Car Sight

The all-new 1998 Honda Accord is a good-news, bad-news car. The good news is for customers looking for a mid-sized family sedan. The bad news is for Honda's competition.

The '98 Accord has raised the bar for its class. The sixth- generation 1998 Honda Accord is the most changed of any in the brand's 22-year history. Sedan and coupe models have more interior space, enhanced safety and security features, more powerful yet more efficient engines, improvements in ride quality and handling, and a higher level of standard features. For the first time, sedans fit into the EPA "mid-sized" category, the heart of the American automotive marketplace. The growth has been mostly in the interior, as the new sedan is minimally longer and wider, and two inches higher. The exterior styling is completely new. Only the model designations carry over. The cars are very different, and the wagon is gone.

To say that there is a strong difference between the sedan and coupe models is understatement, as only the headlights are shared. Because they are so different, I will concentrate on the Accord sedan this week, and review the coupe at a later date. Both are engineered for the American market, and built in Marysville, Ohio.

Both sedan and coupe models have a new, more rigid chassis for improved ride and handling and lower noise levels. The sedans are offered the familiar trim levels -- 4-cylinder DX, LX, and EX, plus LX and EX V6 models. Engines for all are new, and upscale ones use Honda's patented VTEC variable valve timing system. The 2.3-liter 4- cylinder comes in 135-horsepower normal or 150-horse VTEC form. The 3.0-liter VTEC V6 makes a healthy 200 horsepower. All 4- cylinder Accords have the choice of a 5-speed manual or 4-speed automatic with the Grade Logic shift control system. V6 models are only available with the automatic.

The mid-level LX model is expected to be the best-seller, and so I arranged to get an LX V6 as a test car. It was impeccably-finished, well-equipped in standard form (only the floormats were optional), roomy, quiet, and powerful. In other words, it was your basic Honda in a convenient American size.
honda accord
honda accord
honda accord
honda accord
honda accord