2004 Honda Accord Review
Dazzling performance meets everyday economy.
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Walkaround
The Accord sedan and coupe share no sheet metal whatsoever, although their faces do look alike (partly because the one exterior feature they do share is their angular headlamps). Completely redesigned for 2003, the sharpened noses of the Accord sedan and coupe are reminiscent of an Acura RSX. The corners and sides of both bodies are carefully sculpted with a combination of concave and convex surfaces, in an attempt to achieve a muscular and agile look, with subtle and unique three-dimensional window glass, also intended to reduce wind noise. The aerodynamically efficient side-view mirrors are one of the results of wind tunnel testing.
The sedan's drag coefficient (a measure of how easily it moves through the air) is 0.30, significantly better than the previous model's 0.33. This latest Accord is also longer in wheelbase, and wider and taller overall than its predecessor, for more interior room. Yet it looks lower, thanks in part to its sleeker, raked-back windshield.
The coupe is a completely different beast. Its flanks and rear deck are even more shapely, flowing naturally and gracefully from the roofline. It yields a very aerodynamic 0.29 drag coefficient (compared to 0.32 for the pre-2003 coupe).
The Accord's doors are built using a new and unique method that makes them very light and strong. You can clearly hear the quality in the sound when you close them. You feel quality, also, in the extremely light touch required to open the trunk.
Honda engineers are particularly proud of the fact that all Accord models achieved five-star safety ratings for driver and front-seat passenger in the government's frontal crash test. Additionally, the coupe earned a five-star rating for front and rear-seat passengers in the side-impact test, even without the optional side-impact airbags.
All Accord coupes and the majority of sedans are assembled in Honda's Marysville, Ohio, plant, though some of the sedans come from Japan and Mexico.
Interior Features
The Honda Accord's interior is smooth, firm, and quiet. For starters, it comes with great seats.
The seats in the sedan are generously wide and tall, with springs and urethane padding designed to reduce vibration. The driver's seat provides a one-with-the-car feel with good side support. It features a manual height adjustment or power adjustments on premium models. It jacks up plenty high for even the shortest drivers and offers good headroom for taller drivers. Front legroom is generous, also. A tilt-and-telescope steering wheel is standard even on the base DX.
The seats in the coupe seem a bit different and feel even better than those in the sedan. You sit lower in the coupe. The side bolsters are more aggressive providing a more secure fit at the torso. The cloth looked classier in black. The light-colored cloth looked like it would show dirt over time. The leather is nicer than the cloth.
The sedan's bench seat is roomy and comfortable, especially for two people with the center armrest flipped out. The back seat offers decent support, though it's fairly flat. Rear-seat legroom is slightly better than in the Nissan Altima, but the Toyota Camry offers an inch more.
The Accord's trunk is smaller than that of other mid-size sedans, but the flat trunk floor makes loading easy. The Accord's trunk measures 14 cubic feet, compared with the Camry's nearly 17 cubic feet and the Altima's 15.6. The coupe's trunk is slightly smaller, holding less than 13 cubic feet.
The excellent, clear analog instrumentation comprises large faces and LED illumination, another feature previously found only in higher-priced cars. A big speedometer in the center dominates the instrument panel. Automatic dual-zone climate control is avaiable on EX models. The switchgear, primarily three big dials located in the center of the dash, is simple, if not particularly attractive. Honda's interior fit and finish is good. The available bird's-eye wood grain plastic trim looked interesting, the faux carbon fiber trim looked nice, and the brushed aluminum trim wasn't bad either.
Interior space is used efficiently, with the audio, climate and optional navigation system controls integrated into a single unit. This frees up space for exceptional cabin storage, including a good-sized glovebox, a big center console, a bin under the audio system that will hold 12 CDs, and door pockets deep and wide enough for a purse.
Attention to detail shows in every corner: coinholders, cellphone cord hooks, grab handles over every door, console lights, power outlets, sunglasses holders, sliding armrests for different-sized arms, convenient and versatile access to the trunk from the rear seat, a remote entry that opens or closes all four windows (LX and up). Up to eight cupholders are provided; a couple of them are big enough to hold a liter-sized water bottle yet feature spring-loaded prongs that can grip a paper coffee cup. But if you could distill this attention down to one example, it would be the solid, pleasurable and unique sound of the turn-signal click.
All three sound systems feature stuff like two-band compression and five-point parametric equalization. LX V-6 models and above come with a six-disc in-dash CD changer, a 180-watt amplifier, and four twin-neodymium speakers with polypropylene cone woofers and soft dome tweeters. But here's the real-world test: We took the V6 coupe six-speed on a flat-out blast through the Malibu hills, engine revving to redline, windows wide open, CD celebrating Bob Marley, and even with all that exterior noise, max volume on the sound system wasn't necessary for the full effect.
The available XM Satellite Radio is a great feature to have when traveling, because the stations don't change as you drive across the country. You still get ads, but fewer and less obnoxious ads than what you hear on FM. XM Satellite Radio is nice to have around town, also, for listening to the 24-hour news and sports broadcasts, or for staying tuned into your favorite types of music (classical, jazz, '50s, '60s, '70s, '80s).
The navigation system is programmed with some 8 million destinations. It offers a voice-activation feature. Say, Find nearest Japanese food" to the dashboard, and it will guide you there. Even better, if you know the phone number of a business establishment you're trying to reach, it will take you there. Even better, you can press the buttons and avoid one-way conversations with your car. Packaged with the navigation system is Honda's new intelligent dual climate control, which factors date, time, latitude, longitude, and vehicle direction into its calculations, to keep both driver and passengers as cozy as possible."
• For more information such as specs, prices, and photos of the 2004 Honda Accord, click here: 2004 Honda Accord.
