TOVA Performance Check of the 2.4l Accord

When I had the 2.4l Accord for my first review, I was most impressed by its relatively good performance - for it's size and use as a luxury family sedan, it is very fast indeed. Thus when I started performance tests for TOVA, the 2.4l Accord was one of the 3 cars I asked Honda Malaysia for 're-loan' specifically for performance tests. My idea was to use the 3 cars; City, 1.7l Civic, and 2.4l Accord to establish a set of 'reference' for performance of Honda Malaysia's line-up in the market segment of 'entry level', mid-sized (normal) executive, and large executive models for Malaysia and which is additionally applicable to most of Asia and many parts of the world as well.

The 2.4l Accord is probably the most balanced sedan in Honda Malaysia's line-up in terms of an overall package. It is large, has a very comfy ride, a well equipped fully leathered interior, and the wonderfully well balanced K24A DOHC iVTEC engine. In terms of absolute performance, it used to come in below only the 3.0l V6 Accord though with the introduction of the VTEC Jazz and 2.0l Civic, it probably no longer holds the 'No. 2 fastest' position in Honda Malaysia's line-up. Nevertheless, in absolute terms it is really quite fast, certainly enough to handle and keep up with many cars on the road.

The best illustration of the 2.4l Accord's performance was when I had the car during my 2nd loan 'term', i.e. for timed performance tests. I was late and with morning traffic being quite sparse, was very heavy on the throttle, hoping to cut as much time as was safely possible out of the journey. I pulled up against another speeding car, an E26 BMW. This 'beemer' had a 320i badge and a loud exhaust with large twin tail-pipes. I'd always had respect for this car because many years ago at night, I saw one race with an EF7 CRX Si and it was giving the CRX a lot of hassle. Try as he might, the driver of the EF7 just couldn't pull away from the beemer and as they both dissapear into the distance, I could see two pairs of taillights moving at tremendously speed, the beemer right on the EF7's tail all the time.

So I was late and since the beemer also seemed to be in a rush and was high-beaming everyone to get out of the way, I took advantage and played 'follow-the-leader'. So there we were, everytime the car in front blocking us cleared the way, a huge puff of black smoke would explode out of the twin tail-pipes and the beemer would start to accelerate forward. But with foot hard on the throttle, the 2.4l Accord not only kept up, it started to close the gap ! This happened many times; the beemer would pull ahead initially, being earlier on the throttle but the Accord would close back the gap everytime. From my vantage point, I could see the driver start glancing into the rearview mirror often and I thought I could sense a feeling of frustration as try as he might, he just couldn't throw me off. Eventually I came to my exit from the highway, a very tight uphill left-hander. While the Accord's suspension was firm, it still rolled sufficiently at high cornering speed to discourage high speed entry into such corners so I braked early. By coincidence, the beemer took the same exit. So what happened next was I think proof of the pressure I was putting on the beemer with the Accord. The guy threw all cautions to the wind in an effort to pull away and as a result his front left suspension bottomed out, the front left mudguard whacked the road hard and flew off the car. The beemer didn't stop though, either not aware or didn't care, and continued to speed ahead, seemingly relieved that I was finally falling behind.

I think this little annecdote should be enough testimony to the overall performance of the 2.4l Accord from the subjective point of view. It has plenty of grunt, more than enough straight line speed to handle most cars. However, because of the sheer bulk of the large body, its absolute high speed handling capability is compromised. In many ways, the 2.4l Accord can be classified as a sports sedan - a large one at that, with plenty of straight line ability to support this role but a bit baggaged by the large chassis size and weight.

Objective Performance Tests

Performance Results & Technical Specifications : Accord 2.4 i-VTEC
Performance Test Results
BestAverageWorse
0-60 mph8.5s8.7s8.9s
0-1/4 mile & Trap Speed16.5s at 88mph 16.7s at 87mph16.9s at 86mph
60-0 mph138ft143ft151ft
Technical Specifications
Engine
Displacement2354cc
Bore X Stroke87.0mm X 99.0mm
Compression9.3 : 1
Max power118kW (160ps) at 5500rpm
Max torque218Nm (22.2kgm) at 4500rpm
Gearbox
5 Speed Fully Automatic with GLC
Gear Ratios are not published by Honda Malaysia
Steering
Rack & pinion with hydraulic power assist
Ratio15.21 : 1
turn (lock to lock)2.98
turning circle (body)5.9 m
Brake System
FrontVentilated Disc
RearSolid Disc
CircuitDiagonal Dual Circuit
Suspension
FrontIndependent double wishbone with stabilizer bar
RearIndependent 5-link double wishbone with stabilizer bar
Tyres205/60R16
Alloy Size16 X 6.5 JJ
Dimensions
Length4830 mm
Width1820 mm
Height1455 mm
wheelbase2740 mm
Threads FR/RR1555 / 1555 mm
Ground clearance148 mm
Kerb Weight1455 kg
fuel tank65 l

Because of its very good subjective showing, I suspected the 2.4l Accord was going to pull some nice surprises on me when it comes time to do its performance checks, which are all about straight line performance anyway. And this it certainly did !

