Trip
11-30-2007, 09:47 AM
Recently picked up an 08 Accord V6 6-speed Coupe. The car was purchased at my hometown dealer in PA while visiting over Thanksgiving. I then drove it 10 hours and over 600 miles to NC. I have about 1,000 miles the odo now.
Here are some first impressions that I’ve been writing down all week. This is a long read but hopefully it will provide some info to whoever is curious. I jump around a bit but it’s still mostly coherent . . . mostly. ;)
Interior / Features:
Seats are comfy. The 10 hour drive was no problem. The power lumbar support isn’t as comfortable as the 7th gen. It does the job but felt like a grapefruit in my lower back where as my 06 seemed to spread the support out over a larger area. Heated seats heat up more quickly and the HI setting gets way hotter than my 06 seats ever did.
Seating position is also very good. I can adjust the steering wheel comfortably and still see the tops of the gauges. The dead pedal is also positioned better. I can fully plant my foot on it while being able to work the clutch, brake and gas. Interior is noticeably wider. Plenty of head room in the coupe even with the sunroof. The brim of my ball cap does not hit the visor at all like it did in my 06 sedan if I was squirming in my seat.
Speaking of squirming . . .the leather is *grippy*. It doesn’t let me squirm around much. It feels much softer than the leather in my 06 but at the same time almost has the texture of rubber. Very weird. Maybe it needs to be conditioned or broken in. Maybe it has something to do with the color? I’ve always had black or gray leather. The ivory also scuffs pretty easily. Maybe the black and gray interiors did, too, but just didn’t show it as much.
Still undecided on the gauges. I think I liked the hi-tech presentation and smoked out visor of the 7th gen better but the new gauges work well enough. I do like that the idiot lights are lower in the display. I can easily see the cruise lights, fog light indicator, warning lights etc . . .where as in the 7th gen the oversized speedometer seemed to bump everything out of my field of vision. The “brushed” background of the gauges looks expensive. A nice touch.
Dash layout is very good. It might look busy at first but the controls I found myself reaching for were easily at hand. The 1 – 6 preset buttons seem redundant tho. At least with NAVI, I find myself using the interface dial voice commands, or the steering wheel controls instead. BTW – steering wheel controls can now tune & seek presets, change tracks & discs, and change XM presets & category making it easy to jump 50 channels at a time.
NAVI is just as awesome as ever. The big change being the interface dial which is excellent. I don’t miss the touch screen at all. Voice commands seem to work better. They mostly have always worked well for me but if I’m not enunciating or the windows are down, it will not understand me. It hasn’t once missed a command all week.
Integrated Bluetooth is sweet! Easily the best new feature.
Side view mirrors are excellent. I’m not quite sure what it is – if they’re bigger, slightly convex, at a different angle to the body – but they capture a w-i-d-e area on either side of the car.
One touch moonroof controls are great. You can open and close the moonroof remotely now, also. When slid open or vented, it’s noticeably more quiet than my 06. The wind doesn’t whistle overhead – it just slips by.
Headlights are good. No real issues driving thru the mountains in the dark for 6+ hours but I do want to kick them up just a degree or two. The foglights do not throw light off to the side of the road as far as my 06 foglights did. They still reach to the side of the road but that’s it. The 06 lights would stretch out across the median on the driver’s side. I think the 08 fogs might be too recessed or aren’t angled well enough. There is a way to adjust them. I’m going to see if that changes their pattern at all.
The 08 is definitely quieter than my 06 despite having wider tires and no ANC. This could also be why NAVI voice control seems to be working better. Still hear the texture of the road, especially on concrete but overall you mostly hear the wind rushing by on the highway. Even at 70mph with light rain hitting the windshield, I could easily hear my brother cracking his knuckles next to me.
The only interior quirk was that the car was delivered with a 5-speed knob! The new knob arrived today and I put it on.
Engine / Transmission
I have been and still am a big fan of the 2.4L. It’s a great engine and with the 5MT was a drive train very well suited to the Accord. It never left me wanting for more power, made great sounds, and was fuel efficient to boot. My test drives of the 2008 2.4L still proved it to be a winner, the Accord’s weight gain not with standing. In most cases the gain is not much more than an additional passenger or two and with the extra HP, I’m sure it will continue to impress. Example, going from my 06 EX-L NAVI Sedan to an 08 Coupe EX-L NAVI would have only been a gain of 139 pounds – but with an extra 24 hp to haul it around.
