Honda Announces Pricing for All-New 2008 Accord

[siegen]

Honda Announces Pricing for All-New 2008 Accord
Style, performance and a focus on safety span entire lineup
Press Release

09/10/2007 - TORRANCE, Calif. -

The all-new, completely redesigned 2008 Honda Accord is set to debut at dealerships nationwide on September 12 (sedan) and September 20 (coupe), with Manufacturer Suggested Retail Prices1 (MSRP) ranging from $20,360 for the well-equipped Accord LX Sedan to $30,510 for the sporty and luxurious Accord EX-L V-6 Coupe equipped with the Honda Satellite-Linked Navigation2 System™, American Honda Motor Co., Inc., announced today.

"The 2008 Honda Accord adds popular features and enhancements while maintaining competitive, value-oriented pricing on every model," said Dick Colliver, executive vice president of American Honda Motor Co., Inc. "A new, innovative design with improved packaging and even more refined performance adds to the Accord's strong foundation of historically high residual values, renowned manufacturing quality and legendary reliability."

Compared to the outgoing 2007 Accord, the 2008 Accord pricing reflects a sales-weighted increase of approximately $600 (2.5 percent) across the entire lineup while adding approximately $1,400 in relative value through new standard features and enhanced equipment. All 4-cylinder models add Vehicle Stability Assist™ (VSA®), 11 horsepower (24 horsepower on Accord EX and EX-L Sedans and all Accord Coupes), rear disc brakes (LX), larger wheels and tires and audio system enhancements. The audio system enhancements include an MP3/auxiliary input jack, steering wheel audio controls (LX), MP3/Windows Media® Audio3 (WMA) playback capability and Radio Data System (RDS).

New standard features and enhancements on V-6 models include Variable Cylinder Management™ (VCM®) on automatic transmission models, a 24-horsepower increase, audio system enhancements, fog lights and more.

The Accord is available in sedan and coupe body styles with 2.4-liter 4-cylinder and 3.5-liter V-6 engine choices. Available transmissions include a 5-speed manual (standard with all 4-cylinder engines), a 5-speed automatic (standard on V-6 sedan models, available on all 4-cylinder engines and V-6-powered Accord Coupes), and a 6-speed manual transmission (available exclusively on the Accord EX-L V-6 Coupe).

The available 3.5-liter i-VTEC V-6 engine produces 268 horsepower - the most ever for any Accord - while introducing a new generation of fuel-saving VCM technology and achieving a Partial Zero-Emissions Vehicle (PZEV4) rating. The VCM system, standard on all automatic transmission-equipped V-6 models, operates in 6-cylinder mode for power and 4- and 3-cylinder modes for efficiency, resulting in an EPA city/highway fuel economy rating of 19/295 miles per gallon (Accord V-6 Sedan).

New for Accord, the Advanced Compatibility Engineering™ (ACE™) body structure enhances frontal collision compatibility with vehicles of different sizes and bumper heights. Additional safety equipment standard to all Accord models includes VSA, also known as Electronic Stability Control; side-curtain airbags; dual-chamber front side airbags with passenger-side Occupant Position Detection System (OPDS), active front seat head restraints, anti-lock brakes with electronic brake distribution, brake assist and more.

Sedan trim levels range from the well-equipped Accord LX Sedan and plus-featured LX-P (177-horsepower 4-cylinder engine), to the nicely-equipped Accord EX Sedan (190-horsepower 4-cylinder engine or 268-horsepower V-6 engine), to the premium and upscale Accord EX-L Sedan (190-horsepower 4-cylinder engine or 268-horsepower V-6 engine).

Coupe trim levels range from the well-equipped Accord LX-S Coupe (190 horsepower 4-cylinder engine), to the nicely-equipped Accord EX Coupe (190-horsepower 4-cylinder engine) to the premium and upscale Accord EX-L Coupe (190-horsepower 4-cylinder engine or 268-horsepower V-6 engine).

