I just picked up my new 2008 Accord EX MT. These are still a relatively rare car in MN, with the EXL 5MT being a little less rare.

Compared to my 93 Accord LX and my 95 Accord LX, both which I still have, the 08 EX is VERY sluggish on acceleration. This is by far the worst thing about the car. I'm not expecting sports cars results, just better than my 93 Accord LX--which its not. The gearing is taller than my old cars so I guess you need to let the revs get higher than I'm used to, but I am going to get past the break-in period before I really explore this issue more.

Shifting takes a little more thought than my old cars as well, the shifter doesn't fall into place as easily as it does on my 93.

The stereo sounds really crappy. There is no amount of adjusting to make it sound decent to me. I'm hoping replacing the stock speakers will help a little bit. Also, a subwoofer would go a long way to making up for no bass.

Overall though, I really love the car and everything else I feel about the car has been said to death for or against.

I just picked up my new 2008 Accord EX MT. These are still a relatively rare car in MN, with the EXL 5MT being a little less rare.

Compared to my 93 Accord LX and my 95 Accord LX, both which I still have, the 08 EX is VERY sluggish on acceleration. This is by far the worst thing about the car. I'm not expecting sports cars results, just better than my 93 Accord LX--which its not. The gearing is taller than my old cars so I guess you need to let the revs get higher than I'm used to, but I am going to get past the break-in period before I really explore this issue more.

Shifting takes a little more thought than my old cars as well, the shifter doesn't fall into place as easily as it does on my 93.

The stereo sounds really crappy. There is no amount of adjusting to make it sound decent to me. I'm hoping replacing the stock speakers will help a little bit. Also, a subwoofer would go a long way to making up for no bass.

Overall though, I really love the car and everything else I feel about the car has been said to death for or against.

What do you LIKE about your new car? lol

Congratz on the new ride, btw!

shizamn: A bit worrying about the MT. I hope you get used to it and it works out for you.

When I test drive an 08 exl mt I thought it was fine--maybe even easier to shift than my very smooth 02. Acceleration seemed about the same as my 02--in other words peppy but no powerhouse. I hope I wasn't wrong about that. I find it weird still to wind up my Accord above 3500 rpms, even though the redline on my 02 is slightly above 6000. For economy and comfort I usually shift between 2k and 3k. It seems like an almost bizarre redline on the 08 ex/exl engine with 190hp--I think it's 7100! I'm not sure I've ever seen a car that wasn't a sports car (or maybe even one that was) that had it that high. I doubt I'll ever pass 6000. Once I passed 5000 on my 02, and it felt a bit uncomfortable. I mean, I knew it was far below redline, and yet I still felt I was putting unusual wear and tear on the engine.

I'm glad I got the exl "premium" stereo. When I tested it I didn't think it was that impressive, but it was pretty darn good compared to my 02 LX with the stock stereo. Still, given that Honda was I think saying that their system was supposed to be better than premium systems by JBL I was somewhat underwhelmed. I mean, it was really good for a car stereo, but the clarity and quality of sound did not blow me away as it sometimes can with a really nice car stereo.

Anyway, shizamn, I hope you end up liking your new ride. I'm slightly worried about how it's going to work out for you (and for me) after what you wrote. It'll probably be fine

There is something of a challenge with making each Accord bigger and heavier, in that there may come a point when a 4 cylinder, even as good a one as Honda makes, does not quite feel right for the car...

I need to remind myself right now that I did like the mt on the test drive...

shizamn: this may not be what you want to hear, but have you tried putting premium fuel (with an octane rating of at least 92) your 08 EX? I think the engine on this car is similar to the one on the Acura TSX. This means that if you put high octane fuel in it you may well get another 10 hp or so out of it. Of course if that 10 hp also comes above 6000 rpm, it may not do you (or me) much good. But my guess is that some of that power would be available at regular rpms. Would you be willing to give it a try?

Please keep us updated on the 5MT. Tho I have my sights set on the V6 6speed, the 5MT 2.4L is not totally out of the question yet. I'm very curious to hear / experience how the 5MT models perform.