Moving onto the V6 – my initial impression is that it’s too much power. I almost rear ended a car when I went to pass. (( grin )) When I mashed the gas, I almost rammed the car in front of me cuz I didn’t anticipate the acceleration. Mental note: clear the next lane first, than mash. 1) Move 2) Mash Wet leaves at an intersection – need to feather the gas or start in second. Down shifting too many gears will light up the front tires faster than you can say “silly putty.” Granted new rubber will help ease the latter two items but I’m sure breaking the front tires free can be easier done than said no matter what rubber is on the wheels.
I find myself not revving it at all because there’s plenty of torque down low. That’s a good thing but as a long time fan of Honda 4 bangers, I’m already missing being able to red line the engine to hear it sing. If I do this in the V6, I’ll most likely be arrested. :) In some ways I’m finding the new drive train not as engaging as the 2.4L/5MT. Around town I can pretty much leave the V6 6sp in 4th gear and just drive – up hill, around corners, maybe shift up to 5th on longer stretches. With my 06, I was rowing away as I motored around town. I felt more involved in the driving.
What it boils down to is that I have to learn how to drive the V6 6sp and unlearn 20 years of Honda 4 cyls. Learn what gears will work at what speeds. Where the sweet spots are in the rev range for driving in different traffic patterns. When to hold a gear and gain speed only using the gas pedal. What will be fuel efficient and when to let it rip. In general, learn the capabilities and limits of this drive drain and how all the car’s systems work together.
I’ve driven high performance cars before but now I have to learn to live with one as my daily driver. Its one thing to take a test drive or take out a friend’s Mustang or S2000 for a spin but now I have to pay attention to what I’m doing and can’t let old habits take over. Example: I’m finding that hustling around a corner is better suited to 3rd or 4th gear, not 2nd. . .
My comments might imply that I regret going with the V6 but I absolutely do not! It’s just different from what I’m used to. If anything, I would have regretted not trying it at least once. It will be interesting to see if I can go back to a 4cyl once I have acclimated to the V6 6sp.
After all that rambling, I’m actually looking forward to this. The 3.5L in the 6sp is fricking sweet. It makes mean growling noises. The exhaust rumbles. It will push you back in your seat and make passengers find religion. The new sensations and the challenge of honing my driving techniques have me excited.
Love the 6-speed. Shifts smoothly and the throws feel much shorter than my 06 5-speed. Shifting into a gear seems to be a bit vague, tho. I haven’t missed a gear yet but it doesn’t quite have the positive tactile ^thunk^ into gear like other Honda MTs I’ve driven.
Clutch take up isn’t as tricky as the 7th gen 6-speeds or Preludes that I’ve driven. I haven’t had any issues at all launching or going from gear to gear smoothly. The pedal engages about 1/3 of the way up and most times under ½ throttle I’m rewarded with a silky take up as the car surges forward.
Suspension
The suspension is terrific. It’s firm but not punishing. Large bumps make the car hop occasionally but the rebound is well controlled. The ride is comfortable but plenty of texture comes thru. I love it. I love feeling that I’m connected to the road. In the dry, it HOLDS in corners despite the Michelins (wet is a very different story). I circled a clover leaf for about 15 minutes, getting a feel for the curves and gradually increasing my speed. At one point I did close to 70mph. No squealing tires. VSA didn’t kick in. The car just dug in and went. My shoulder planted firmly against the door. My foot braced on the dead pedal. And my passenger holding their Oh Sh*t! handle with both hands inventing cuss words as we went. HA!
Summary
Overall, this is an awesome car. It has a fluidness about it in its performance and controls and it’s confident on the road. Its core values are typical Accord. While there might be competitors that do one or two things better, the Accord does everything well: Compliant ride, hauls @$$, is fun to drive, comfortable seats, nice interior, has tons of features, should be plenty reliable, and is reasonably priced for what it is. And the coupe kicks it up a notch with extra performance and IMO striking looks. There really aren’t any major short comings other than the FWD limitations for performance.
