So we got a 2011 Honda Accord 2.4EX sedan

So we got a 2011 Honda Accord 2.4EX sedan


One look through our archives and you’ll realise how many times we drove the latest-generation Honda Accord when it launched back in 2008. Come 2011, and we’re at it again. Right after driving the facelifted V6 coupe, we picked up this optioned-up 2.4-litre sedan, and it of course feels familiar.

The Honda Accord has become somewhat of a different animal since the days of the 1990 sedan, which was the first Accord to become a proper midsize car. The latest generation is still competing in the midsize category, but is straddling the line into fullsize territory.

The 2011 facelift involves a new front bumper, new grille and new wheels. Good luck spotting the changes though.

The rear now has chrome-lined tail lamps, with red strips on the boot lid that don’t light up. The maroon paint colour seems to be new too.

The cabin is exactly the same as before, though the dash “soft-touch” trim seems to have a new texture. Also, the navigation system is a new option, while USB ports and Bluetooth are also available now. It takes time to get used to all the buttons. Interestingly, the Japanese-built sedan gets a cool new flip-key now, while the US-built coupe still uses the cheap old key fob. Still no keyless start button though.

The optional leather upholstery is superbly cushy. The driver’s seat is powered while the passenger’s is manually adjustable.

The rear legroom is excellent. Enough said.

The luggage boot is huge. The floor is not perfectly flat and the hinges intrude, but there is a lot of volume to play with.

The Honda Accord remains a competent midsize sedan, capable enough for a bit of fun even. It is relatively expensive now for some reason, and it could be hard to justify buying one even with the only navigation system we’ve seen that marks mosques. However, those Honda diehards and fanboys willing to dish out the money, they get a car with solid build quality and outstanding resale value. More in the full review.

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Comments

  1. I love ♥ … ;D

  2. Why must every car you feature be so boring? Fridges and ovens…

  3. Why must everyone’s comments be published without moderation?

  4. Super ugly… You can’t compare the exterior of this to Nissan Maxima or Kia Cadenza, or even Toyota Camry. But thumbs up for the reliability and resale value.

  5. Author

    Everybody owns fridges and ovens. Nobody cares about Ferraris except high-school kids and a handful of enthusiasts. Even those who buy Ferraris don’t read reviews about them before buying one.

  6. Very well said, Mash 🙂

  7. i loved it soo much when it 1st released couple of years back. but now?. C’mon – this doesnt have any chance..build, performance all fine but where is the design and x-factor?

  8. Everybody owns fridges and ovens. Nobody cares about Ferraris except high-school kids and a handful of enthusiasts. Even those who buy Ferraris don’t read reviews about them before buying one.

    I have never heard a car enthusiast say something so retarded in my life. Don’t you care about the thrill of driving? Or is your passion about cars all about rear leg room and cargo space?

  9. you need to cater to every single car owner or a prospect car owner when you write reviews. i guess mash is not wrong when he talks about rear leg room or cargo space because this car is meant to provide these and targetted to owners who want such stuff.
    not every one is interested in 0-100km timings, drag race speed or even the top speed of a car. you will be surprised to know that many of the buyers are those who just want a point to point means of transport whcih can carry their family on long trips or even to the nearest shopping mall with comfort and safety and when its time to maintain/service/sell..it offers the best value of money.
    it can be a corolla, sunny or even an accord depending on the size of their wallet.

  10. well..i am not wasting time replying to haters..

    About Accord…its still soo boring..and still so expensive to afford and maintain..but yea quality, reliability & space is where it scores!

  11. Author

    This is of course just a preview article, so driving impressions will be in the full review. I cover all cars. And I’d say I’ve proven my “enthusiast” credentials by the string of interesting cars I’ve owned. You’d be surprised to know about the ordinary junk driven by editors of magazines that stick Ferraris on their covers. I get to see them bring their own crap compacts and crossovers to events when they couldn’t get a test car.

  12. Hey Mash,
    I have driven base models of Accord Altima Camry Sonata, year 2008-2011 for atleast 2K in a stint since my job happens to be on site i need to do long driving in KSA. Fatures/Looks wise Altima & Hyundai top, reliability Accord, Camry.

    My choice accord hands down by far.

    Mileage Driven: Camry 5K, Altima 30K, Accord 50K, Sonata 3K

  13. Author

    ^Honda will be glad to hear that. They just told me they are taking in everyone’s feedback from these comments!

  14. The accord is good, but competitors from Infiniti and, surprisingly, SAAB and Volvo are better.

    The resale value of the Accord is good, but you know, if you want to feel more confident on the roads, you should not buy an Accord. The fully optioned version is great, but the 2.4 is not.

