Star Motoring, Malaysia. Sunday October 1, 2006

IMPRESSIONS

SPENDING time behind a pakcik ambling along at 40kph in his rusty but faithful Proton Saga may not be the best way to put a car through its paces. 

Certainly not when it is the face-lifted Honda Accord 2.4 i-VTEC with 170bhp under the hood. But that was the scenario we were in during a media drive in Langkawi recently. 

Anyway, the slow drive did allow us to enjoy the scenery, the slow pace of life and for a while at least leave the worries of city life behind. 

Well, the slow drive did not last long. We overtook pakcik to get up to a speed that was more to our liking. 

The Accord was still able to slice through waterlogged stretches confidently and without any perceptible loss of steering control or feel. 

Even on winding stretches, the Accord continued to hold its line, cutting through the puddles without the dashboard VSA warning indicator lighting up. 

Actually, the first and only time we saw the VSA indicator lit up was when we began the drive.  

The truth is that we never got to push the car hard enough during our entire two hours' drive around Langkawi. 

But the generally slower pace gave us the opportunity to appreciate the Accord's luxurious leather interior which has the kind of quality that would easily endear buyers who are buying cars with prestige in mind.  

The twin camshaft i-VTEC engine is smooth while its newfound muscle, 10 horses more than in the older variant, has more than enough power to match the car's weight and size for a lively drive. 

Just floor the throttle and you can hear the whistling sound of the i-VTEC engine going to work, providing smooth and civilised acceleration. 

The Accord's sound insulation was impressive, reducing engine, road and wind noise to a murmur. 

The car retains its original clean and smooth lines while getting a new floating chromed-winged grille and rear taillight cluster restyled into the triangular shape with light-emitting diodes. 

Honda Malaysia says the suspension for the Accord is unchanged but there is better ride comfort and handling as a result of better suspension components from more stringent quality control. 

The locally assembled mid-level 2.4-litre Accord comes on the road with insurance for RM159,800, while the smaller 2.0-litre Accord can be yours for RM136,800.  

The fully imported top-of-the-line 3.0-litre V6 Accord will set you back RM212,800. 

But if Accord customers are still keen to pump up the already sporty look of their vehicles, Honda Malaysia is offering the official Modulo bodykit upgrade package.  The package comes with a front under spoiler, trunk spoiler, side skirting and sidestep garnishing for all four doors.  The kit comes with a three-year warranty.

– HONG BOON HOW