Dimensionally, the Accord Sedan's overall length of 194.1 inches (4-cylinder models, V-6 models add 0.2 inches for front spoiler lip) is 3.0 inches longer than the 2007 model. The width of 72.7 inches is 1.1 inches wider, and the height of 58.1 inches is 0.9 inches taller.

Premium quality with a simple, modern and spacious design describes the philosophy behind the Accord's interior. The larger Accord LX Sedan total interior volume of 120.0 cubic feet (+3.3 cubic feet compared to 2007) moves the EPA classification from the midsize sedan class to the large sedan class. The additional space is intended to provide "equal" seating comfort for front and rear passengers. Rear legroom of 37.2 inches (+0.4 inches) approaches the impressive second row legroom of the Honda Pilot SUV (37.4 inches). The wider interior (+1.5 inches) allows the front seats to be positioned farther apart to allow for a wide center console more commonly associated with the finest luxury vehicles.

Three impressive audio systems are available - all with MP3/WMA playback capability and an auxiliary input jack. The standard system features 160 watts, a single-disc CD player and six speakers. The RDS displays information broadcast by participating radio stations that often includes call letters, station type and programming information.

The Accord EX Sedan and all Accord Coupes add a 6-disc in-dash changer. The premium audio system, which comes standard on Accord EX Coupe and EX-L Sedan models, has a six-disc CD changer, 270 watts of total amplification and seven speakers, including an 8-inch subwoofer. XM® Satellite Radio6 is standard equipment on all Accord EX-L models.

The latest-generation of the Honda Satellite-Linked Navigation System with voice recognition (available on EX-L) uses an 8-inch screen and an interface dial for user input. Features include the Zagat7 Survey® guide for restaurants, nightlife, hotels and attractions. Navigation-equipped models also include Bluetooth® HandsFreeLink®8.

A performance-inspired, double-wishbone front suspension and a multi-link rear suspension are designed to provide world-class chassis dynamics. The Accord Sedan wheelbase of 110.2 inches is 2.3 inches longer than the 2007 model, while the 62.2-inch front/rear track is 1.1 and 1.0 inches wider, respectively.

The Accord Coupe wheelbase of 107.9 inches is 2.8 inches longer than the 2007 model (track is identical to sedan). Ultimately, the suspension design with wider tire sizes, standard ABS and standard VSA is intended to enhance driver confidence and handling performance.

The 2008 Accord Sedan also comes standard with 16-inch steel wheels with wheel covers, or 16- or 17-inch alloy wheels, depending on model. (The Accord Coupe has 17-inch alloy wheels standard, with 18-inch alloys available on the V-6 Coupe). The 17-inch wheels are the first for a four-cylinder Accord and the Coupe's available 18-inch wheels are the largest ever for a Honda car.

The Honda Accord was first Japanese-nameplate car assembled in the United States and calendar year 2007 represents the 25th anniversary of its manufacture here. The first Japanese-built Accord was introduced as a 1976 model, and by 1982 it was being manufactured both in Japan and in a brand-new automobile assembly plant in Marysville, Ohio. The success of the Accord set a path for Honda, and conclusively proved that assembling cars in America was a viable proposition. Seven more Accord generations followed, leading to the eighth-generation 2008 Accord.



1MSRP excluding tax, license, registration, $635.00 destination charge and options. Dealer prices may vary.

[siegen]

With destination charge, the base price for the 5sp manual equipped Sedan is $20,995, and $21,795 for the 5sp auto sedan.

[Robert Hall]

No V6/manual sedan?? Blech.

[regfootball]

I JUST was over at the honda dealer over lunch looking at the new 08 accord.....

genuinely not impressed and plenty of mixed emotions about it.

first off, it does appear much larger, but more importantly, more spacious and human sized, so big plus there. the back seat is not as cavernous as my ford, but for a midsizer its nice.

secondly, this car gives NOTHING in the aura of itself that it has any BMW flair, like you might think in pictures. It actually comes off as more of a Korean knockoff version of a Jaguar Xtype, puffed up and straked on the side with the falling character line. the shape fo the car is odd from most angles, and the front is particularly hideous. The car looks low and blobbish, and not in a good way. The rear view is actually the best, which is surprising because the rear in photos is bad.

the interior is in no way mistaken for a BMW. It looks like a new century impersonation of a cross because the civic and an early 90-'s accord. The assembly quality is first rate, but the center stack is offputting. the gauges look nice, but the console and shifter are cheap and the seats look basic as well. Plastic quality is not sublime, i.e. not worth using as a reason to defend the car, but at the same time its a little better than many others in the segment. Prob better than the toyota, but not the altima.

price for an LX with cloth was like 22 grand. Will sell in bunches at that price prob, but now I can see why C/D was picking fun at the accord demographics getting ancient.