As for revving the engine - that's the best part of owning a Honda. :yes: Tho I try to be mindful of my fuel mileage and shift in the 3K range, I don't hesitate to rev it up when passing or occasionally just to hear it spinning. :lmao:

I think the stereo is acceptable for what it is. It sounds good, is clear, and has some decent thump without getting too muddy if the bass and sub are adjusted properly. Two thoughts: It seems Honda went back to a cheaper paper cone. I'm pretty sure the 7th gen at least had coated paper cones. I remember them not looking like paper but the 8th gen speakers most definitely are. And, I'm not liking the placement of the tweeters on the doors. IMO the dash placement made for a much more natural sound stage. The 08 premium stereos I've listened to have a very distinct left-right source to me where as the 7th gen sound stage seemed to be beyond the windshield somewhere. Tho the new Accord is a smidge quieter than the outgoing model, road noise is still noticable - enough that a stellar audio system doesn't make much sense.

shizamn: A bit worrying about the MT. I hope you get used to it and it works out for you.

When I test drive an 08 exl mt I thought it was fine--maybe even easier to shift than my very smooth 02. Acceleration seemed about the same as my 02--in other words peppy but no powerhouse. I hope I wasn't wrong about that. I find it weird still to wind up my Accord above 3500 rpms, even though the redline on my 02 is slightly above 6000. For economy and comfort I usually shift between 2k and 3k. It seems like an almost bizarre redline on the 08 ex/exl engine with 190hp--I think it's 7100! I'm not sure I've ever seen a car that wasn't a sports car (or maybe even one that was) that had it that high. I doubt I'll ever pass 6000. Once I passed 5000 on my 02, and it felt a bit uncomfortable. I mean, I knew it was far below redline, and yet I still felt I was putting unusual wear and tear on the engine.

I'm glad I got the exl "premium" stereo. When I tested it I didn't think it was that impressive, but it was pretty darn good compared to my 02 LX with the stock stereo. Still, given that Honda was I think saying that their system was supposed to be better than premium systems by JBL I was somewhat underwhelmed. I mean, it was really good for a car stereo, but the clarity and quality of sound did not blow me away as it sometimes can with a really nice car stereo.

Anyway, shizamn, I hope you end up liking your new ride. I'm slightly worried about how it's going to work out for you (and for me) after what you wrote. It'll probably be fine

There is something of a challenge with making each Accord bigger and heavier, in that there may come a point when a 4 cylinder, even as good a one as Honda makes, does not quite feel right for the car...

I need to remind myself right now that I did like the mt on the test drive...





Yeah, i think the new EX has the 177HP. I think only the EX-L has the 190HP... I could be wrong though. :dunno:

Both have the 190 hp engine....

http://www.hondanews.com/categories/812/releases/4103

the 162 lbs of torque engine. With peak horsepower at 7000 rpm, I really think that 190 hp figure is a figment of an engineer's imagination. Who is going to shift at 7000 when redline is just 100 rpm higher? That's tricky to do, and frankly I don't think many owners are going to see that 190 hp. I think it may give people a false idea of the engine to give that figure.

The car we have now that is going to be replaced by the 08 Accord is an 88 Olds 98 with GM's very nice 3.8 liter engine. That engine only makes 160 hp, but it does it at much, much lower rpms. Only a guess, but I'm thinking it makes that at 4000 or so. It's the total opposite of the Accord engine--great torque and power right off the line, but loses strength at higher speeds and rpms. It's plenty adequate for the Olds 98, and in fact it feels pretty powerful. But the 08 Accord is almost the same size and weight of the 88 Olds 98. And having a 2.4 engine in a car that size may not give the same kind of performance. My guess is that 0-60 for both cars is about the same--probably c.9 seconds. But whereas the Olds will jump off the line, the 08 Accord, if shazamn is right, may feel sluggish at first until you build rpms in 2nd and 3rd gear....

I'm guessing that in 2 years Honda will put the new A-Vtec engine in the Accord. That will have more power, but that's a ways away...

I'm pretty sure the 88 Olds 98 had 165 hp and 210 lbs ft of torque...up from 150 & 200, respectively, the year before (they switched to multi-port fuel injection).

Call me crazy, but when I test drove the 08 EX-L, it was a little better than my current EX-L.

