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Test drove 2 new 6spds V6 coupe, Sport 4cyl

7K views 41 replies 20 participants last post by  Graycar 
#1 ·
Drove back to back manual Accords.

1st 2017 V6 EX-L coupe-steel gray-
Great interior, very comfortable. Good looking. Good shifter, good power, avg brakes, handling was good but this car felt like more a GT cruiser than an eager handler. Although fast didn't feel "that fast". Car only had 12 miles on it, so it wasn't broken in and I was trying not to flog it too hard.
After I was done, I liked it but didn't love it.

2nd 2017 Sport 4DR sedan-white-Great looking car as was the coupe. Loved the seats although the coupe may have been a tad more comfortable but these were still good and loved the material and the power driver's seat. Shifter was like heaven. Possibly the best ever. Smoother than the V6 by a small but still noticeable margin. Chassis felt great. This car sorta broke my heart b/c I liked it more than the 6cyl coupe. It was just more fun to me and felt lighter in the nose especially. It just felt like it was lacking 30-50hp. Just not enough power. Granted this car only had like 7 miles on it. I'm sure broken in, it would feel better but how much more, I don't know.
Almost pulled the trigger especially since it was 22,600 marked down. As revving it out was fun but this car just needs over 200hp IMO.

So ended up passing on both. Both still really nice cars though. No interest in any CVT. Didn't try the Accord V6 in automatic.
 
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#4 ·
Steering on my '08 V6 feels somewhat heavy I guess. Doesn't bother me but I really noticed when I had a '16 Civic for 2 weeks. That was a lot lighter handling, but since I'm not planning to strafe any twisty roads it's fine. I had never driven a CVT car before. That was weird, but S mode was more like a normal automatic trans.
 
#6 ·
Now that you mention that, yeah... I remember the Corolla from the driving school had a lighter steering.

Accords steered great on windy roads. I had to drive a somewhat windy road one night, and the car handled pretty well IMO
 
#5 ·
I figure a small bump in power would make the car faster than one of the Acuras? Some manufacturers do that where they limit a lower engine trim to not step on another one of their more expensive cars.

Steering on my '08 V6 feels somewhat heavy I guess. Doesn't bother me but I really noticed when I had a '16 Civic for 2 weeks. That was a lot lighter handling, but since I'm not planning to strafe any twisty roads it's fine. I had never driven a CVT car before. That was weird, but S mode was more like a normal automatic trans.
Electric steering is great or sucks in new cars since they can program the right amount of weighted feel and some road feedback or super light and appliance like. The electric steering in my old Cruze was great but at times it suffered from striction issues where from driving straight for a bit it will not respond to turns that initial time you try to turn.
 
#7 ·
You are right about the leaning GT cruiser on the 6-6. I feel thats exactly what it is though tires, rear sway and alignment do balance it well for handling and GT compromise. The shifter is heaven so that one just needs more rows and the not feeling fast? Dont know what to tell ya on the highway it jumps up fast and in the curves doesnt even need downshifts for the torque to pull it out. Perfect car? No but a grown up car with some power and a great toll way passing machine.
 
#8 · (Edited by Moderator)
Accords steered great on windy roads. I had to drive a somewhat windy road one night, and the car handled pretty well IMO
I have taken it to some moderately twisty mountain roads. Would say it handles nice, but have not pushed the envelope to see that it really can do. A lot of the best twisty roads here have steep penalties for running off (cliffs). So you fall off, or hit the wall, depending. Crashing sucks. Apparently somewhere along the line I lost the young and stupid thing. Traded it for oldish and slowish. Not really.
Search youtube for The Snake on Mulholland Hwy. :rolleyes:

Electric steering
First car I drove with that too, then. I had no idea. There was no owners manual in the car, it was a loaner from the dealer while mine was getting fixed.
 
#11 ·
I didn't get to drive the 6 speed V6 Coupe my dealer had, because I didn't fit in it, so it's interesting to hear a comparison. When I test drove my 6 speed Sport, I was actually surprised by how quick it was even with 3 larger than average adults in the car. It's a big car, with a tiny engine, and it still moves pretty good. It also has the nicest clutch/transmission I've ever experienced in a car under 35K. If you think it's too slow, then you're clearly looking at the wrong market segment (or you forgot to turn off econ mode).
 
#13 ·
The I4 is not a tiny engine. HP is up all over the place, which is why those numbers seem small to you, but, no, this I4 is a very good engine, with good power for an I4. A 2004 BMW 325 got the same HP numbers out of their six cylinder engine, so, no, the I4 is neither tiny nor underpowered.