    SAAB is doing a great job in their 9-6 for 2011. The Volvo S60 is amazing as well.

    I hope Honda wil do better in the next version of the Accord, as the name is actually strong and popular, but still… I guess you know what I mean.

  15. solid lower middle class sedan!

  16. Hey mash, will we get the road test if the hyundai genesis and range rover 5.0 supercharged ?

  17. Author

    ^Eventually. Prioritising reviews for cars that I got “fresh” instead of right at the end of the line.

  18. To be more specific let me give you time line of cars driven

    Camry 2008 Drivern 5K, Major Problem AC, hope they resolved it

    Accord 2009 Driven 50K, Lacks trip meter and other features that are basic in most competing sedans

    Altima 2010 Driven 30K, Engine noise on high revs

    Sonata 2011 Driven 3K, Could not exceed 180Kmph though, donno the reason.

    Top Speed:

    Camry 190
    Accord 210
    Altima 205
    Sonata 180

    Actually im also looking to buy, but have to decide between Accord Camry Fusion or Aurion

    looking up for deeper reviews

  19. If honda is considering these comments then here is my conclusion:

    “If you Honda guys want your car to be the best midsize sedan do the following and you won’t regret:

    1-Change the exterior to a stylish cool design(like kia or hyundai or Why don’t you come up with a stunning one!!)

    2-Add some common technologies or new ones to the car
    ex:
    a.trip meter*
    b.Keyless entry*

    c.rear camera (optional)
    d.air pressure of tires (optional)
    e.Start engine button (optional)

    *Must have it!!

    3- Reduce Prices(for spare parts and car prices) to affordable ones like competitors or even better!!

    Thumbs up if you think that’s what Honda requires nowadays!!

    I have driven Accord for 30000 km
    It’s one of the best cars I have ever driven in my life. However, it lacks the above things to be my dream car..

    That’s all.

    Keep it up Honda.

  20. Done 100K km in my 2008 Accord, with not a single technical issue so far.
    Thumbs up for Honda 🙂
    Waiting passionately for the new Accord shape, probably 2013.

  21. 2010 Accord’s body is pretty strong. I crashed into 2005-07 Corolla while reversing and Corolla’s whole right side was damaged with dents and my car only needed new paint job.

  22. I agree with AbdilAziz, Honda Accord is not “SCARY” on the roads.

    Even a Camry will take the challenge to block the way infront of you, and race you if nedded.

    They need better exterior, and interior as well. The current design is very very very outdated. It looks like a 1990s home Hi-Fi system on the dash.

    Prices of all Honda’s are high actually. They need to reset their pricings with respect to other competitors, which are currently better and cheaper.

    Reducing the price of the “CURRENT” Accord will make it a bargain. Otherwise, make a better car, and leave the price as it is. People will just be happy as it would be worth the spend.

  23. Mash > nice to see ur testing the 2.4 accord. Ive clocked 85k in my accord & its still goin nice & good.its reliable , economical & spacious. The -ve now are the price & service costs. Otherwise thumbs up!Recently the dealer did a brake calibration job on the accord free a cost & the brakes seems to be fine now.

  24. Guys,

    does any one know about the S-2000 replacement?

  25. Yes Guess , The Honda S2000 will be replaced by the NSX which will be re-launched but under the Acura badge.
    Since We. Don’t have Acura here in the Middle East, it might not see the roads here , unless it gets a Honda badge.
    A similar case is the Acura RL which is marketed here as the Honda Legend. Unfortunately Not anymore I guess, cuz of the. over- pricing strategy of the local dealers which ruined the legend to the grounds.

  26. the only real down side of honda accord is

    1) relatively high road noise

    2) AC is take it’s sweet time to cool things

    3) maintainence is expensive

  27. haters everywhere mash keep up your good work !!!this is much helpful to people who are really willing to buy one than dreaming of ferrari rolling by!!!

  28. Thanks MHC and other contributers for sharing. My only advice to all is that no one is compelling to write anything other than what is relevant for this discussion. By still adding irrelevant stuff, you are showing your ignorance and immaturity. Please wait for the right topic which MHC will surely add soon. Coming back to Accord, despite being a very popular E class Jap sedan, it is not doing so well and dealer here is forced to sell by offering lower prices on a lot of 2010 stock. The car per se remains boring, expensive to maintain, resale value is controversial since you spend a lot of money before you recover any both on owning and maintaining the car. Nowadays, despite poor perception, other cars are offering much better value wrt safety, gadgets. Rest is perception and branding.

