole.

As far as torque steer, apparently they are coming up with new and creative ways to deal with it. The reduced torque method is one way.

People don't like it because they don't like power being taken away. The 06 TL has a similar system (that can be defeated by turning VSA off). It is interesting to note that even with this torque management system, acceleration times didn't seem to increase drastically, or even measurably for that matter.

They are apparently refining the geometry of the front suspension a lot too. I guess they say the new 270HP Altima has NO torque steer. I haven't driven one so I don't know.

I know a couple things that work are 1) equal length driveshafts (this is an old one) 2) Caster angle 3) steering arm location 4) bushing durometer 5) angle of the driveshafts to the ground (parallel is best) etc etc etc.

Honestly, we have fairly smooth roads out here, but the only car that really had a torque steer issue that I encountered was my mom's 02, and it was usually only in hard turns.

With a combination of LSD and the correct setup a FF car WILL step the tail out under acceleration, or at least tighten the line which has the same effect.