The two LX's you had were standard cam and piston motors - no fancy electronics or vtec. And in that regard, they had rather flat power bands and drove accordingly. Given their lightweights and simple design, I'd imagine your comments are right on target. If you want a zesty big(ger) accord, its V6 or nothin'. Even with the V6, for 2008+ you're going to have nosebleed-lame acceleration off the line. I like to look at it similarly to the 2006 Lexus IS350. Boatloads of power and a nice RWD platform -- but they forgot the damned "VSC OFF" button! So no matter how fantastically you launched (automatic, don't need to much education) you'd bark the rear tires and the electronic nannies would take over for the duration of 1st gear. Its my hope that the 08/09 change will come with a "STOP STRANGLING ME" button for the V6-ATX to help drain off all the bad press about thrill-robbing acceleration.

For 190hp in a 4cyl of most any displacement, expect to rev the hell out of it. Reference: GS-R (160), Type-R (200~), TSX (200), RSX-S (210), etc.

2006 EXL

I imagine you're right about the the 1988 3.8 engine. I remember reading somewhere that it was updated for that year. You must know a lot about cars to have those kinds of numbers at your fingertips!

Well, this issue has me worried enough that I made an appt. with my salesman for Monday to take another test drive with an eye to how an EX MT accelerates on an uphill ramp onto the freeway. I'll let you know how it goes...

Anyone else out there with an 08 manual willing to give a report?

Anyone else out there with an 08 manual willing to give a report?

...try this.


.....http://www.vtec.net/forums/one-message?message_id=713613

Thanks ezshift5, that was good reading.

But, they are talking about the 6 mt coupe.

The car I've special ordered is a 4 cylinder EXL sedan with the 5-speed manual (and the navi).

I've looked it up, and my 02 Accord LX 5-speed sedan weighs 3031 lbs.

The 08 Accord EXL Navi 5MT sedan weighs 3386.

So, the 08 weighs 355 lbs more, which is more than 10% heavier.

The engine, in the meantime, has gone from a 2.3 liter VTEC with 150 hp to a 2.4 liter i-VTEC with 190 hp. That would seem to be enough of an increase to deal with the added weight, but as I already wrote the peak horsepower of the new engine comes at 7000 rpms. The torque of the old engine is 152 at 4900, while to torque of the new one is 162 at 4400. The torque sounds good, because I could easily see getting up to 4400 when merging onto the freeway. If I wind it up to that in 1st, 2nd and 3rd, I imagine that acceleration in the new car is pretty good.

Sorry for another long post, but once I started getting worried about this it was hard to stop....

I'm still cautiously optimistic that on the test drive on Monday I'll find that it's fine.

The 08' is 12% heavier but it has 27% more horsepower and 11% more torque than your 02 based on the numbers you provided (my stats are rounded to the nearest percent).Based on those numbers, the 08' sounds better to me:dunno: Maybe you have to hit higher RPMs to see the increase but it's still there when you need it. I have the automatic so I can't speak too much for the manual but I can say I don't feel a lack of power. It's no beast but it gets me from point a to b without a hitch, I've been easy on it thus far so I've been nowhere near redline. I think the v6 would be nice but 95% of my driving is all city, so there's no need for lots of power. Give me a good looking car with plenty of space for extra passengers, leather, cd changer, and a sunroof and I'm happy:thmsup:

Thank you to everyone for your responses.

Just to follow up, I have noticed that starting about 4000 - 4500 RPM there is a increase in power. The power band is obviously much higher in the RPM than I am used to. I will will probably never see the 190hp though if I have to wind all the way up to 7000RPM.

I'm sorry if I have panic'd anyone on the Accord EX's 5MT performance. It was not my intention to create a controversy, just to let people know that 190hp isn't as great as it sounds.

Also, remember that your engine is still green, and very tight... It's gonna need a few thousand miles to come out of it's shell.... I remember test driving a demo-car before with 8000 miles on it, thinking how great it was.. I ordered one, and received it 2 months later (it was being built). I remember thinking how disappointed I was with the engine and acceleration... It seemed very slugish and unwilling to rev... However, after several weeks of break-in, the engine started to come alive very noticeably. Now that same car is a real powerhouse.

voltron: what car was that? The BMW?

Sounds like the OP would have been happier with the V6 EX-L model. More horsepower, faster, lots of torque to take care of that "sluggish" feeling inherent in a 4 cylinder/heavy car combo, and definitely a better stereo then the EX model.

voltron: what car was that? The BMW?