This car is very confusing. At best, to describe the on the lot impression would be to say 'premium korean midsizer'......

You get size and fuel economy and space and assembly quality at this price. It will prob drive quite well, in spite of whether it feels asian flimsy or bank vault german. But the interior is dull, not aspirational in any way (despite assembly quality), and overall does not score any style points.

fire away. the midsize segment just does not have great cars. I think the aura may be more enagaging and the malibu likely may compare alright to this when all is said and done, except for room and space.

oh, and no remote start, no sync, no manual shift mode, no 6 speed, autolamp........

Edited September 10, 2007 by regfootball

[siegen]

I JUST was over at the honda dealer over lunch looking at the new 08 accord.....

It doesn't count if you stand on the sidewalk and use binoculars. Ha, just kidding.

Just talked to my dealer and they don't have any '08 Accords in yet. Should be any day now though, maybe tonight.

[haypops]

oh, and no remote start, no sync, no manual shift mode, no 6 speed, autolamp........

And no Value package sub LX model either?

[siegen]

A Value Package or SE model may come eventually, as well as the 6 speed manual for the sedan, if there is demand.

When the 2003 Accord first came out, there was only the DX, LX, and EX trim levels. By the end of the model cycle they had Value Package, LX, Special Edition, EX, and EX-L. As far as a trim coming out priced under the LX, I'm not sure if they would do that, probably not.

[Flybrian]

The Value Edition was not only junk, but phantom junk - a barely-existent dealer come-on scam to get folks in there with the promise of a cheap monthly payment. I'm glad its gone.

[pow]

The '08 Accord LX 5A is $840 more than a comparably-equipped '08 Malibu 1LT. It's going to be a close one.

[pow]

Just called the local dealers. They arrived today. I'm going to check them out this evening. A '08 CTS with leatherette is also in stock, so I'm going to check that out too.

[regfootball]

i REALLY did not like the center stack and console.

very unorganized, mass of buttons, yuck.

this coming from the owner of an OVAL POD dash on my old SHO taurus. that was actually quite easy to use.

edit- after thinking about it some more, what i like about the accord is the right size interior and airy cabin, even if the design is not that lavish. too bad the stick isn't available with the v6, but a four cylinder with stick or diesel with stick could really be a nice space wagon.

i think i will add it to the test drive list. it would be the type of vehicle you buy or lease in spite of the fact it's not attractive inside or out.

its better than camry, way. camry interior is garbage in comparo.

i'm afraid GM's epsilons will lose out in comparison on the width issue. the epsilons are perceived as way smaller i'mn afraid.

Edited September 11, 2007 by regfootball

[siegen]

I called my local dealer, they just got 3 in, so the guy let me go in the back warehouse to look at them. Only saw two among all the recent arrivals, a V6 and a 190hp I4, both in Silver, top models with leather and nav.

They look better in person. The only gripe I have is I think the head lights are a bit too large. They make the rest of the car look small and disproportionate. Not a lot, but I think they could have made the head lights a half inch shorter both in height and length, and it would have flowed better. The rear view looks great, as does the rest of the angles.

A bit too much hard plastics on the inside, but I am comparing it to my Acura. The hard plastic isn't as hard as a lot of the cheaper plastics I've felt in Hyundai's and rentals, it's more of in the middle, between hard and soft plastic. It might be the pattern they use.

Overall it's a huge improvement over the current. The inside feels great. Didn't get to mess with the controls much, they were mostly covered in plastic still.

