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When we gave up trying to provoke the engine into singing, we had fun in other ways. The Accord's steering doesn't offer much in the way of road feel, but it is responsive, with a quicker ratio than the previous model's. There's a discrepancy between vision and gut feel because the cabin is quite huge, especially when we looked behind and saw how much car there still is. That contradicted what our gut told us, that beneath us was a small and agile vehicle. The suspension retains the previous' model's double-wishbone front / 5-link rear setup. Bumps, highway joints, and the remains of Manila Water diggings are now filtered out almost completely. The cabin is quiet, too, with tire roar substantially diminished. The ride is firm but never harsh, and never floaty. The 205/60 16 tires are the perfect running shoes, providing good grip and sporty looks. Although the Accord still plows its front, there's less understeer and body roll than the previous model. The brakes feel substantially stronger now, with larger front rotors. It does increase driver confidence to the point where alarmed passengers questioned our seeming late-braking maneuvers. ABS, EBD and dual airbags are standard, even for the cloth-uphosltered VTi, and the top model includes side airbags as well. The interactive windshield wipers (release the foot brake and the wiper swipes once) are retained, and their new overlapping design has them wiping every square cm of the lower windshield. The washers are now tucked behind the hood and spray in a mist pattern. The rear seatback has both pass-through and a fold-down capability. The trunk and passenger door have no keyhole, as the main key incorporates the remote functions. Individual aircon setting for driver and front passenger. These may be nerdy little details but we absolutely appreciate features like this. Is it the perfect midsize sedan? The engine is just adequate, the steering still numb and the handling far from sports-car level. But just sit inside that sumptuous cabin, on that sublime driver's chair, and operate the responsive mechanicals. The new Accord may not yet be perfect, but in this category it's still the best. |
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