Both engines deliver their oomph through a 5-speed automatic transmission; however a 5-speed manual is available in
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| Honda should stand up and take a bow for eliminating torque steer in the Accord. (Photo: Rob Rothwell, Canadian Auto Press) |
conjunction with the four-banger. Apart from not having a manual shift mode, which many of the Accord's competitors offer, the Honda autobox is marvelous. It shifts very unobtrusively, exactly when I anticipated it to. Downshifts for immediate passing power are executed without hesitation or gear searching. I did find the shift lever disappointing in its operation though. The shift pattern is straight down the center, which made it easy to inadvertently slap the stick into D3 instead of Drive, and neutral instead of reverse. Perhaps the problem lies more with me than the mechanical operation of the lever, but either way I would find a gated shift plate similar to that in Acura's MDX a welcome addition.
A driveline aspect of the Accord worthy of specific praise, however, is the absence of torque steer. Honda should stand up and take a bow for giving that irritant its walking papers. Too bad Nissan can't do the same with its competing Altima.
Also praiseworthy is the real-world balance Honda has struck between vigorous handling and superior ride comfort. Feeling tauter than Toyota's Camry, but not as
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| Honda has struck a real-world balance between vigorous handling and superior ride comfort. (Photo: Rob Rothwell, Canadian Auto Press) |
rigid as Nissan's Altima SE, the Accord is the ideal fence sitter. I found the ride to be suitably compliant but never mushy, so to speak. Yes, it's not difficult to find a midsize car that rides smoother, the Kia Amanti for one (although it's quite a bit larger than the Accord), but it's difficult to find one that matches the Accord's smoothness while meeting its competency in the corners. The suspension setup responsible for blending these juxtaposing forces so effectively is independent at all four corners, and incorporating a double wishbone, coil spring assembly at the front and a multi-link arrangement with coils at the rear. Anti-roll bars front and rear add a further degree of control to the suspension assemblies, which all work in concert to produce fairly flat, sure-footed cornering.
