2009 Honda Accord Ringgold GA

November 20, 2009   By Alison Lakin, Associate Editor



2009 Honda Accord Sdn

DriverSide Overview
After a major redesign for the 2008 model year, Honda hasn’t laid a finger on the 2009 Accord. Don’t be fooled by the moderately altered horsepower and torque figures for the V-6, they’ve only changed because Honda originally underestimated the power output of the Accord. That’s pretty surprising since impressive numbers seem to be what this popular car’s all about. Over the course of 2008, the Honda Accord racked up a number four spot in America’s best selling cars list, just below its direct competitor, the Toyota Camry . Honda has opted not to mess with success, and rightly so. The four-door sedan comes with two engines choices, a four-cylinder which is tuned to two different power outputs and an impressive V-6. Both are incredibly capable, and drive quality has continued to near closer to perfection with each generation. While we’re not crazy about the overwhelming instrument panel, the overall feel of the cabin is crisp and inviting. And with a few checks of an option box, it can be downright luxurious. The Accord is also practically customizable, with a multitude of trim levels on offer. Seems like the 372,789 of last year’s buyers were really onto something. 








What's to Like
Its base four-cylinder engine delivers more grunt than most in its class and the small upgrade to the retuned version of the engine makes a big, and welcome, difference in power. A trunk this large can fit a house’s worth of Ikea flat packs. If two people over six-foot-four can sit directly behind each with legroom to spare, most everyone else should find the interior to be cavernous, to say the least.

What's Not to Like
Compared to the Camry’s, the center stack is overly fussy with a confusing array of too many buttons and knobs. Passengers unfamiliar with the car had trouble with the unintuitive manual door unlock, which looks as though you should pull it to unlock, but it actually requires pushing.

The Drive:
DriverSide Driving Impressions
This four-door is the ultimate dependable ride – it does carry the Honda name after all – with a surprising amount of get-up-and-go for a 3200-plus pound vehicle. Yes, the V-6 is more exciting to drive than the four-cylinder, but the smaller engine is zippy as well. Even with the base model’s 177 horsepower, it has ample power to carry this car along the road. And the additional 13 hp in the premium trims makes you wonder if the V-6 is necessary. Road noise is a problem on all trims, though it isn’t bad enough to be a huge deterrent. The suspension softens even the worst of potholes, and the Accord’s handling has been sharpened since the last generation to make the unwieldy-looking car quite nimble around corners. Wind noise is virtually nonexistent as well, further ensuring a most comfortable ri...

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