  29. Along with all the comments above from Mr.AbdelAziz, I have one more thing to add: Please upgrade the braking system of the Accord. It seems as if the system was designed such that the vehicle has to be brought in very regularly to replace the brake pads.

    Owned an Accord since 2003, driven 190,000kms and I dont have a heavy foot.

  30. Accord is a very good car but it is overpriced. the new model with navigation (4 cyl) costs around 126k. dont forget, most peole finance their cars and when you do that, a car that is 10k more expensive will only cost you 120 dhs per instalment for 5 years, so what i did is I bought the 2011 Avalon which is an amazing car in all the sense of the word, maybe no one whould believe if I say I did 700 kms per fuel tank while driving at 120km\h.

  31. Hi Samer,
    I agree that the Toyota Avalon 2011 is a nice car but I have a few inhibitions. First Ive seen this car (previous model) in atleast three bad accidents till date, two of which had toppled over which lead me to believe its handling is poor. Second, its an American built car from Toyota, although I beleive its fine Id still be more comfortable with a Japanese built Toyota. Third, the interior design is quite dull and could’ve done better with some flowing lines.
    Otherwise, its really a smart choice. These are just my personal opinions, please dont take them wrong.

  32. Avalon is a better value car than Accord once the full range accord touches 126K. I agree with Samer on better value.

    As for Honda, their BRANDING leading to perceptions is fine but VALUE is missing in the deal. Nissan Altima is a better VALUE deal any day and running costs are also not that expensive.

  33. o yes also the brakes they fade to quickly

  34. Honda cars are great but highly overpriced. They are reliable, but most of their competition is as well. Either they have this impression that people take Honda to be upscale than the competition, or they think they have a better product. Both are wrong. Honda’s are relatively expensive to maintain and offer much less features. I will never buy a Honda till they drop their prices by 20% or offer better cars for these prices.Y cant they produce bang for the buck stunners even when they have such a limited lineup.I’m sure they can. just my 2 cents 🙂

  35. Smashing a corolla is not a big thing..hehehe couple of months back a corolla hit the rear of my Focus Hatchback and had fully smashed up front, the Focus had a broken bumper at right and bent silencer, that doesn’t prove Focus is stronger than Corolla , just that the rear end of Focus is quite high compared to low front of Corolla, so Corolla took hit, had Focus tailgated Corolla the fate would be more or less….

  36. i plann’g to buy accord or Maxima.. Any one knows which one i should buy.. About power yes i understand…I think abt the maintenance cost ie aftersales expenses

  37. @ansu: Ideally Maxima and accord are not in the same category.Maxima is more upscale, but due to the overpiced Honda’s, the V6 top spec accord almost costs the same as the top spec maxima. Maxima is a lot better in terms of features, power and luxury. Looks are arguable, its a love it or hate it sorta thing, but much better than the boring accord any day. but then the maxima is a CVT. In terms of resale accord is much better. Both are relatively expensive to maintain, but accord scores there, see my comment above and u know my verdict :). Both are good cars though..

  38. Please Have The Test Drive Of The New KIA OPTIMA 2011 , models EX & especially SX , thousand times better than accord, camry, altima,

    Trust Me I Traded My 2008 Accord for Kia Optima 2011 SX & its rocking car, all features, silent, smooth, faster, comfortable, the features are mind blowing

  39. Accord is short on safety…Dealer is making more money by not giving six air bags…for lower spec models…For full spec Accord price which alone comes with six air bags, you could go for a Beamer.

  40. IMO, if Honda wants to improve their sales of their Accord, heres what they need to do:

    1. Slight increase in overall dimensions of the Accord (in line with the dimensions of the Maxima)
    2. More dynamic exterior design and more flowing interior design
    3. Dont stop manufacturing the Accord from Japan like other brands who are slowly switching their bases to China or US
    4. Add Keyless Entry, Start/Stop engine switch
    5. Tiptronic gear with paddle shifts behind the steering
    6. Retain the same high quality and solid feel, inside the cabin and only improve if possible
    7. Offer 5 Years, Unlimited Mileage Warranty
    8. Finally, do something about that braking system, please!

  41. Drove almost all cars i wanted to buy, bought new kia optima 2011 sx , seriously just fell in love with the car

  42. at a 140k one can buy a base model VX Prado….

  43. agree with sameer, the new avalon almost compares price wise and is clearly a league abpve the honda..

    nevertheless, ok rental car 🙂

  44. Still an overpriced car.. These are mainstream cars they should be affordable.. I know many people finance nowadays but still AED 90K on an accord or AED 80K for a civic is not logical whatsoever..
    Other dealers provide more packages with a car for the same price..

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