Honda Unveils the 2008 Accord

The Honda Accord and I have a lot in common. We both arrived in 1976 the same year the US celebrated its bicentennial. We arrived as compact, small darlings with cute smiles and innocent looks that made us different from everyone and everything else on the planet. We were different. And we were supposed to be better. Over the last thirty-one years both the Honda Accord and I have gone through revisions and renovations, changes and modifications for us to survive the turbulence that is business in the new global economy. And now as we fully embrace entering the second quarter of our existence we realize, bigger is better.

When Honda exported the Accord to US shores in '76, its competition was compact vehicles like the Ford Escort and the Pontiac Sunbird. Even Toyota with its Tercell and Camry editions were not quite comparable vehicles for the quick but comfortable driving Accord. Its accord set the stage for it becoming the highest-selling, loyalty-dependent vehicle in American driveways over the last twenty years. If you were to drive through any subdivision in the US whether it is in the South in Mississippi or in the North in Boston, you will find new and old Accords sitting side-by-side with owners as proud of their models with 100,000 miles as those newer versions with less than 25,000. Owner a Honda Accord became a status symbol. It was fast enough for the college student. At the same time it was sizable enough for the four member family.

With the latest redesign done in 2003 receiving poor ratings, Honda responded quickly reengineering the design of the car in record time for the 2008 model year. Part of Honda's problem was the fact that it had to face new restrictions in Europe where automakers have to make their cars pedestrian-friendly. In Europe, where walking is much more commonplace than here in the States, lawmakers established new vehicle provisions that forced automakers to raise the front of cars to create more space between the ground and the underneath carriage of cars. With that modification, automakers faced a daunting challenge of appeasing lawmakers and body styling enthusiasts at the same time.

Not an easy task, Honda failed with their 2003 edition. In the 2008 edition of the Accord, Honda has expanded the vehicle to rival that of vehicles larger than its former peers, the Toyota Camry and Ford Taurus. With Ford undergoing their own revisions after shelving the Taurus for two years before reintroducing it this year replacing its replacement the Ford 500, Honda is not alone in struggling with meeting the needs of people while appeasing safety guidelines. In the new model, the car is a solid 194 inches from bumper to bumper. This puts it closer in size to a Crown Victoria than a Camry. It is not a small car anymore. It is a big car. And with the median age of Accord owners hovering near 50 that bodes well for sales of the 2008 edition.

With a base price just over $20,000 and a fully-loaded model around $30,000 the new Honda Accord is positioned to restake its claim as the most popular vehicle on the road. This week I am test-driving a Honda Accord at Dobbs Bros. Honda on Covington Pike in Memphis. Will I like what I drive? It is hard not to. The Honda Accord has always been an enjoyable driving car with a quiet cabin and a feature-rich design. That has not changed since it arrived thirty-one years ago. With almost 500,000 Accords purchased every year it is undeniable that the Honda Accord has been and will continue to be a massive hit. And with its upgrades sells may rise to 550,000 as seniors and older adults find the new Accord a viable option as opposed to the most stoic, unresponsive Crown Victoria and Buick models on the road today.

Is bigger, better? Obviously with my stomach protruding more than it did when I was 18, I'd have to say so. Weight is in the eye of the beholder and people in their 50s will find the added mass and size of the Honda Accord appealing enough to visit their local Honda showrooms and test drive the Accord for the first time since they were trying to hold on to their 20s.

Which means the Accord is right on point.