Test Drive: 2012 Honda Accord EX-L

2012 Honda Accord EX-L. Click image to enlarge

I also found some features on the Accord were tricky to set up.  The Bluetooth connection was a puzzler and can only be set up via voice commands.  It was one of those rare instances in which I needed to pull out the owner’s manual to accomplish a successful pairing.  The trip computer is also hard to access as you need to go through two menu screens to find it.  While I am on complaints, it was strange that there was no Bluetooth audio streaming with all the other electronic wizardry found in the Accord.  Thankfully, XM satellite radio made up for it.
 
Being that the mid-size Accord is now officially rated as a full-size sedan (coupes still retain their mid-size status), it is no surprise to find a healthy 397L of trunk space.  As well, there is a copious amount of rear leg room in the back.  One jaunt across the city involved four grown men all about six feet tall in the Accord.  We all fit comfortably in the car without issue and back seat passengers had ample space.   Even with all this weight added to the Accord’s 1,560-kg curb weight, the engine had enough grunt to haul us around town without drama.
 
This only further proves what shoppers are finding in this class of vehicle: the four-cylinder engine is adequately powerful and makes the V6 seem redundant.  With an as-tested fuel consumption average of 9.2 L/100 km in the four-cylinder Accord, the argument for the V6 becomes weaker still.  That said, the 2.4L motor could benefit from the few extra ponies it produces in the TSX, but that may drive the price up even further and devalue the TSX’s exclusivity.  Sending power to the front wheels of the Accord is Honda’s tried and true five-speed automatic transmission.  Operation is smooth and forgettable, which is high praise for any transmission found in a mid-size sedan.  The only real caveat to this powertrain is a low groan emitted by either the engine or the transmission at low residential-area speeds.
 
The Accord’s ride is compliant but not floaty.  The car can hold its own in the corners, but is not a great handler, nor is it intended to be.  It would be unfair and irrelevant to judge a family sedan purely based on its cornering ability, but for those who are interested, the 225/50R17 tires equipped on my test car demonstrated a predictable level of grip that tails off in a linear fashion when approaching their limits. 
 
The main goal for a family sedan like the Accord is to be an accommodating vehicle that anyone in the family can easily drive.  Here the Accord excels.  It is a simple car to drive and perfect for those who are not “drivers” but need a good-sized family vehicle.  There is no better way to sum up the Accord than with this example.  My wife, an advocate of the compact car and hater of the large automobile, got behind the wheel of the Accord and within mere seconds was driving it as if behind the wheel of her much smaller Suzuki SX4.  “This car is so easy to drive,” was her first comment, which validates Honda on their primary mission with the Accord: make a useful, intuitive family vehicle for the masses.