BEST WHEELS An Oakville Beaver Automotive Feature · To advertise in this section call 905-845-3824 or Fax 905-337-5568 W E D N E S D A Y J l N K II. 2<XKi · IMgcB4 2003 Honda Accord is the complete package By Rob Beintema s r w :i.\L TC > THK REAVER Introduced in 1976 and constantly revised through seven generations to this all-new product for 2003. the Accord is Honda's biggest seller, traditionally own ing a huge chunk of North America's intermediate si/e market and racking up more than a third of all Honda sales in Canada. And while there must have been a temptation to leave well enough alone, that's never been Honda's style, especial ly in light of new challenges by competi tors like the new Toyota Camry, the Volkswagen Passat and the Nissan Altima. to name just a few. The new 2(X)3 Honda Accord still comes in two basic configurations - in either 4-door Sedan or 2-door Coupe. Both models come in a variety of trim levels and two engine choices - standard 2.4 L 4-cylinder or optional 3.0 L V6 shifted through the new manual 5-speed gearbox or via a modified version of the Acura C L & TL's 5-speed automatic. The Accord Coupe also adds a sporty new 6speed manual to it's V6 model selection. Both cars have undergone significant facelifts to modernize the styling. But while marketing weenies wax on about the "powerful muscular influence of the cheetah" and chief engineer Chet Baker talks of adding "emotion" and details the difficulty of "concave shapes merging into convex curves", hey. much as I admire Chet's enthusiasm, they still both look like Accords to me. That's not a bad problem to have. What the stylists and engineers have managed to do. however, is to make the cars smoother, more slippery with better aerodynamics and slightly sharper edges. not very dramatically done in the Sedan but with some S2(XX) sports ear styling influence added to the Coupe. The Accord Sedan measures about the same length as before but the wheels have been pulled to the comers, stretching the wheelbase by an inch. The new car is also wider and taller with a corresponding increase in interior space, most notice ably in the back seat. Honda has been lis tening to its customers. The Accord Coupe, on the other hand, keeps the same wheelbase, although it is also slightly larger in every dimension. And with more emphasis on styling and less worry about plain practicality, the Coupe has actually lost rear seat space and rear headroom in favour of exterior streamlining and stretch-out comfort for front occupants. The Accord Sedan is now rolling off the assembly line, with the Coupe slated to follow shortly. So while there was a prototype Coupe on hand to poke, prod and pore over, all our test drives were limited to the Sedan production versions. W hich still left us with a wide selec tion of trim levels and engine choices to check out. One thing all the sedans had in common -being inside the Honda Accord is a very nice place to be. Roomier interi or dimensions, new seats, an optimized driving position complemented by the new tilt and telescoping steering wheel, they all bump up the comfort level signif icantly. Long seat travel meant I actually had to move the seat forward, rare for a tail guy like me. And. yes. 1 could "sit behind myself', so to speak. Added touches include large "no excuse" cupholders, bottle holders in front and rear doors, a sliding centre arm rest. cell phone charging and storage in W ith more oomph from the engines and performance enhancements to the steering and braking systems, the 2003 Honda Accord completes a very competent package. the console, rear outboard headrests and a host of other thoughtful modifications. The Accord takes one interior fashion risk - placing a large volume dial dead centre on the dash, a styling direction I first noted in the new Honda Pilot. Even the piain-Jane base D X model, while hardly exciting with a monochrome interior, is well laid out with excellent fit and finish, an L E D gauge cluster that takes a page from Lexus, an elegant steer ing wheel with integrated cruise control switches instead of the usual plasticky, strap-on modules, a surprisingly good 4speaker CD stereo system and with a list of standard equipment that includes air conditioning, power group, 60/40 rear seat and rear heat ducts. Bumping up a trim level or two adds brushed aluminum highlights, heated leather adjustable power seats, side