For the standing start checks, the characteristic of the K24A engine - emphasis on low and mid-range power was nicely suited. The balance of torque to the car's weight was just nice that I was able to consistently just slightly chirp the front tyres on launching and this gave just about the best possible launch. All I needed to do was to shift the gearbox into D3, hold the brake pedal with my left foot and smoothly squeeze the throttle and let go of the brake almost immediately. The Accord will actually squat slightly on its rear and will then launch smoothly with a slight chirp of the front tyres. Once underway, the Accord picks up speed very nicely, only losing steam after 5000rpm. Evertime the gearbox shifts up a gear, engine revs drops right back into optimuam power territory. So in the acceleration runs, the 2.4l Accord pulls very nicely throughout without any feeling of a flat-spot in the power band though with acceleration tapering off quite clearly after 5000rpm.

The 2.4 Accord delivered times of ~8.5s to 8.9s for the 0-60mph/96kph standing start run. While the average of all 10 runs is 8.7s (the average for all three tests are listed in the specifications table below), I think the results chart clearly shows that the car more consistently pulls lower than that. The 3 runs near 8.9s can be seen to be 'off' runs, and for a more accurate assessment, I think we can safely put the 2.4l Accord's 0-60mph time to be just above 8.6seconds. Again, this time is pretty astonishing for a car of the Accord's bulk !

First gear pulls the Accord very nicely all across the rpm range. 60mph or 96kph comes up way before redline in 2nd gear. So for the 0-60mph/96kph, the Accord spends most of its time in the low and mid-rpms where the K24A is very strong. Acceleration is accompanied by a nice 'VTEC Roar'.

For the 1/4mile or 395m standing start run, the 2.4 Accord delivered consistent times from ~16.5s to 16.9s. In contrast to the 0-60mph runs, this time the 2 runs at the lower end of the time range can be seen to be 'fluke shots' and I think we should 'tag' the 2.4l Accord's 0-1/4 mile run to be just below 16.8seconds. Again compare this to the average of 16.7s. Terminal speed for the quarter-mile runs ranges from 85.2mph to 88.5mph. Again this performance is quite astonishing for a large japanese 'luxury sedan'. The run requires 2 gearshifts, finishing quite a bit before redline in 3rd gear.

For braking performance, from 60mph/96kph to stationary, the 2.4l Accord gave quite erratic results. The 60-0mph braking distance varied from way below 140feet to more than 150feet ! Again the high figures are a result of over-pushing the brake pedal, with the ABS cutting in. The range is around 15feet - this is roughly the length of the car. So the 2.4l Accord can take as much as a whole car length or more to stop from 60mph during panic stops ! But when we are able to keep our cool and control our right foot to modulate the brake pedal to prevent ABS from cutting in, the 2.4l Accord will actually stop from 60mph in only 138feet. This is a very good result - just over 9 car lengths to go from 60mph to a complete stationary stop !

In terms of brake-feel, the Accord has tremendous initial bite. In a way, it felt as if the brakes are over-boosted. Even light pressure on the brake pedal will cause the Accord to nose-dive as speed drops like a rock. It was very difficult to brake smoothly and at low speeds, driving in congested traffic can be a jerky affair. Eventually we all get used to the brakes of course but it was only towards the last couple of days of the loan that I could brake smoothly, without any violent jerks. The brake padal was reasonably firm. There is still some 'give' to hard pressure with the pedal sinking a bit more than normal but it did not interfere with the braking progression, mostly because the brakes bites tremendously to light pressure so there's not much more progressive braking that can be done. Braking hard at high speeds was very stable as would be expected with such effective brakes and the Accord's large body and heavy weight.

As stated above, both the 0-60mph/96kph and 0-1/4mile/396m standing start performance of the 2.4l Accord are quite a bit above the norm expected from a 'luxury sedan'. I personally feel the 2.4l Accord drove like it has rather more than the 160ps max power specification it has on paper. Certainly given the heavy 1455kg kerb weight stated by Honda, I was not expecting such results from it. I think Honda Malaysia is justified in their high regards for this car, and that if they are to make any protests against the labelling of this car as an 'old man' car, they are certainly justified in the performance department !

This 2.4l Accord objective performance check completes my initial 'project'. I have now established a sort of 'benchmark reference' for the performance abilites of the Honda City, 1.7l Civic, and 2.4l Accord. I think these 3 cars quite nicely represents Honda's main bread and butter models in most parts of the world (the City would apply to Asia only of course). With this project completed, I will now begin to look at more specialized models as well as some nice enthusiasts cars as well, this time, all of them complete with objective performance testing. Check back often because I have some very nice reviews coming up !

Wong KN
July 2004
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