Opinions on 2004 Honda Accord V6?

Hi everybody,

I am doing my research for a new car and test drove a 2004 Honda Accord EX
V6. I was impressed with the quality of the interior, and all the features
that make it an almost luxury car, the handling and very importantly, the
110k (!) scheduled maintenance. What wasn't as impressive was the inside
noise level - lots of wind noise on the freeway, you could hear the engine
quite loudly, and also all the bumps in the road.

Also, the acceleration didn't feel like the 240 hp they advertise, I mean I
didn't get the instant response. I test drove a Saab Aero a couple years ago
and that one had practically instant response, at any rpm, and at that time
it was powered at around 230hp I think.

Are my expectations unrealistic?

Any opinions will be appreciated.

Thanks,

Adrian

 

For what its worth, I have a 98 EX V6 with 200 hp and its quite peppy both
off the mark and for passing. I test drove a 2003 EX V6 with 240 HP and
there was a noticeable increase in power over my 98. Hondas in general have
more interior road and engine "noise" than other cars though the 04 tested
pretty close in interior noise levels to the competition (Camry, Altima
etc). Its the fit, finish and general "fun to drive" factor that Motor Trend
in a recent issue called it "as close to perfection as a family sedan can
come".
I think your expectations are a bit unrealistic.
Matthew

 

I'm wondering just what car you were driving. My 03 EX V6 is so quiet inside
that I frequently find myself looking at the tach in order to see if I
actually need to shift or not. More than once I've been motoring happily
down the highway, and glancing down at the tach found (to my horror) it
sitting at 5000 rpm, because I had forgotten to shift out of 4th, and
thought I was in 6th. I simply don't know, because I can't hear the engine.
This is one of the quietest cars I have ever driven.

It's a large and heavy car. Plus, the 240 hp in typical Honda fashion
doesn't come online until the revs get up quite high. While there is
certainly more torque at lower revs than other Honda engines, the torque
(which is really what you discern as "instant response", not horsepower) is
just not there at low revs.