Another spin with the Honda Accord 2011

Last year, Honda Philippines sent us to an overnight strip to Clark along with their 2010 Honda Accord. With the new Honda Accord 2011, they lent us the vehicle for a week to take around the city.

We got the Accord 3.5L variant, the faster and more powerful one — and the more expensive too.

As expected, the new Accord 2011 delivered as promised — same great design with all the right curves, packed with luxury features, spacious seating, a comfortable ride and more than enough power when you needed it.

Unlike the previous test drives where we pushed the limit on how fast we can push the speedometer, our experience with the Honda Accord is mostly city-driving.

The bigger engine (a 3.5 DOHC 24V V6) offers faster acceleration and better speeds but when you’re concern is gas consumption, Honda still Eco-mode where the engine drops the running cylinders to half when you’re cruising, thereby reducing the gas-guzzling mode.

And true enough, I noticed I only spent about a little less than half of a full tank in the one week I’ve used it. My 2.0L Lancer EX consumes almost the same amount of gas in a week of normal use.

The dash is big and bold with controls easy to find and navigate (some of it are on the steering wheel itself). Even if the Accord is fully automatic, you can switch to manual mode and change gears using the paddle shifters placed on the steering wheel (I’m not comfortable with paddle shifters so I didn’t use them).

The 3.5L also comes with 7 stereo speakers, 3 of which are placed at the back, just behind the trunk.

Notice there’s also a small access door from the truck to the back seat (comes with a lock). I guess that gives you quick access to stuff you store in the trunk (probably to a beer cooler? haha!).

This variant also includes a moonroof, rear sun shade, automatic seat adjustment, climate control with dual-aircon, and a front sensor on top of the rear sensors.

The most useful feature for me is the Bluetooth wireless speaker that pairs with your phone for handsfree phone calls (very easy to pair with any Bluetooth-capable phone too). It also controls the speakers so if you’re playing a song or listening to the radio, it will turn the volume down to make way for the call.

Reception and call quality is actually good but really depends on ambient noise, especially when you’re stuck in a noisy traffic. And I tend to shout a bit or move my head near the receiver when making calls. I wish it can also stream my phone’s music to the car speakers.

Although the driving experience was very comfortable, I don’t think it’s the smoothest ride I’ve driven. I can still feel some subtle bumps when driving on cement road (actually noticed it compared with my own car or maybe I’m just a bit biased here).

Check out this quick video I made showing some of its features: