2014 Honda Accord
Model tested:
- 2014 Honda Accord EX-L Navi (Coupe)
- 3.5L V6 engine
- Front-wheel drive
- 6-speed manual transmission
- Seating capacity: 5
- Road test terrain: 75% highway, 25% city
- Tested MSRP: $35,555 CAD
The Accord is a staple of the Honda brand, having been manufactured since the 70’s. At first sight I was impressed with how Honda has kept the Accord badge alive, given today’s age of never-ending ‘new’ car releases. Here’s what else we noticed about the 2014 Honda Accord EX-L Navi:
Exterior Style
Overall, the coupe styling is sleek – which is nice given that it has the ‘family vehicle’ reputation down pat. The 18” aluminum-alloy ‘diamond machined face’ rims really do give it a nice kick! Anything with the word ‘diamond’ is worth a second look for me (do you see a diamond-like shape in the rim?)!
The best part has got to be the exterior LED headlights, these were BRIGHT. It really worked well for me as I live in a new subdivision and it can get pretty dark at night.
Interior design
The 2014 Honda Accord’s cabin was comfortable and as a driver, most of the controls were intuitive. I liked the stepped instrument panel display and there was sufficient storage space.
Memory seat
I know, this might seem like a small feature but I really appreciated it because my husband and I are not close in height! Plus I always sit a little bit closer so I can fully disengage the clutch.
Child car seat
The rear seats on the 2014 Honda Accord have a bucket style to them, which makes it comfortable for the passengers. The UAS anchors are easily accessible but they’re a bit high. Given the bucket seating and placement of the anchors, you’ll likely need a pool noodle or two to take up that space when you’re trying to install a rear-facing child car seat at the correct recline angle. The rear seats’ headrests are removable so that will make it easier to install the tether strap on forward-facing child car seats.
Fuel-efficiency: Backlight
This feature is available in most Hondas now but it’s worth a mention. There is a fuel-efficiency backlight on the instrument panel where the speedometer is. When you’re driving in an eco-friendly way (coasting or decelerating) it lights up green. It’s a subtle and interesting way to incorporate the ‘econ’ feature in the car. Most other vehicles have the word ‘eco’ pop up on the instrument cluster.
Fuel-efficiency: Variable Cylinder Management (VCM)
A cool feature for the automatic transmission is that the engine has VCM technology where it can drop 3 cylinders to help with fuel economy under certain driving conditions. It brings all 6 cylinders back up when more power is needed.
Lane Watch
Here’s one thing that’s made the Accord stand out for me. It has a built-in camera in the passenger side mirror and when you signal right, it displays that camera’s image on the centre screen. This adds to the common blind-spot monitoring feature and gives you much more visibility for what may be in your blind spot. Just a note, the Lane Watch feature isn’t available when you make left turns because Honda states it would be counter-intuitive to look to the right where the image is displayed while you’re trying to make a left turn.
Hill Start Assist
This feature is available on all versions of the 2014 Honda Accord, but it’s definitely most noticeable in a manual transmission. As soon as I disengage the clutch and let go of the brake pedal, this feature temporarily maintains brake pressure so the car doesn’t roll back on an incline.
Under the hood
I firmly believe auto manufacturers are to make vehicles that will allow consumers to do some basic maintenance! When I opened the hood of the 2014 Honda Accord, I was pleased to see easy access to different components including battery, engine oil fill cap and dipstick, washer fluid filler neck, and visible fluid reservoirs for coolant and brake fluid.
Trunk space & spare tire compartment
The trunk space was larger than I thought, given that I was driving a coupe and the rear end of the car didn’t look that long from its side profile. A nice touch is that the spare tire cover is small, making it easier to lift and access the spare tire components. After lifting many of these to get to wheel lock keys, I really appreciate when it’s not a large, cumbersome flap!
Personally, I couldn’t get the hang of the multiple screens and knobs. The lower screen is basically a touch screen where you could enter details, while information appears on a higher screen (mounted on the top part of the dash). The upper screen also displays maps, car maintenance codes as well as fuel consumption. I asked our clients who own a Honda and they indicated that the screens took some getting used to, but the voice commands do come in handy.
All in all, a stylish and reliable family vehicle with the usual Honda low maintenance requirements!