It is a fine engine.

http://wardsauto.com/technology/dreamy-technology-makes-new-honda-4-cyl-stand-out

But only one naturally aspirated I-4, Honda's new 2.4L gasoline direct-injection i-VTEC, standard in the ’13 Accord sedan and coupe, earns a 2013 Ward's 10 Best Engines award. It stands out from the rest of this hard-working pack in a number of ways, especially in refinement.
As the base powerplant in the ’13 Accord, it delivers 185 hp and 181 lb.-ft. (246 Nm) of torque, 4% more power and 12% more grunt than its predecessor. But the version that WardsAuto editors tested in the 6-speed-manual Accord Sport sedan, aided by a high-flow exhaust system, larger-diameter tubing and dual outlets for 52% more flow, ups that ante to a livelier 189 hp and 182 lb.-ft. (247 Nm).
Following 537 miles (864 km) of testing, editors report it delivered the happy combination of ample low-end torque, "wonderful" mid-range punch and "outstanding" high-rpm power while averaging an excellent 33 mpg (7.1 L/100 km). Then they laud it as "sophisticated beyond its price" and gush about how it "secures Honda's engine legacy."
 
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#12 ·
Test drive 6-6 Coupe vs the Sport



I traded my 97 Acura Integra GSR to be in the 2014 6-6 Coupe. One of the first things I noticed was how the steering made this Coupe feel like a much smaller car. Pushing the car further has yet to yield any bad manners so far & I've pushed it :devil ! So far I've never experienced this Coupe being " Nose Heavy " as you described & I'm at 13K miles so far. Eco Mode button is on for the past 16 months as this improves low speed throttle. Without ECO Mode "on" the car did not go under 10 - 15 mph ! Torque off the line also much easier to control especially if it snows. Its hard Not to Love this car as the fun factor is there too. The Integra GSR was a true blast to drive though with that 8000 RPM redline & a growling AEM CAI.

The Sport model with the manual never crossed my mind to test drive.
 
#21 ·
I traded my 97 Acura Integra GSR to be in the 2014 6-6 Coupe. One of the first things I noticed was how the steering made this Coupe feel like a much smaller car. Pushing the car further has yet to yield any bad manners so far & I've pushed it :devil ! So far I've never experienced this Coupe being " Nose Heavy " as you described & I'm at 13K miles so far. Eco Mode button is on for the past 16 months as this improves low speed throttle. Without ECO Mode "on" the car did not go under 10 - 15 mph ! Torque off the line also much easier to control especially if it snows. Its hard Not to Love this car as the fun factor is there too. The Integra GSR was a true blast to drive though with that 8000 RPM redline & a growling AEM CAI.

The Sport model with the manual never crossed my mind to test drive.
We have ECO mode?
 
#14 ·
It's hard to get the full vtec experience on a new car test drive. It's usually not advisable to run a new engine with a few miles on it at full throttle to redline, but have you have to do exactly that to get the full vtec driving experience.
 
#15 · (Edited)
This has always been a dilemma for me on a test drive. While I would like to experience WOT and acceleration to redline on a test drive, I certainly would not want to buy a vehicle that had been subjected to an unknown amount of this sort of "abuse" during the break-in period.

So, I tend to rely on the professional reviews and road test data to determine the vehicle's maximum performance. But that does not mean that I don't tip the throttle a bit to observe the sound and feel of the vehicle on a spirited test drive.

As an aside, I was present at the dealership when my 6-6 was delivered. It had one mile on the odometer. I drove it on the PDI test drive for approximately 7 miles with the Honda tech as a passenger. He offered me that opportunity, and, as someone who is quite OCD about his car, I really appreciated the gesture. That sort of service creates a lot of customer loyalty and satisfaction in my case.
 
#17 ·
I don't push the pedal all the way to the floor, on a test drive, but I do go at least 3/4 throttle. I want to see how linear the power delivery is, and if I can actually pass a car with it on the highway.
 
#28 ·
That's what I do. The I4 tip in is noticeable with econ off. Econ off I can chirp 1st and 2nd with a slight T/C flicker in the process. For an I4 with heavy 19's it does seem to be able to move.
 
#29 ·
If I walked into a dealership prepared to pay for a 6-6 coupe after a test drive, I know I'd be going home with it. I love my LX, and have zero complaints except that damn rattle when i put away my sunglasses, but I'd give it up for that coupe.
 
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#31 ·
... except that damn rattle when i put away my sunglasses, but I'd give it up for that coupe.
First time I heard that it sounded like it was coming from the passenger side dashboard. I went over the dash and trim pieces for about 20 minutes trying to figure out what was making the noise. Then I had a passenger ride with me, and they said it sounded like it was coming from the driver side A-Pillar, which I knew wasn't true, so I was able to narrow it down to the sunglass holder. Some foam tape fixed it no problem.
 
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