Here are some first impressions that I’ve been writing down all week. This is a long read but hopefully it will provide some info to whoever is curious. I jump around a bit but it’s still mostly coherent . . . mostly. ;)
Interior / Features:
Seats are comfy. The 10 hour drive was no problem. The power lumbar support isn’t as comfortable as the 7th gen. It does the job but felt like a grapefruit in my lower back where as my 06 seemed to spread the support out over a larger area. Heated seats heat up more quickly and the HI setting gets way hotter than my 06 seats ever did.
Seating position is also very good. I can adjust the steering wheel comfortably and still see the tops of the gauges. The dead pedal is also positioned better. I can fully plant my foot on it while being able to work the clutch, brake and gas. Interior is noticeably wider. Plenty of head room in the coupe even with the sunroof. The brim of my ball cap does not hit the visor at all like it did in my 06 sedan if I was squirming in my seat.
Speaking of squirming . . .the leather is *grippy*. It doesn’t let me squirm around much. It feels much softer than the leather in my 06 but at the same time almost has the texture of rubber. Very weird. Maybe it needs to be conditioned or broken in. Maybe it has something to do with the color? I’ve always had black or gray leather. The ivory also scuffs pretty easily. Maybe the black and gray interiors did, too, but just didn’t show it as much.
Still undecided on the gauges. I think I liked the hi-tech presentation and smoked out visor of the 7th gen better but the new gauges work well enough. I do like that the idiot lights are lower in the display. I can easily see the cruise lights, fog light indicator, warning lights etc . . .where as in the 7th gen the oversized speedometer seemed to bump everything out of my field of vision. The “brushed” background of the gauges looks expensive. A nice touch.
Dash layout is very good. It might look busy at first but the controls I found myself reaching for were easily at hand. The 1 – 6 preset buttons seem redundant tho. At least with NAVI, I find myself using the interface dial voice commands, or the steering wheel controls instead. BTW – steering wheel controls can now tune & seek presets, change tracks & discs, and change XM presets & category making it easy to jump 50 channels at a time.
NAVI is just as awesome as ever. The big change being the interface dial which is excellent. I don’t miss the touch screen at all. Voice commands seem to work better. They mostly have always worked well for me but if I’m not enunciating or the windows are down, it will not understand me. It hasn’t once missed a command all week.
Integrated Bluetooth is sweet! Easily the best new feature.
Side view mirrors are excellent. I’m not quite sure what it is – if they’re bigger, slightly convex, at a different angle to the body – but they capture a w-i-d-e area on either side of the car.
One touch moonroof controls are great. You can open and close the moonroof remotely now, also. When slid open or vented, it’s noticeably more quiet than my 06. The wind doesn’t whistle overhead – it just slips by.
Headlights are good. No real issues driving thru the mountains in the dark for 6+ hours but I do want to kick them up just a degree or two. The foglights do not throw light off to the side of the road as far as my 06 foglights did. They still reach to the side of the road but that’s it. The 06 lights would stretch out across the median on the driver’s side. I think the 08 fogs might be too recessed or aren’t angled well enough. There is a way to adjust them. I’m going to see if that changes their pattern at all.
The 08 is definitely quieter than my 06 despite having wider tires and no ANC. This could also be why NAVI voice control seems to be working better. Still hear the texture of the road, especially on concrete but overall you mostly hear the wind rushing by on the highway. Even at 70mph with light rain hitting the windshield, I could easily hear my brother cracking his knuckles next to me.
The only interior quirk was that the car was delivered with a 5-speed knob! The new knob arrived today and I put it on.
Engine / Transmission
I have been and still am a big fan of the 2.4L. It’s a great engine and with the 5MT was a drive train very well suited to the Accord. It never left me wanting for more power, made great sounds, and was fuel efficient to boot. My test drives of the 2008 2.4L still proved it to be a winner, the Accord’s weight gain not with standing. In most cases the gain is not much more than an additional passenger or two and with the extra HP, I’m sure it will continue to impress. Example, going from my 06 EX-L NAVI Sedan to an 08 Coupe EX-L NAVI would have only been a gain of 139 pounds – but with an extra 24 hp to haul it around.