I may test drive one later this week when they officially go on sale. But then I'm not really interested, unless they get a nice 6MT V6 Coupe!

[regfootball]

i thought light gray interior was the best, compared to tan and black

[fuel_sipping]

First off, sorry for any mistakes or typos, it is late here.

I have driven three '08 Accords now, and washed two hah. Two of them were 4cyl, (LX and EX-L) and the other was an EX-L navi 4cyl. It may be apparent now, I work at my local Honda dealership, but im in no way a Honda fanboy, at all.

My first impression upon seeing the new Accord was wow, it does look bigger, inside and out. But by bigger, I mean both plump and spacious. Once I got my hands on the EX-L (needed cleanup for the showroom), I began to look through it and and see how different it really was. On the inside, the panels all seem very similar to the previous gen. Material qualities seem decent in some areas and excellent in others (the wood grain i might add looks very nice). One place I felt the plastic was too dull and cheap (imo) is the center console (shifter/cup holder area). It is a matte black material, as present in all the previous gen LXs in place of higher grade surfaces. I was surprised it carried out to the EX-L in the same place. That is just nitpicking though, as most of the other plasitcs and such fit well and look/feel soft.

As for the changes in dimensions, there are a few places I can see that the length got "wasted". For instance, the engine compartment is much more pushed forward, and on the 4cyl models you can see a great deal of space behind the engine. iirc, the '07s had a more push back engine (closer to the windshield cowling). As for interior space, it seems as though things were moved around to make more space. The dash is sloped toward the front of the car more on either side (which makes the radio in the middle appear to protrude toward the back), and the door panels are much more narrower. All the Accord features are there and then some, just juggled around and presented differently. That is one reason why I feel many people will see that while it may look "like a Bimmer", it is unmistakably, just the next evolution of an Accord. The navi is no longer touch screen, for those who care lol.

The same goes for the outside, but in a different manor. It does look like a Bimmer sometimes, but park a silver one and just stand back. Walk around it if you'd like, but stand back. What you will see in front of you is unmistakable an Accord. It does look nice though, at least it's different.

The headlights. Siegen mentioned them... They give the car some plumpness. That's all I'll say about those. I will say the front is much more boxy, but it appears and very well may be more aerodynamic. I attribute it to the new grill stand in a rather upright position. Following the lines over and around the front, the nose looks almost like a bullet when at a certain angle.... It is so hard to explain, mainly because I'm not sure what to think of it now. Overall I like the design, mainly because it is fresh and rather new. You'd have to see it in person to know.

As for the back end, well... I like it more then I though I would. To some it might come of as bland and droopy, but it is surprisingly fresh and sculpted well (not as well as the CTS though imo).

The ride was substantial. Never really got on it or shot through any turns, but it feels very smooth and firm. If you have ever driven a previous gen Accord, it's much the same I suppose. Soft, yet firm and rigid. Power is about the same, but transfer felt much smoother. I'm not quite sure what else to say other then I can't wait for the V6s to arrive.

All in all, I found the new Accord to be a honest surprise, but also a faint familiarity. The tooling is all Honda's here and now stuff, and the design holds some soon to be cues. It is a great car and an apparent improvement from the last generation IMO.

lol What's up with all the hype about this car? It's just the new and improved Accord. Take it as you will. :AH-HA_wink:

Edited September 11, 2007 by fuel_sipping

[bowtie_dude]

Well now the Malibu's price is just right. Thank you, Honda, for thinking so much of yourself.

[Dsuupr]

With the bigger size and the not so great execution (even C&D who usually LOVES hondas pokes fun at it), will the new accord be the second generation of not so great accords? If you remember, the last one wasn't loved so much either on the looks department. Add to that the transmission issues . . .

Will the public finally figure out honda builds crap?

[Lamar]

I went to the dealer earlier today just to look at the new Accord as well.

I did notice the disproportionate amount of space in the engine compartment as well. I didn't get to see a V6 to compare the space though.

The best thing about the car is the interior space, but everything else screams of blandness. Japan finally has its Crown Victoria...