Yeah..

voltron:

I can understand your desire to get away from materialism and the weight of a $500 car payment. It's very admirable!

But I do wonder if you've moved from one extreme to another. If your budget is really only $3500 for your next car, you may find that there are not that many Accords that go for that amount of money or less. Oh, there are some, but they tend to be older and higher mileage cars that are likely--even with Honda's famous reliability--to have some issues and need repair and maintenance.

Have you considered the possibility of getting one of the last of the new 07 Accords? Some people are getting VPs, LXs, and SEs for only 16-18k. That would probably give you a much lower payment than the BMW, and a car that is likely to last and be nearly trouble free for about 10 years.

A 1997 Accord for 3500 is likely to have well over 100k miles. Now Honda engines, with good care, can often last over 200k, but for the rest of it, you are looking at replacing and repairing things like the clutch, the transmission (esp. if auto), suspension parts, air conditioning systems, brakes, etc., etc. I imagine you value your time, and you may find that owning a 10+ year old car means that you are getting something significant repaired a few times a year. The initial costs are lower, but you spend a lot of time and money keeping the car alive.

Ten years ago I bought a car for about your budget. We got a 1988 Olds 98 for $3800 from the original owner. It had only 68,000 miles and had been well maintained. Now, I know a Honda is not a GM car, but believe it or not this was one of the best cars GM built in the late 80s, or maybe ever. And yet almost every year something significant was going on. Sometimes it wasn't a big deal, like one time one of the power windows recently failed. It cost about $250 to fix at the local gas station, which isn't much, but it was out of service for a couple of days.

Anyway, I'm just adding my 2 cents of caution that this anti-materialist utopia of an old Accord that you're trying to set up may work out great--if you find just the right Accord--but it may end up being a lot of trouble. In other words, it might be penny-wise and pound-foolish. But I could be wrong. It might work out really well if you're lucky.

Perhaps if you could raise your budget a bit to get a newer or lower mileage Accord, or even try to spring for the last of the 07s, which are a bargain, you might be happier in the long run. If you get a 10 year old car, you may well be looking for its replacement in a few years, whereas with an 07 you could well be done with it until 2017. I sometimes wish that in 1998 I'd bought a bottom of the line Accord DX 5-speed manual, rather than the Olds 98. I think I'd be ready to be getting rid a 98 Accord DX at this point, but it would still probably be worth 5k (my Olds is probably worth about $700), but more importantly I wouldn't have spent a lot of time over the last decade with the endless hassles and expense of having a car in the shop.

In other words, I think I would not only be ahead economically, but in terms of my nerves and time management, by springing for a newer car a decade ago. Now I'm ready to get my 08 Accord EXL manual with Navi, and I'm heading into your territory in terms of having an over the top car. Fortunately, we can afford at this point to just buy the thing and not have any car payment at all.

Anyway, I don't mean to be annoying, and I think that what you are trying to do is quite admirable...

I appreciate your input Benjaminh... I've actually considered most of the stuff you've mentioned already. Like I've mentioned, my current 325i car payment isn't killing me or anything, but I would like to have a bit of extra money each month to buy stocks/etc... Also, I want to have I title in hand so that I can sell the car quickly if I decide to move.

Shizamn, whenn are you going to post pics of this beautiful beast? :naughty:

Well, I took the family back today for a second test drive. My salesman was very nice about it, and let me take a black on black EXL 4 cylinder 5MT out with the family by myself. I didn't even ask, he just set it up that way. Didn't ask for my driver's license, insurance, or anything. I bought another Accord from him 5 years ago, but still, I thought it was classy. He just said "Take it out, drive it to your hearts' content, and smoke the wheels if you want to!" Of course, with VSA these days it's almost impossible to smoke the wheels...(although I guess I could have turned it off).

Anyway, to respond to the idea that the 08 EX/EXL 4 cylinder 5MT is sluggish, I just have to differ.

This engine is smooooth and loves to rev high! In my 02 5MT when you go above 4000 rpms it feels, to be blunt, a little like a sewing machine working overtime. The 08 EX MT is just getting its second wind at 4k, and it purrs like a happy kitten. I took it up to 5k a few times (well below the redline of 7100), and it just felt like this is what this engine likes to do.

The new engine feels Acura all the way. I would not be surprised at all if it's basically a version of the TSX engine.