Moving onto the V6 – my initial impression is that it’s too much power. I almost rear ended a car when I went to pass. (( grin )) When I mashed the gas, I almost rammed the car in front of me cuz I didn’t anticipate the acceleration. Mental note: clear the next lane first, than mash. 1) Move 2) Mash Wet leaves at an intersection – need to feather the gas or start in second. Down shifting too many gears will light up the front tires faster than you can say “silly putty.” Granted new rubber will help ease the latter two items but I’m sure breaking the front tires free can be easier done than said no matter what rubber is on the wheels.
I find myself not revving it at all because there’s plenty of torque down low. That’s a good thing but as a long time fan of Honda 4 bangers, I’m already missing being able to red line the engine to hear it sing. If I do this in the V6, I’ll most likely be arrested. :) In some ways I’m finding the new drive train not as engaging as the 2.4L/5MT. Around town I can pretty much leave the V6 6sp in 4th gear and just drive – up hill, around corners, maybe shift up to 5th on longer stretches. With my 06, I was rowing away as I motored around town. I felt more involved in the driving.
What it boils down to is that I have to learn how to drive the V6 6sp and unlearn 20 years of Honda 4 cyls. Learn what gears will work at what speeds. Where the sweet spots are in the rev range for driving in different traffic patterns. When to hold a gear and gain speed only using the gas pedal. What will be fuel efficient and when to let it rip. In general, learn the capabilities and limits of this drive drain and how all the car’s systems work together.
I’ve driven high performance cars before but now I have to learn to live with one as my daily driver. Its one thing to take a test drive or take out a friend’s Mustang or S2000 for a spin but now I have to pay attention to what I’m doing and can’t let old habits take over. Example: I’m finding that hustling around a corner is better suited to 3rd or 4th gear, not 2nd. . .
My comments might imply that I regret going with the V6 but I absolutely do not! It’s just different from what I’m used to. If anything, I would have regretted not trying it at least once. It will be interesting to see if I can go back to a 4cyl once I have acclimated to the V6 6sp.
After all that rambling, I’m actually looking forward to this. The 3.5L in the 6sp is fricking sweet. It makes mean growling noises. The exhaust rumbles. It will push you back in your seat and make passengers find religion. The new sensations and the challenge of honing my driving techniques have me excited.
Love the 6-speed. Shifts smoothly and the throws feel much shorter than my 06 5-speed. Shifting into a gear seems to be a bit vague, tho. I haven’t missed a gear yet but it doesn’t quite have the positive tactile ^thunk^ into gear like other Honda MTs I’ve driven.
Clutch take up isn’t as tricky as the 7th gen 6-speeds or Preludes that I’ve driven. I haven’t had any issues at all launching or going from gear to gear smoothly. The pedal engages about 1/3 of the way up and most times under ½ throttle I’m rewarded with a silky take up as the car surges forward.
Suspension
The suspension is terrific. It’s firm but not punishing. Large bumps make the car hop occasionally but the rebound is well controlled. The ride is comfortable but plenty of texture comes thru. I love it. I love feeling that I’m connected to the road. In the dry, it HOLDS in corners despite the Michelins (wet is a very different story). I circled a clover leaf for about 15 minutes, getting a feel for the curves and gradually increasing my speed. At one point I did close to 70mph. No squealing tires. VSA didn’t kick in. The car just dug in and went. My shoulder planted firmly against the door. My foot braced on the dead pedal. And my passenger holding their Oh Sh*t! handle with both hands inventing cuss words as we went. HA!
Summary
Overall, this is an awesome car. It has a fluidness about it in its performance and controls and it’s confident on the road. Its core values are typical Accord. While there might be competitors that do one or two things better, the Accord does everything well: Compliant ride, hauls @$$, is fun to drive, comfortable seats, nice interior, has tons of features, should be plenty reliable, and is reasonably priced for what it is. And the coupe kicks it up a notch with extra performance and IMO striking looks. There really aren’t any major short comings other than the FWD limitations for performance.