[Cory Wolfe]

Will the public finally figure out honda builds crap?

Probably not, because Honda doesn't build crap. No automaker does nowadays, for that matter.

[siegen]

I went to the dealer earlier today just to look at the new Accord as well.

I did notice the disproportionate amount of space in the engine compartment as well. I didn't get to see a V6 to compare the space though.

The best thing about the car is the interior space, but everything else screams of blandness. Japan finally has its Crown Victoria...

The new Accord is FAR from Crown Vic bland. It doesn't stand out like the Charger/300, but that isn't the point. If a buyer wants a car with style and character, they can buy the Coupe.

[Drew Dowdell]

Does Honda always take press photos with the hood latch popped?

OMG Teh PANEL GAPS!@!

[pow]

Overall I think it's way better than the Camry and Malibu, but without having driven it, I can't say it's particularly innovative or amazing. Maybe it goes down the road really well -- and Hondas usually do -- but standing still, it's not all that groundbreaking. As fuel_sipping said, it's just the new and improved Accord. It's very ordinary in some ways.

Personally I liked the styling. It's a bit awkward in some angles, but sometimes that's what it takes to stand out and be more interesting. It definitely looks more expensive, since it reminds me of the RL, and the thick crease running along the side is classy. The wheels, chrome window outline, side sculpting, and side profile of the rear remind me of an '04 545i.

The interior was a pleasing place to spend time in. The seats were very good, the leather was high-quality (all in stock were 4-cylinder EXs, with or without leather), the plastics were pleasing to the eye, and the whole thing felt very roomy (even in width). The steering wheel had a very nice feel, the seating position was good, and the back seats were comfy. There was lots of storage (deep door pockets, front and rear), the gauges were nice, the center armrest had nice stitching, the power seat motors were quiet (electric lumbar), the turn signal stalks had a solid feel, as did the door handles, and I didn't find the secondary controls too hard to use. The major touchpoints were well-designed and high-quality.

Its build quality, however, was nothing special. Some of the exterior window weatherstripping fit poorly, and the console plastic near the front footwells was loose. The dash shook if you slammed the glovebox door (which itself was a nice solid thunk), the thin sheetmetal vibrated visibly when you slammed the doors shut, and the HVAC/radio buttons (and there are a lot of them) seemed a bit hollow, stiff, and underdamped. The A/C vents were a bit stiff and brittle to adjust. The current Passat's build quality (solid sheetmetal, properly heavy doors) is still best, IMO.

The new Accord is well-priced, and I still think it's best in class. It's good on paper, and it's very pleasant in person. I don't think the physical quality is that much better than the Camry or Malibu, but a lot of its components are presented in a more expensive and pleasing manner. More importantly, it has the basics covered, such as a strong value package and a comfortable interior.

[regfootball]

to me, if i ever buy this car it's really only for fuel economy vs. space tradeoff. a gas sipper 4 cylinder with stick and huge cabin for cheap price. where else do you get that? the design of the cabin is very sparse and cheap, even if materials and execution are better than others.

the dash reminded me of a windswept version of some of the sparse early 90's accord dashes...and c'mon, the cheap matte black plastic on the center console is a big time relic from like 10-15 years ago.

if they ever give like 249 leases on this thing and i can get 30mpg in city driving, then maybe it makes sense. when the diesel version of this car hits, i think that will be its truly appealing config. a stick diesel of this thing should crack 40 mpg on a consistent basis. now that's a useful car. screw you prius

edit- it looks like autolamp is available on the top end model.

why can i not get an LX v6?

i am building one right now. there is not crap for colors to choose from.

cargo net SIXTY EIGHT DOLLARS?

My 2008 Accord Sedan

EX Manual Transmission

Base MSRP*: $23,060

Destination & Handling: $635

MSRP including selected accessories: $24,528

Selected Accessories (installation costs not included):

Splash Guards $99

Fog Lights $249

Fog Light Switch $25

Cargo Hook $9

Cargo Net $68

Trunk Tray $135

All-Season Floor Mats $139

Interior Illumination $109

Edited September 13, 2007 by regfootball