Honda used airline business-class seating as a model for the Accord interior and it's a marvel of space efficiency. Amazingly, the new interior is substantially roomier than last year's edition, but the exterior is just slightly larger. The front seats are wider and more comfortable than before, but the big news is in back where there's substantially more room for rear seat passengers. This makes the new Accord a true midsize sedan, whereas before it was considered a big compact.
Bigger front and rear door openings make it easier to get in and out of the car. It's also easier to load cargo because the trunk opening is bigger. The trunk itself is four inches wider for increased cargo capacity.
Everything inside the car has been redesigned. A new instrument panel features a two-tone finish with big gauges that are easy to read. Gone finally are the little silver metal switches that have locked doors for millions of Honda products, replaced with more aesthetically appealing plastic ones that match the interior.
For 1999, Honda improved the Accord's interior with new seat fabric. The EX V-6 comes standard with a leather interior and the light tones of ours was warm and inviting.
Features associated with luxury cars abound, particularly on the high-level models. Sun visors offer sliding extensions, a HomeLink remote control system can be programmed to open garage doors, turn on house lights and turn off security systems. The air conditioning system, redesigned to reduce cool-down times by 30 percent, uses an air filtration system to keep pollen out and reduce diesel fumes from buses and trucks.
This car is incredibly easy to drive.
In an informal back-to-back test in Ohio's Cuyahoga Valley, we discovered the Accord EX V-6 feels lighter on its feet than the Toyota Camry, Chevrolet Malibu or Ford Taurus. Blasting up and down a rough, knarly little backroad, we explored the limits of handling, power and braking. The Camry offered superb damping over the ripply pavement and the Malibu surprised us with its handling prowess. The Taurus seemed out of its element, heavy and ponderous. But the Accord provided the sharpest transient response - turning left, then right, then left again. The Accord also had the best brakes.
The Accord corners well with steering that's light and precise. At the limit, it tends toward understeer - the front tires lose grip before the rear tires. (That's the right suspension tuning for most people, though serious driving enthusiasts may find it a little limiting.) The Accord offers incredibly good handling on bumpy roads; a series of big bumps in the middle of a turn hardly affects it. The suspension damps out the bumps and keeps the tires planted on the road. The tires, by the way, (P205/65VR15 Michelin MXV4) are quiet and the ride quality is flawless.
This handling balance is a benefit of the Accord's strong chassis and double-wishbone front and rear suspensions, which were completely redesigned for 1998.
In cruise mode, the V6 engine just purrs along, barely audible. Stomp on the throttle and the VTEC cam setup growls with authority. The 3.0-liter V6 is equipped with Honda's VTEC (Variable valve Timing and valve lift Electronic Control) system is tuned to deliver optimum torque over a broad rev range. It's so smooth and so quiet that sometimes a glance at the tachometer is required to confirm that it's running. It provides lots of power for merging into traffic or entertaining its driver.
It's possible to save some coin by ordering the 2.3-liter VTEC inline 4-cylinder engine, which was completely redesigned for 1998. It produces more power, less vibration and better fuel efficiency than its predecessor. It's so clean that the Accord EX and LX with automatic transmissions meet California's demanding ultra-low emissions vehicle (ULEV) standards; an LX automatic gets 30 mpg on the highway. Generating 150 hp at 5700 rpm, an Accord equipped with this engine is a great package that deserves consideration by anyone shopping for a roomy mid-size car that excels in quality, durability, reliability, smoothness, ride quality, practicality and fuel efficiency. Did we leave anything out?