The sweet smell of success at American Honda Motor Co. comes from the Honda Accord cars built exclusively at Marysville, Ohio.
For 1996, Honda has revamped the styling on its sedan, coupe and wagon models. The cars already were pretty good-looking vehicles, so achieving a sharper appearance wasn’t easy.
Honda’s California-based designers obviously were strongly influenced by the wind tunnel, as the overall theme of the car is aerodynamics. Stylists started at the front, then went to the rear, adding some individualistic touches in-between.
The front end retains the low nose, accented by headlamps that flow back into the fenders. A chrome- accented grille gives a more sophisticated look.
The relatively short, high deck in the rear is enhanced by lights and chrome accents.
Wider parking lights provide improved visibility. And for the esthetic types, new wheel covers add a classy appearance.
Engineering got into the act at the rear with a trunk opening that is nearly five inches larger for easier loading and unloading. Then they used trunk hinges that enhance cargo space.
The new styling makes the 1996 sedan a bit longer than its predecessor, from 184 inches to 185.6 inches. The wheelbase is unchanged at 106.9 inches.
The new Accords come in DX, LX and EX form, with the DX sedan the entry level at $15,100, including a five-speed manual transmission. The LX sedan with a four-speed automatic is the most popular model and has a sticker price of $18,890.
Honda always has been at the forefront in engine design, as witnessed by its pioneering of variable-valve timing. Buyers are offered a variety of powerplants with four-cylinder or V6 engines featuring four valves per cylinder.
Generally, four valves are accompanied by double overhead cams, but Honda does it with a single overhead cam and rocker arms for valve actuation.
There’s a single overhead cam for the 2.2-liter, in-line 16-valve four-cylinder engines, and a single cam per bank of three cylinders for the 2.7-liter, 24-valve V6.
The most graphic illustration of how variable-valve timing affects power output is seen in Honda’s standard single overhead cam 2.2-liter engine, which develops 130 horsepower. In VTEC form, the 2.2 picks up an additional 15 horses.
If you want more power, the V6 puts out 170 horsepower and 165 foot-pounds of torque. That’s quite a jump in pulling power from the standard 2.2’s 139 foot- pounds and the 2.2 VTEC’s 147 foot-pounds.
There obviously is an advantage to an Accord V6, but bring your money. The base price for an LX V6 sedan with a four-speed automatic — the only choice — is $22,100. Going upscale to an EX V6 runs an additional $3,000.
The 1996 line has been made user-friendly, with a raft of standard features in the four-cylinder cars. There also are options like anti-lock braking.
The anti-lock brakes are standard on an EX with the VTEC four-cylinder engine, and on the V6 models.
The new Accords feature an advanced four-wheel inde pendent suspension system said to be very stabile.
The suspension utilizes double-wishbone suspension arms, a system used by some competing makes. But testers say that on the Honda it handles road irregularities in a superior manner.
In the cabin, the instrument panel has speedometer, tachometer, temperature and fuel gauges. The tach is red-lined at 6,200 rpm, or 8,000 rpm for those brave souls with a manual gearbox.
Honda’s engines may be single-cam, but its engineers seem to have no qualms about winding them tight.
1996 Honda Accord EX Base price:$20,600 Type: Front-engine, front-wheel-drive, five-passnger, midsized sedanEngine: 2.2 liters, single overhead cam 4 VTEC, 16 valves, fuel-injected, 145 horsepower, 147 foot-pounds of torqueTransmission: Five-speed manualMileage: 25 mpg city/31 mpg highway Wheelbase: 106.9 inchesLength: 185.6 inches Width: 70.1 inches Height: 55.1 inches Curb weight: 3,020 poundsOptions : Leath er seats and door panels, leather-wrapped wheel, automatic transmission
