ACCORD

The visual result is a completely transformed personality. The eighth-gen Accord has a massive street presence and looks ultra premium especially as you step out of the car while attending the most lavish parties that take place around the swishiest urban areas. It sports a longer wheelbase with an increase in width as well. This makes it larger than some of the cars that are twice its price!
The front looks aggressive with masculine styling highlighted by huge headlamps (sans Xenons though) and a raised bonnet. The same design elements are carried forth to the slightly flared wheel arches and a rear that looks elegant, however, the single exhaust protruding outwards looks unexciting. The raised lip on the boot is a la-BMW. Our test car was the top-of-the-line Accord Inspire which comes with a body kit as standard. It only accentuates the Accord's powerful and sleek looks.

The interiors of the Accord are lavish. Cosseted in cream leather seats, one can easily mistake it for a much expensive car. An increase in wheelbase pays dividends on the space front. The Accord can easily seat four adults in utter comfort and luxury. The interiors are well equipped with all kinds of electronic gizmos one usually expects from a car of this segment. The twin-pod instrumentation console looks fantastic at night with tiny white LEDs illuminating it and imparting a futuristic look. Though, they remain illuminated continually, they are only visible once it gets dark. The four-spoke steering feels great but the shocking omission of audio and other controls on the steering is a surprise. There will be a sizeable number of owners who would not want to be chauffeured around and the absence of the steering controls will really be a bother. We however loved the F1 style paddle shifters behind the steering wheel.

The climate control buttons are easy to use and the small screen around the buttons displays the usual audio and air-conditioner information. The rear seats are probably one of the best we have seen this side of the big expensive German brands. There is acres of leg space at the back and the central armrest has integrated audio controls to access the superb audio system. These features combined with dedicated rear air-conditioning vents hint at Honda's intention of targeting the new Accord primarily as a chauffer driven car. The seats have the correct amount of support, although the head rests felt a tad too firm for our liking.