airbags, moonroof, auto headlights, upgraded 6CD audio system ;md more bells and whistles, you name it. Regardless of trim level choice, I was not kidding earlier about the level of refinement, sophistication and about how quiet this car runs. M y co-driver and 1 kept commenting on it. as if we couldn't get over it. Pretty impressive stuff for a car in this price class, benefiting no doubt from the taut, sub-framed and well-isolated chas sis. excellent wishbone suspension sys tem. the streamlining to reduce wind and mirror noise and increased levels of insu lation to keep road noise and engine noise, vibration and harshness from intruding into the cabin. With more oomph from the engines and performance enhancements to the steering and braking systems, across-theboard A B S. new all-speed traction con trol for V6 models and larger wheels and tires on most models, and all the improvements listed above, the 2003 Honda Accord completes a very compe tent package. Honda Civic A n n iv e rsa ry E d itio n what 30 C iv ic s 30thAnniversary Editions Include these extra features: · Rear Spoiler · Rear Splash Guards · Metallic Dash Panel Kit · Hood Edge Protector · Embroidered Floor Mats · 30th Anniversary Badging A 0 % \ J Lease Rate $ f \ Security Deposit on all new 2003 Civics (Except Hybrid and SiR) Civic Coupe LX 30th Anniversary Edition Value of extra features You pay only $ $ 1 ,3 8 8 t 300* Value Price Advantage *1,088* $18,700""r *" '5.8*825 Lease it for · 11 5 h p ,1 .7Litre Engine · Pow erW indow s, D o o r Lo ck s. &M irro rs ·A ir C onditioningw ith M icro nA ir-fittration ·H igh -Po w erA M /FMStereow ith C Dand 6Speakers ·A u d ioA n tiT h eft · K eyless R em ote Entry · Cruise C o n tro l ·D ual Fron tA irbags · 5 -Sp eed M anual Tran sm issio n per m onth lo t 4 8 m o n th s w ith $ 2 .2 9 0 down F re ig h t & P.O.E in clu d e d 218 · Excellent Fuel Efficiency · Highest 5-Star Safety Rating" · Outstanding Resale Value · Smoother, Quieter Ride · Superb Handling · Great Value for Money Civic Sedan DX-G 30th Anniversary Edition 4 > I/ , j U U 7 QOn MSRP* with # C 0 % Purchase J . O Financing C IV IC I lease And finance offers are available, on approved credit, only through Honda Canada Finance In c . until June 30. 2003 Lease payments shown are fiK 48 months and include $850 lor freight and I I PD.E »»ith 96.000 Km allowance (12f/Vm exceeding 96,000 hm applies) /B a s e d on a new 2003 C iv ic Coupe IX 5-Speed, 30th Anniversary Edition/Civ;c Sedan DX G. 5-Speed. 30th Anniversary Edition i (model EM? 153P/ES1S43PX) $218 per month for 48 months AA R 4 (total lease obligat-on of $10,464) Down payment or equivalent trade of S7.290/S1.820 required izero down payment plans available', plus first monthly payment Option to purchase at lease end for $9,35Q/$8,950 plus taw s *M S R P includes $300 for 30th Anniversary Edition extra features but does not include freight and P0 E ($850) # 5 8% conventional financing is available on all new 2003 C iv ic Sedans and Civrc Coupes (not SiR or Hybrid) for 24 36 48 or 60 month terms. Financing example $20,000 at 5 8% per annum equals $384.80 per month for 60 months C.QB .s S3.088 00 for a total obligation of $23,088 00 Down payment may be required T30th Anniversary Edition extra features vaiue is $1,388. based on the Total Suggested Dealer-Installed price Incremental price for these features is $300 Value Price Advantage is $2,088 t Available on all Civic Sedans except LX-Sport and Hybrid and all Civic Coupes except Si-G and SiR. / / V # / t faxes, licence, insurance, administration, registration and maintenance fees are additional Dealer may sell/lease for less t ttS ou rce Association of International Automobile Manufacturers of Canada ttC rash lests by NHTSA are based on a 2003 Civic Sedan DX for driver and front passenger in front-impact crash tests For more details visit www.nhtsa.com See your neighbourhood Ontario Honda dealer fo r details ·1 1 5 h p .1 .7Litre Engine ·A M /FMStereoSystem . L e a s e d tor w ith C Dand 4Speakers · A ir C onditioningw ith M icro n tm S A ir-Fiitration System · K eyless R em o te Entry · Pow er D o o r Locks · D river's and Fro n t Passenger's D u alper m o n th fo r 48 m onths Stage Fron tA irbags · 5 -Sp eed M anual Transm ission F re!gM included IK m Nbur Neighbourhood ONTARIO H onda DEALERS h o n d a o n t a r i o . c o m o r i - 8 8 8 - 9 - h o n d a - 9 HONDA