Anyway, acceleration onto the freeway with an uphill ramp is no problem at all. Just hold it in each gear a little longer, and it has nice and smooth power.

Someone used to a 6 cylinder might feel it's not enough, but to me it felt great. I like the big tach, because it's not just for show you really use it on this machine.

On the rest of the car, I have to say I felt pretty much only positives. The EXL has nicely padded armests and leather (or leather looking) sewn padding on each door. Classy. I like that they've returned to the covered cup holders.

Oh, and the premium stereo is great! I brought in a CD that I knew, and tried it just before we got there on our 02 LX stereo--which is certainly ok. The premium stereo was like opening up a new world of sound--the highs were clearer and crisper, the vocals warmer, the bass much more authoritative. So, imho, the premium sound system rocks (at least compared to the stock stereo systems on most other competitive cars).

Again, I'm feeling like this car is the Acura Legend or RL that I missed out on.

And yet the sporting quality is still there. When I accelerated hard around a corner (with my wife grabbing the "oh Jesus!" handle) the tires gripped much better than in my 02. Not surprising, since my 02 has thin 15" tires while the 08 EX has fat and wide 17" V-rated tires.

The one-touch sunroof/moonroof was a big hit with me and the kids. Slick!

Overall, the 08 Accord is a very impressive car. I thought that with the first test drive, but the 2nd and more extensive test drive confirms it.

The 7th generation is and was a great Accord. The 8th generation may not be for all tastes, but I think that those willing to put it through its paces will find it to be worthy, and in many ways the best Accord ever.

The styling seems fine to me. I love the side view, and I'm steadily warming up to the front and rear views.

Now I need to wait about 2 months while the factory builds just for us a white with Ivory interior EXL 4 cylinder with Navi and the 5 speed manual. I can't wait....

Well, I took the family back today for a second test drive. My salesman was very nice about it, and let me take a black on black EXL 4 cylinder 5MT out with the family by myself. I didn't even ask, he just set it up that way. Didn't ask for my driver's license, insurance, or anything. I bought another Accord from him 5 years ago, but still, I thought it was classy. He just said "Take it out, drive it to your hearts' content, and smoke the wheels if you want to!" Of course, with VSA these days it's almost impossible to smoke the wheels...(although I guess I could have turned it off).

Anyway, to respond to the idea that the 08 EX/EXL 4 cylinder 5MT is sluggish, I just have to differ.

This engine is smooooth and loves to rev high! In my 02 5MT when you go above 4000 rpms it feels, to be blunt, a little like a sewing machine working overtime. The 08 EX MT is just getting its second wind at 4k, and it purrs like a happy kitten. I took it up to 5k a few times (well below the redline of 7100), and it just felt like this is what this engine likes to do.

The new engine feels Acura all the way. I would not be surprised at all if it's basically a version of the TSX engine.

Anyway, acceleration onto the freeway with an uphill ramp is no problem at all. Just hold it in each gear a little longer, and it has nice and smooth power.

Someone used to a 6 cylinder might feel it's not enough, but to me it felt great. I like the big tach, because it's not just for show you really use it on this machine.

On the rest of the car, I have to say I felt pretty much only positives. The EXL has nicely padded armests and leather (or leather looking) sewn padding on each door. Classy. I like that they've returned to the covered cup holders.

Oh, and the premium stereo is great! I brought in a CD that I knew, and tried it just before we got there on our 02 LX stereo--which is certainly ok. The premium stereo was like opening up a new world of sound--the highs were clearer and crisper, the vocals warmer, the bass much more authoritative. So, imho, the premium sound system rocks (at least compared to the stock stereo systems on most other competitive cars).

Again, I'm feeling like this car is the Acura Legend or RL that I missed out on.

And yet the sporting quality is still there. When I accelerated hard around a corner (with my wife grabbing the "oh Jesus!" handle) the tires gripped much better than in my 02. Not surprising, since my 02 has thin 15" tires while the 08 EX has fat and wide 17" V-rated tires.

The one-touch sunroof/moonroof was a big hit with me and the kids. Slick!

Overall, the 08 Accord is a very impressive car. I thought that with the first test drive, but the 2nd and more extensive test drive confirms it.

The 7th generation is and was a great Accord. The 8th generation may not be for all tastes, but I think that those willing to put it through its paces will find it to be worthy, and in many ways the best Accord ever.

