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tHe 2013 HonDa accoRD seDan anD accoRD coupe aRe aVaILabLe In QataR noW anD RoRY coen got a cHance to take tHeM FoR a spIn aRounD DoHa Last MontH.

Honda adds somE fizz To linE-up

tHe MIDDLe east aVIatIon booM: tHe skY Is tHe LIMIt

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m a r c h 2 0 1 3 Qatar today 89

2013 HonDa accoRD 2.4 I-Vtec class mid-size / large family car

body style 4-door sedan

traction FWd (front-wheel drive)

engine manufacturer honda k24A-series

engine type spark-ignition 4-stroke

valve cylinders alignment line 4

Displacement 2354 cm3 / 144.1 cui

bore 87 mm / 3.43 in

stroke 99 mm / 3.9 in

compression ratio 11 : 1s

fuel capacity 65 litre

top speed 227 km/h / 141 mph

0-100 km/h 8 seconds

front brakes disc ventilated 320 mm / 12.6 in

rear brakes disc solid 305 mm / 12 in

standard tires 225/50 r 17 v

b R a k I n g n e W s

been driving a 2004 Honda HR-V for the best part of six months now, so when I heard I would be test-driving five brand new Hon-da grades, I somehow managed to compose my excitement. I was interested to see how “Hondas from the future” compared with my own nine-year-old. Probably like comparing Messi with Mara-dona in a contemporary football setting, but I was convinced I’d recognise some familiarities.

Afraid that the Honda officials would see my “power train” and complain about how I maintained it – it’s absolutely filthy – I parked the old banger well out of sight and strolled down to the quintet of Honda machines that were parked up sequentially, or so I thought, outside the Admiral Club at the Ritz-Carlton. The pedantic officials spent the best part of ten minutes trying to line them up at 180 degrees to each other. My mind drifted back to an episode

of The Simpsons when Chief Wiggum and Lou described the way a certain car was parked as “sweet”. However on this occasion I don’t think I ever witnessed so much effort to gain such little acknowledgment.

“Maybe this is how Honda operates,” I thought to myself.

Speed it up, slow it downSo the five cars were all 2013 Honda Accords, just different grades of Sedan and Coupe. Off we went, around the Zig Zag Towers and up the Al Khor road. My first taste of the action was in the Honda Accord 2.4 litre i-VTEC Sedan... and as luck would have it, QBS Radio was playing some Eurovision hits from yesteryear. If Bucks Fizz didn’t come on with their 1981 winner “Making Your Mind Up” about five minutes up the road! Keeping heed of that

i’vE

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neW accoRD tecHnoLogIes led daytime running lights (drls)

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led taillights

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the Accord 3.5 ex and 3.5 sport offer

honda’s first led projector headlights

for improved visibility

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smart entry and push-button start

included on Accord ex and sport

models

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the available touch-screen panel offers

convenient control of audio, phone and

many other functions

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included on Accord 3.5 ex and 3.5

sport, honda laneWatch blind spot

display provides an expanded rear view

of the passenger side roadway through

the intelligent multi-information display

(i-mid)

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bluetooth handsFreelink, usb/iPod

integration and rearview camera

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eCOn button with eco Assist

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new macPherson-strut front

suspension improves ride and handling

qualities, while also reducing interior

noise, vibration and harshness. the

new, lighter aluminium and steel front

subframe also uses a proprietary honda

friction-stir welding process

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new side airbags mitigate the risk of

excessive airbag deployment force

while eliminating the need for the prior

Accord’s Occupant Position detection

system (OPds)

recurring and extremely annoying lyric, I was able to test the brakes and acceleration to great effect.

Four-wheel disc brakes are standard, as is electronic brake distribution (EBD) with brake assist, a four-channel anti-lock brak-ing system (ABS). From LX grades onwards, vehicle stability as-sist with traction control and hill start assist are also standard on the Accord.

Under the hoodAs in previous generations, two petrol engines are available in the 2013 Honda Accord Sedan and Coupe. These include a new Earth Dreams 2.4-litre four-cylinder and a new Earth Dreams 3.5-litre V6 with revised VTEC and VCM functions. The base 173-horsepower (hp) four-cylinder engine is coupled to an efficient five-speed auto-matic transmission. Meanwhile, Accord V6 models feature a 276-hp 3.5-litre engine coupled to a six-speed automatic transmission.

Although I didn’t quite manage it, the top speed of the VTEC is 227 kph and it can go from 0-100 kph in eight seconds.

Each of the five cars has a very capable entertainment system in the dash. I hadn’t much time to get to grips with the functionality, but I did see some options to change the wallpaper and clock! It’s like configuring your laptop for the first time. There was also an in-built and accurate GPS system, which I kept an eye on through-out my short journey. Later on, when I travelled in the Honda Ac-cord Sport, I noticed a side camera on the display – LaneWatch Blind Spot Display – which pretty much made the right wing mirror redundant. Very useful, I thought.

So, after over two hours out on the road, and switching cars three times, we eventually got back to our base at the Ritz-Carlton for a well-deserved luncheon. Not before we lined the cars up in a pseudo-parabolic shape, though, and took some more pictures with the iconic Zig Zag Towers in the backdrop. Of course we did