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PT KONTAK PERKASA - Wrapped in camouflage, its cabin swaddled in
obfuscating black cloth, Honda’s next-generation Accord is nearing the
end of its march toward production. We visited Honda’s global research
and development center this week to drive an engine and transmission
development prototype of the car ahead of its arrival on U.S. roads
later this year. Given the Accord’s central role to Honda’s automotive
efforts, the company absolutely has to get it right. On this trip, we
got our first chance to find out if they did.
The 10th-generation
Accord will ditch the V-6 available in its predecessors, opting instead
for a 2.0-liter turbocharged, direct-injected, dual overhead cam i-VTEC
four-cylinder as its top power producer. Forged connecting rods, a
forged crankshaft, improved cylinder head and block water pathways, and
sodium-filled exhaust valves give the 2.0-liter additional durability
and power capability. A 1.5-liter turbo-four (essentially the same
engine available in the latest Civic)
will also be offered, as well as a two-motor hybrid. Both turbo-fours
will be offered with a choice of a six-speed manual transmission or an
all-new, Honda-developed 10-speed automatic transmission. The 10-speed
auto is capable of transmitting 20 percent more torque than the outgoing
six-speed auto, but weighs 10 percent less. The two-motor hybrid needs
no transmission thanks to its unique design.
Front-wheel drive is
the only option for the 2018 Accord, says American Honda’s regulatory,
legal, and technology communications manager Chris Martin, because
customers who want all-wheel drive also tend to want the higher ride
height and ground clearance of a crossover — and Honda makes plenty of
those already.
To
put the new Accord’s powertrain to the test, Honda handed us the keys
to a prototype fitted with the 2.0-liter engine and 10-speed automatic.
The prototype was built last fall at Honda’s Marysville, Ohio facility,
where the new Accord is being developed. More complete prototypes exist
there, but this early example was outfitted with the latest
specification of engine and transmission software, according to Martin.
Because the prototype was an early build, however, its suspension tune,
interior, and technology features were still just placeholders — our
evaluation was focused on the engine and transmission. As for the new
exterior and interior styling of the 2018 Accord, Honda says we’ll see
more of that in the coming weeks.
We had just two laps of the
2.5-mile banked oval at Honda’s Tochigi R&D center to test the
upcoming Accord’s highest-performance locomotion system. While we
weren’t allowed on the banking, we didn’t really need it — the Accord
still hit an easy 120 mph straight out of the pits. From a 25-mph pit
exit, the turbocharged four-cylinder exhibited only minimal lag,
building boost pressure and torque smoothly and quickly as we
accelerated onto the track. The 10-speed auto’s function was so smooth
as to be transparent. Left to its own devices, the transmission’s
function is all but unnoticeable in normal acceleration and deceleration
at city and highway speeds.
The Sport Mode button in the center
console sharpens up the Accord’s responses for a spirited drive — or an
aggressive Monday morning commute.
Honda
hasn’t disclosed the power rating for the new turbo 2.0-liter, but my
highly unscientific seat-of-the-pants feel says it’s somewhere around
the 250-260 hp mark, with similar figures for torque output. Peak torque
seems to arrive around 1,500 rpm, with power output at apparently
constant levels from 3,000-5,000 rpm. Those figures compare well with
the outgoing V-6’s 278 hp and 252 lb-ft of torque, and that’s before you
take into account that the V-6’s peak torque doesn’t arrive until 4,900
rpm and peak horsepower at 6,200 rpm. The turbocharged engine should
deliver more low-end torque, and therefore quicker acceleration in
everyday situations.
In its final form, the Accord’s V-6 engine
was equipped not only with the i-VTEC variable camshaft profile system,
but with Variable Cylinder Management (VCM) which deactivates three
cylinders in light-load situations, resulting in EPA gas mileage ratings
of up to 21 mpg city, 33 mpg highway, and 25 mpg combined when paired
with its six-speed automatic transmission. The new four-cylinder should
easily beat those ratings, thanks not only to its smaller-displacement,
turbocharged nature, but also the addition of the new 10-speed automatic
transmission and whatever improvements to aerodynamics and/or weight
Honda makes with the rest of the 2018 Accord’s design.
As
important as the outright performance of the new 2.0-liter turbo,
however, is the very fact of its existence, replacing the V-6 and moving
the Accord to an entirely turbocharged lineup in its non-hybrid models.
Honda, long an innovator in the marriage of performance and efficiency
in naturally aspirated engines, has been slow to adopt across-the-board
turbocharging in comparison to its competition — in part because of the
strengths of its naturally aspirated engine development. With the move
to smaller-displacement turbo engines on the Accord in addition to the
Civic, Honda is signaling its intent to move toward turbocharging for
even more of its models in coming years.
The 2018 Honda Accord
will be built at the company’s Marysville, Ohio plant, while its
2.0-liter and 1.5-liter turbo four-cylinders will be built at Honda’s
engine plant in Anna, Ohio. The 10-speed transmission will be built at
Honda’s Tallapoosa, Georgia plant. The 2018 Honda Accord will arrive at American dealers this fall.
Source : automobilemag.com