The styling seems fine to me. I love the side view, and I'm steadily warming up to the front and rear views.

Now I need to wait about 2 months while the factory builds just for us a white with Ivory interior EXL 4 cylinder with Navi and the 5 speed manual. I can't wait....

ANOTHER (soon to be) '08 OWNER! :banana: :banana: :banana:
I can't wait to see pics.
I love the new Accord inside, outside, & under the hood. :naughty:

I have the LX with the 177 HP engine. I have logged 450 miles and have noticed that the car seems to have better acceleration after shifting at the low to moderate RPMs and shifting to 2nd, 3rd & 4th gears. I haven't wound it out much as I'm still in the break-in period. The car seems more responsive than my similarly equipped 2003 LX MT.

This morning when merging on to the freeway and attempting to get up to 75 mph rather quickly, it seemed to lag slightly what I was used to with my '03. I haven't compared the gearing ratios for 4th & 5th gears.

Despite driving almost nothing but MTs since 1978, I had a couple of instances during the first week where I shifted gears, but didn't fully engage the gear that I was shifting to. The problem was mainly 3rd gear. I can't be quite as lazy flicking into 3rd gear as I was with my '03. Not sure exactly what to attribute this to. Some may be due to the fact that it is a bit different from the '03. Clutch cable may need tightening. The clutch too requires some break-in? Perhaps I need to develop new muscle memory for the '08.

The bottom line is that I'm glad that I once again chose the MT. It takes a bit of getting used to, but not much.

Well, I took the family back today for a second test drive. My salesman was very nice about it, and let me take a black on black EXL 4 cylinder 5MT out with the family by myself. I didn't even ask, he just set it up that way. Didn't ask for my driver's license, insurance, or anything. I bought another Accord from him 5 years ago, but still, I thought it was classy. He just said "Take it out, drive it to your hearts' content, and smoke the wheels if you want to!" Of course, with VSA these days it's almost impossible to smoke the wheels...(although I guess I could have turned it off).



:lmao: and that would be the reason i don't like to consider buying demo cars! :lmao:

anywho, i haven't test driven any of the 08 mt accords yet, but as far as the 4 cyl engines w/ mt i've had (04 accord coupe and the 06 tsx), i'd definitely say they are happiest when revved up there! without revving, you just don't get the most out of the engine, and besides, honda's love to be revved. i'd expect the same from the 08's. :thmsup:

:lmao: and that would be the reason i don't like to consider buying demo cars! :lmao:

anywho, i haven't test driven any of the 08 mt accords yet, but as far as the 4 cyl engines w/ mt i've had (04 accord coupe and the 06 tsx), i'd definitely say they are happiest when revved up there! without revving, you just don't get the most out of the engine, and besides, honda's love to be revved. i'd expect the same from the 08's. :thmsup:

That's why i LOVE them. :thmsup:

Despite driving almost nothing but MTs since 1978, I had a couple of instances during the first week where I shifted gears, but didn't fully engage the gear that I was shifting to. The problem was mainly 3rd gear. I can't be quite as lazy flicking into 3rd gear as I was with my '03. Not sure exactly what to attribute this to. Some may be due to the fact that it is a bit different from the '03. Clutch cable may need tightening. The clutch too requires some break-in? Perhaps I need to develop new muscle memory for the '08.

The bottom line is that I'm glad that I once again chose the MT. It takes a bit of getting used to, but not much.

Seems to be a new issue creeping up with Honda transmission owners. Most all of us 6MT owners are having this very issue.

ICompared to my 93 Accord LX and my 95 Accord LX, both which I still have, the 08 EX is VERY sluggish on acceleration. This is by far the worst thing about the car. I'm not expecting sports cars results, just better than my 93 Accord LX--which its not. The gearing is taller than my old cars so I guess you need to let the revs get higher than I'm used to, but I am going to get past the break-in period before I really explore this issue more.


i felt the same way when i first drive my 08 EX-L 5A, keep thinking maybe this is a 4drs and weight more than my 7gen 2dr. but now that the car is have more miles on it and i can push it a little more, the car seem much faster now and much faster than my 7gen, the rpm revs up a little higher than all my old accord, but i guess that's normal for this 08. overall i love my 08 black on black :) always wanted one like this.