Honda Accord / Mid-size Sedan / Best Cars 2006 form money.cnn.com

Honda Accord / Best Cars 2006 / Mid-size Sedan

part 1

The Honda Accord is an automobile manufactured by Honda. The Accord was introduced in 1976 as a compact hatchback, with styling similar to an upsized contemporary Honda Civic. A four-door sedan was debuted in 1977.

Honda Accord / Best Cars 2006 / Concept

Original plans for the Accord were to make it a mid-size car, along the lines of the Ford Mustang. The Accord was originally planned to be a V6-powered car with a long hood and sporty pretensions. Honda chose the name Accord, reflecting "Honda's desire for accord and harmony between people, society and the automobile."[1] The initial design was changed to a fuel efficient, low emission vehicle since it was introduced during the fuel crises of the 1970s. In the United States and Japan, a version was produced using Honda's CVCC technology, meeting emission standards of the 1970s and 1980s without a catalytic converter.

Like the smaller Honda Civic, the Accord used front-wheel drive and a transverse (sometimes called "East/West") engine layout.

The Accord became the first Japanese car to be produced in the US in 1982, when production commenced in Marysville, Ohio at Marysville Auto Plant.

It is also produced in Guangzhou, China by [Guangzhou Honda] since 1999.

Honda Accord / Best Cars 2006 / First generation (1976-1981)

The first generation Honda Accord was launched in 1976 as a two-door hatchback with 68 horsepower, a 93.7-inch wheelbase, and a weight of about 2,000 pounds. It was larger than the tiny Civic at 162 inches long. The Accord sold well, due to its moderate size and great fuel economy. In 1978 an LX version of the coupe was added which came with air conditioning. In 1979 a four-door sedan was added to the lineup, and horsepower went to 72 horsepower. In 1980 the optional two-speed automatic of previous years became a three-speed automatic. In 1981 an SE model was added for the first time, with leather seats.

Honda Accord / Best Cars 2006 / Second generation (1982-1985)

In 1982, the Accord was redesigned, and it became the best-selling Japanese nameplate in the US, holding that position for 15 years. Modernizing both the interior and exterior, the second generation Accord was mechanically very similar to the original, using the same 75hp, 1751cc EK1 CVCC engine. Fuel econoas increased by nearly 15%. Vastly improved quality control, however, made this one of the most reliable cars on the US market, a position it still holds today.
In 1983, Honda used a four speed automatic transmission in automatic models, a major improvement over the three speed Hondamatic.

By 1984 Accords sold in the eastern US were being produced at the new Marysville, Ohio plant with quality considered equal to those produced in Japan. The body was restyled with a slightly downward beveled nose, and the slightly more powerful ES2 1829cc CVCC powerplant was used, bringing 86hp. The LX offered velour upholstery, cassette stereo, air conditioning, power brakes & steering, power windows, power locks, powered sunroof and roof pillar antenna, along with thick black belt moldings and integrated bumpers. Flush plastic mock-alloy wheels covers instead of caps on steel wheels that resembled the trend-setting Audi 5000. Supplies were tight, as in the Eastern states, the wait was months for a graphite gray sedan, a then-popular color. These models are still common on US roads today.

In 1985 the luxury SE-i was added, which had leather seating, bronze tinted glass, and 14" alloy wheels, now common in top level trim cars. A fuel injected, 110hp non-cvcc A2OA1 made its debut. This 12 valve, 1955cc engine was the first non-CVCC engine used in an Accord. The same basic engine was used by Honda until 1989.

Honda Accord / Best Cars 2006 / Third generation (1986-1989)

The third generation Accord was introduced in Japan and Europe in 1985 and the rest of the world in 1986. The Accord had a very striking shape, and looked more akin to a sports car than a conventional 3-box sedan. It bore a resemblance to the second and third generation Prelude. One notable feature was the flip-up headlights, extremely unusual for a sedan. A fixed headlight version appeared in 1987 for European and Japanese markets. The fixed headlight version also had a different tailight cluster.

The 3rd Generation's suspension was a double wishbone setup, which was derived from Honda's work in Formula one. While this setup was more expensive than competitors' Macpherson Strut systems, it provided better stability and sharper handling. All 86-89 Accords Have front and rear stabilizer bars. The Accord's brakes were either Large 4-wheel discs with twin-piston calipers (as in the JDM Si model), smaller 4-wheel discs with single piston calipers, or a Front Disc/Rear Drum system. ABS was also available as an option on the 4-wheel disc brake models, although this was never offered in North American versions of the car. Base model Accords rode on 13-inch steel wheels with hubcaps, with more expensive models having the option of 14-inch alloy wheels.
The most recent addition to Honda's museum of used cars, a 1989, third generation, Honda Accord SEI owned by U.S. resident Jason Wong has survived through numerous crashes caused by blatantly bad driving, and has over 400,000 miles on it.

The Accord's interior ranged from spartan to luxurious. In the Japanese home market, The Accord was available with a full power package, Leather upholstery, heated seats, heated mirrors, a digital instrument cluster, and even climate control. The Accord Aerodeck (a three-door hatchback Accord made for Japanese and European consumers) had Recaro seats. Export Accords were not available with most of these options, presumably (and in the USA in particular) because Honda was seen as a builder of economy cars.
The Accord was available in several body styles throughout the world, including;

4 door sedan,
2 door coupe,
3 door hatchback and
3 door "Aerodeck", which resembles a station wagon

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org