2004 Honda Accord Walkaround Review at Automotive.com
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2004 Honda Accord Review: Exterior

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2004 Honda Accord Review

Dazzling performance meets everyday economy.
Walkaround
The Accord sedan and coupe share no sheet metal whatsoever, although their faces do look alike (partly because the one exterior feature they do share is their angular headlamps). Completely redesigned for 2003, the sharpened noses of the Accord sedan and coupe are reminiscent of an Acura RSX. The corners and sides of both bodies are carefully sculpted with a combination of concave and convex surfaces, in an attempt to achieve a muscular and agile look, with subtle and unique three-dimensional window glass, also intended to reduce wind noise. The aerodynamically efficient side-view mirrors are one of the results of wind tunnel testing.

The sedan's drag coefficient (a measure of how easily it moves through the air) is 0.30, significantly better than the previous model's 0.33. This latest Accord is also longer in wheelbase, and wider and taller overall than its predecessor, for more interior room. Yet it looks lower, thanks in part to its sleeker, raked-back windshield.

The coupe is a completely different beast. Its flanks and rear deck are even more shapely, flowing naturally and gracefully from the roofline. It yields a very aerodynamic 0.29 drag coefficient (compared to 0.32 for the pre-2003 coupe).

The Accord's doors are built using a new and unique method that makes them very light and strong. You can clearly hear the quality in the sound when you close them. You feel quality, also, in the extremely light touch required to open the trunk.

Honda engineers are particularly proud of the fact that all Accord models achieved five-star safety ratings for driver and front-seat passenger in the government's frontal crash test. Additionally, the coupe earned a five-star rating for front and rear-seat passengers in the side-impact test, even without the optional side-impact airbags.

All Accord coupes and the majority of sedans are assembled in Honda's Marysville, Ohio, plant, though some of the sedans come from Japan and Mexico. Next Page



2004 Honda Accord
  
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