Honda Motor Co. Africa and Middle East Office announced the official launch of the ‘2017 New Accord’ at Four Seasons Resort Jumeirah Beach, Dubai. The New Accord gets a major facelift with sportier, more sophisticated styling. New Accord features restyled alloy wheels on the 4 cylinders and Honda SensingTM Technology on V6 grades. An additional grade namely DX boasts of safety features such as Vehicle Stability Assist and Curtain airbags as standard features not found in any of its competitors. This grade has been introduced to ensure affordability, as well as compete in the corporate fleet ‘user chooser’ market.
Exterior Styling:
The 2017 Accord face is more sharply creased and an intricately structured bumper fascia integrates an all new chrome grill design that features a prominent bright bar as a solid setting for the H-badge. LED Daytime Running Lights (DRL), integrated LED Light Bar Tail Lights are standard in all grades, and V6 grades have redesigned LED headlights providing better light distribution for improved visibility and enhanced night time driving. LED Front Fog Lights in 2.4EX and upwards, project a wide low beam for enhanced forward visibility in dust storms or during heavy fog. 17-inch alloy wheels are equipped in LX grades and above and 18inch alloy wheels in 3.5EX Sport grade. Other features standard in all grades include side turn signal on door mirror, body colored power door mirror, Sunroof standard in all grades except DX grade, and twin finisher tail pipe in 2.4EX upwards.
Interior Styling:
Accord’s stylish appointed cabin and richly upholstered seats offer effortless comfort for five adults and an 8-way adjustable driver’s seat, in 2.4 EX grade and upwards, comes with personalized settings for 2 drivers. All grades come equipped with rear ducts for ventilation, manual A/C in DX grade, Dual A/C in 2.4LX and EX grades and i-Dual A/C in 2.4EXL, 3.5EX and 3.5EX Sport grades.
The cockpit is equipped with advanced instrumentation and controls positioned for driver’s convenience. The steering wheel is equipped with integrated switches for hands free calling, audio system track and volume control. Paddle shifters feature in 3.5EX Sport Grade which allow driver to instantly downshift or upshift according to the terrain.
Convenience features in 2.4EX grade onwards include Remote Engine Starter which starts engine from a distance, ensuring favorable automatic climate control regulating cabin temperature ensuring maximum comfort before you get in, the Smart Entry, Push Button Start also adds to comfort and sporty feel, Auto Day and Night Rear View Mirror, Cruise Control and Electronic Power Steering are in addition. The Honda LANEWATCHTM feature new in 2.4EX and 2.4EXL grades in addition to the 3.5V6 grades, uses a camera located below passenger side view mirror to display an expanded rear view of the passenger side road way on the high resolution intelligent Multi-information Display (i-Mid). The Wide Rearview Camera also gives a look of three different viewing angles which can also be seen on same screen.
LX and above grades are equipped with premium quality audio system with 7-inch Touchscreen Display Audio for easy music control. The 2.4EXL and the 3.5V6 grades have set up navigation routes with the inbuilt navigation software.
Power Train:
New Accord offers choice of 16-valve DOHC i-VTEC 2.4-Liter engine or a 24-valve SOHC i-VTEC 3.5-Liter V6 engine. The 2.4-liter engine in DX and LX grades generates 185-horsepower @ 6400rpm, EX and EXL grades generate a 189-horsepower @ 6400rpm and the V6 model 3.5-liter engine delivers a 278-horsepower@ 6200 rpm. The fuel consumption of the New Accord is 16.5 (Km/l) for the 2.4L grades which is the best in its class. The 3.5L V6 grades has a fuel consumption of 13 (Km/l).
Body and Safety
The 3.5 V6 grades is equipped with ‘Honda Sensing™’. This new suite of driver-assistive technologies helps driver sense things which might be missed while driving. The Honda Sensing™ features consist of the below:
• Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC): Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) extends existing cruise control system to include millimeter-wave radar and camera monitors distance between your vehicle and vehicle ahead. It helps driver maintain a constant following distance eliminating manual acceleration/deceleration.
• Lane Keeping Assist System (LKAS): Engineered to gently correct steering when driver begins to leave detected lane without signaling, applying torque progressively to steering to help guide driver back to center of lane. It helps in reducing driver fatigue.
• Collision Mitigation Braking SystemTM (CMBSTM): Designed to help reduce likelihood of a potential collision by alerting driver. It can also take steps to help reduce severity of an impact by automatically applying brake pressure if system determines a collision to be unavoidable.
• Road Departure Mitigation (RDM) System: A system designed to alert driver with the help of signals and a rapidly vibrating steering wheel that the car is drifting too close to the side of the driveway without any turn signal activated. This system also uses torque and braking to keep car in the detected lane, when it detects the car continuously leaving the roadway.
The other Honda active-safety features such as Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA) with Traction Control Systems (TCS), Anti-Lock Brake Systems (ABS), Electronic Brake Distributor (EBD) and Hill Start Assist (HSA). In addition New Accord utilizes Honda’s Advanced Compatibility Engineering™ (ACE™) body structure technology to enhance occupant protection and crash compatibility. Rear Parking Sensors, a new feature in the Accord, are standard in all grades.
The New Accord received 2015 TOP SAFETY PICK+ rating from the Insurance for Highway Safety (IIHS) (when equipped with CMBSTM) in USA. It has also received highest available crash safety ratings and a 5 –Star Overall Vehicle Score from NHTSA.
