2003 Accord LX auto

This review is based on a 2003 Accord LX auto that we purchased new in early March of 2003 from a dealer in the Twin Cities.

1. Options

None. We specifically looked for a brand and model that did not need additional expensive options. Honda with its simplified model lineup fit our bill perfectly. The only factory options on the 2003 LX are auto transmission and side airbags, but Honda considers all these different trim levels. We got automatic transmission but not side airbags.

2. Standard features.

Somewhat in the order of importance:
dual-stage-release airbags (driver and passenger only), 5-speed automatic transmission, ABS, air conditioning with micron cabin filtration, power locks/windows/mirrors, remote keyless entry and trunk release, cruise control, AM/FM/CD with 6 speakers.

3. Exterior

Compared to the very conservative previous (98-02) generation, Honda has restyled the 02 Accord to look a lot more daring, sporty and "European". The results are mixed, in my opinion. While the looks of the Accord has certainly grown on us, I still see clearly that it resembles a plump Civic in front and a Saturn S-series in the back. The car is and looks taller than the previous generation Accord, following the trend of other taller cars such as a Corolla,
an Altima and to some extent the Camry.

Exterior styling is subjective, but for me dark Accords (graphite gray, dark green and blue, even dark red) look much better than the light-color ones such as bronze or white. We bought a silver one because it was the only one with a very dark gray, almost black interior - more on interior/exterior combinations in the next section.

3. Interior

Not too big but big enough, at least for up to 3 adults and a 1.5 year old in a forward-facing carseat. While the Accord obviously cannot compete with minivans and SUVs for passenger room, it has enough for our family. We usually have 1 or 2 adults in it, plus possibly a car seat. Even with the third adult in the back and a center-mounted carseat, there is no shortage of space. Granted, all adults are around average height and slim. If you have to have 2 *wide* adults in the back with a carseat, consider a minivan. Plenty of legroom in the back.

Very plush, almost near-luxury for a mid-priced, commodity family sedan. Unlike many other brands, Honda has a limited number of exterior/interior color combinations. Most darker cars have either beige or gray interior. Neither one was acceptable to us - beige because we think dirt is more visible on it, and gray because it looked somewhat cheaper than the beige and especially dark gray/black. Once we sat in an Accord with a dark gray/black interior, we realized that it looked and felt much more luxurious than the other two. The only exterior color available with it was silver.

Our original exterior color choices were dark blue and green, but we discarded these in favor of silver because of its interior. Silver has some nice properties - it is highly visible, does not heat up as much as dark colors in summer, and it is supposedly easier for a body shop to find a matching paint for a touch-up. On the downside, silver is a metallic color, and I read about metallic pigments in car paint making it less durable. That article referred to early nineties car, so we hope newer ones do not suffer from this problem.

Honda uses nice-looking plastics on the Accord dash, steering wheel, and shifter. The cloth of the seats and the elbow rest has a nice feel and look, but is somewhat "veloury" - lint can cling to it. Look at the upscale EX model, it has a different cloth. I personally did not find the difference in the interior and additional features justifying the higher price over the LX.

Seats are firm and supportive, with just enough of a wrap-around feel. I have not taken non-stop long trips in this car yet, but spent up to 5 hours in it with short stops. No back or arm fatigue at all.

4. Ergonomics

All controls are located on a center console, except the cruise controls on the steering wheel. They are mostly the right size, pleasing to the touch, and intuitive. The factory AM/FM/CD stereo is certainly easier to operate that the ancient Delco unit in my new Prizm, or a Pioneer deck in the older one. I usually operate the big center volume knob without taking my eyes off the road.

A small (non-color) LCD screen above the volume knob is surrounded by stereo controls; it displays current information such as volume, track, etc. Nice touch.

The air temperature and air volume controls are round knobs. Unlike the ones in the economy cars I drive, they are "continuous" - there are probably 10 or 15 positions between cold and hot air, and min and max flow. This allows me to more precisely set the temperature and amount of air blown into the cabin. The round knob also feels nicer and more substantial than the directional switches with 4-5 positions.

The air flow control (what is the proper term for it - it selects whether the vents blow in your face, knees, windows, etc) is a row of 5 radiobuttons, rather than a turning switch. The current selection has a small LED turned on.

5. Ride and handling

The ride is firm and tight, somewhat bumpy over bad pavement, but there is no body roll while turning. The car feels very tight and responsive.

Power is reasonable for a family sedan. While Accords can be had with a powerful 240 hp V6 for not a whole lot more, the base 4-cylinder has 160 hp and nice torque. Coupled with a 5-speed transmission that shifts smoothly, this produces a car that accelerates well from a stop and has enough passing power at highway speeds.

During the breakin period of the first 1000 miles, it is not recommended to exceed 3000 rpm or 70 mph. My observations are based on this conservative style of driving, so one can assume that if you remove those restrictions, the car will be even more agile.

Besides sufficient power in a 4-cylinder, other reasons not to pay extra for a V6 are:
- V6 is heavier, and V6-powered Accords are apparently less nimble because of more uneven weight distribution between front and rear wheels
- fuel economy. The I4 automatic is rated at 24-33 mpg, while the V6 only get 20-25 according to EPA. Especially if gas prices keep rising consistently, this can make some difference
- the V6 engine is larger and leaves less room under the hood for access, making repairs and maintenance more expensive.

