2005 Honda Accord Comfort 2.0L i-Vtec from Iceland

Summary:

A BMW with a Honda badge and not much flash

Faults:

Well I have not had the car for too long, but there were two things I noticed while driving it 2000 km before I crashed it and it was repaired.

After having the car for 2 weeks, I noticed a bit of a panel sound that annoyed me, and somehow managed to fix it.

Then after 3 weeks, I noticed that when I put the blinker on and turn the blink ticking thing inside, the car makes an awful extra sound like some plastic is breaking.

Otherwise the car has been great on reliability (so far) and I expect it to continue to be like that because it is a Honda.

General Comments:

This is a mid range family car. Lets start with the room and comfort.

The seats are extremely comfortable on long runs and short, and the cabin is quite big; I can fit 5 people in there for 2 - 3 hours, but the shoulder room is only normal, so it could be better.

The interior is quite nice. Actually a lot of compartments to put all your nice little stuff.

The stereo is OK. It looks nice and the car has a standard 6 speaker system. It is good but not as good as in the VW Passat 2003 that my parents have.

The ride is tip top; it is not too soft, not too harsh, just perfect. It does not bunch around in the corners, but there is a problem: the standard wheels are just 15", which is just not good enough to keep you on the road in this size of car in the bends, and at speeds over 75mph. For an example, I have the 15" wheels with the 15" nailed snow tires, and to be honest it ruins the car a bit. I have been told that this car has really good handling, and I think so too, even with the winter tires, but I think it would just do so much better on 17" or 18" low profile wheels, which I plan on getting in the summer.

NOW the power... The car has a 2.0L 155-Bhp I-vtec engine, which is a really good piece from my experience. It is smooth and powerful; 0-60 takes about 8.5-9.5 seconds, which is good for this size of car, but like I said before, I feel the car would be faster on better tires. I really do, but it is still a fast car.

For example, I tested a BMW 520 2003 and it had 170bhp and a 2.2L. It was 1.5 tons and mine is 1.4, and it felt a bit slower than the Accord; I don’t know why. But the BMW was nicer looking and better handling.

I chose the Accord because it is more practical. But do not try to solve any speed problems with the Honda Accord Type-S; it has a 2.4L and 190 bhp. I personally think you are better off with an older BMW or a new Golf GTI; the Type-S is the same, only 40 more bhp and stiffer; it is not worth the money.

The Accord looks good and handles well. It will get you where you want and you will feel good when you get there.

I love my Honda. I think it has character, which is rare in a car from Japan.

And one more thing; the economy is OK. You will get 40-45mpg, but not much more.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 21st November, 2008

2005 Honda Accord EX-L 4 cylinder. from North America

Summary:

Feels like a luxury sedan without the luxury price!

Faults:

Small rattle noise from front passenger window/door frame. Read an earlier review that mentions cleaning the top of the window out. Will have to try that because I am a freak about my cars.

General Comments:

Owned an Odyssey and was VERY displeased with all the things that went wrong with it. I sure hope that was an Odyssey problem and not a Honda problem.

Very impressed with the EX as it has all the creature comforts with less price.

I also own a 1998 Lexus ES300 and this Honda has much of the same "luxury" qualities of the Lexus.

However, I wish the sunroof had an automatic button that, when depressed, would open the sunroof in one push of the button instead of having to hold the button down. Odd.

The front seats are somewhat "narrow". By narrow I mean that the large cushions on the sides of the back seem to push on my sides. I am not overweight so this seems odd.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 9th September, 2008