6. Safety

Obviously, both driver and passenger airbags are standard. We decided not to get side airbags (non curtain type), relying instead on strong crash score of this model. Side curtain airbags are only available (and standard) on the highest Accord trim, EX-V6.

This Accord does not have daytime running lights - a safety drawback in my opinion.

7. Competition and shopping experience

The Accord competes in a crowded field of midsize family sedan, with such strong competition as Toyota Camry, Volkswagen Passat, Ford Taurus/Sable, Nissan Altima, Subary Legacy, various Daimler-Chrysler and GM offerings. I have only driven new 2002 and 2003 Camrys, and can say that Accords are a pretty even match. Camrys ride a little softer but are less nimble and therefore "sporty"; they have somewhat better sound insulation but I prefer interior design and materials of an Accord; etc. In the end, the excellent price of an Accord, its better feel of the road, combined with standard ABS and 5-speed automatic (not available on a Camry at all) tilted our choice toward a Honda.

An Accord may be one of the few cars that one can justify buying new. Our initial goal and attempts to buy a used 2000-2002 Accord did not succeed - they keep their value so well that a rental 2000 Accord (out of warranty, of course) lists for 12-13k at a dealer. And I don't see too many private parties selling newer Accords - why, when you can hold on to the car for 6-8-10 years, hopefully with minimal problems?

We shifted to shopping for a new Accord. Overall, it was a quick and painless experience. Since I drove a friend's Accord with just a few hundred miles, I did not need to waste dealer's time by test-driving one. Using Edmunds' dealer quote feature on their web site, I requested quotes from all 5 Twin Cities Honda dealers. Got replies from 3 within a day or two, made my own offer of invoice destination, negotiated by email to invoice $300 - not bad for a first year car in reasonable demand.

[Updated 8/11/03] We just completed a first longish road trip in our Accord - over 300 miles one way. 3 adults, a 12-year old, and a 2-year old, the latter in a centrally-installed car seat. All the adult passengers and the teenager are between 5'8 and 5'11, but not wide and heavy. Front and rear legroom was not an issue. With two people and a car seat in the back seat, we could have used an extra an inch or two in back seat width, but nobody was uncomfortable.

With the feeding and stretching stops required by the youngest passenger, we covered about 325 miles of rolling and flat Wisconsin landscape in about 6 hours. The speed limit throughout most of the trip was 65; I set the cruise control to 72-74, passing and being passed by about equal numbers of cars. The air conditinioning was on all the way, resulting in a fuel consumption of almost exactly 30 mpg (the car has 7k now). I speculate that for an attentive and a disciplined driver, fuel economy would be improved by NOT using cruise control, as the latter sometimes forced the car to upshift on inclines. Manually controlling speed, especially in a car with a manual transmission, would allow to pick up speed going downhill and slow down going uphill. On the other hand, at somewhat-extra-legal speeds, this approach would increase the probability of a speeding ticket.

On the away trip, my lower back became uncomfortable after about 3 hours, but I was able to find a more comfortable position. The return trip was much better. Cruise control is essential on such long trips, and I used it extensively, except when driving on somewhat-congested approaches to the Door County peninsula. The lack of backligthing in the cruise control buttons on the steering wheel was a nuisance, but I fairly quickly learned to manipulate the set/accelerate/deccelerate buttons by touch. I do, however, prefer the less elegant cruise control stalk on my Chevy Prizm, as it separates the functions (on/off vs. speed setting) more cleanly.

The car rode very quietly over smooth road surfaces. Engine noise and especially wind noise are very well insulated. On some frost-eroded highway stretches, you could hear - but not feel - the thunk-thunk-thunk of the concrete plate edges. I would be curious to drive a different car, such as a Camry or a Taurus, over a similar quality road and to determine if the Accord gives up some ride smoothness for sportiness.

Overall, the road trip confirmed our high opinion of the comfort and versatility of the Accord. While a minivan would definitely provide more space, it would have a higher purchase price and consume more gas.

[21-month update]
No (significant) problems as of 21 months and 25k miles.

There was an annoying clunking noise when accelerating or braking, even gently. I had to take the car to the dealer twice to replicate the problem - on the first visit, the noise was inaudible over the fresh snow and nice. By the second visit about a month later, Honda has issued a TSB instructing the dealer to re-weld a part of the lower body. Not the most pleasant thought to have a "frame" member flopping loose, but it was fixed promptly, and the dealership provided a comparable rental because they could not complete the repair in one day.

I do change the oil and in general perform maintenance according to Honda's "severe" schedule, even though the primary use. Even though dealer service is somewhat expensive, I consider the more frequent service as an insurance against failure.

The (potential) resale value of the Accord is also slightly disappointing. I need to replace one of the two vehicles in our family fleet of two with a minivan. If I sell the Accord privately today, I will be lucky to get about 13k, since dealers advertise units with comparabale mileage for between 14.5 and 15.5k. That's about 70% resale after 2 years, not counting taxes and registration. Perhaps better than most non-exotics, but I expected a little better.

Update 09/2007

A very loud static - that cannot be turned off with the volume control - comes on and off the stereo. Car needs to be shut down and restarted, which may not be possible if one is driving on a freeway. The noise is very loud and can be startling.

The dealer diagnosed the car, contacted Honda, and they agreed to send in a replacement for a failed stereo, and pay for the labor charges. The car is about 16 months/6k miles out of warranty.
Recommended
Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 18,700 + taxes and registration
Condition: New
Model Year: 2003
Model and Options: LX automatic