Accord continues noble tradition
KINGSTON, Jamaica: The Honda Accord has made another record appearance on Car and Driver Magazine’s Top 10 Best Cars list for a 28th consecutive year.
Car and Driver is an American automotive enthusiast magazine known for its rigorous testing methods and “telling it like it is” reviews. The magazine launched its Top 10 Best Cars list in 1983.
The Accord is the number one selling mid-size sedan in America, as well as in Jamaica.
Eight of the nine generation Accords have won a spot on Car and Driver’s 10 Best Cars list.
The redesigned sedan has risen as Honda’s triumphant phoenix despite production setbacks due to the earthquake in 2011 in Japan.
According to Car and Driver, the Honda Accord’s dominance is the result of a timely partnership between Japan’s burgeoning industrial might and America’s rapidly changing post-OPEC market.
The first Accord in 1976 was a huge stride from the series of mostly obscure subcompacts that preceded it. Building on the Civic CVCC, the Accord was a polished and precision Japanese instrument in the mould of a contemporary Sony tape recorder, and it threw Detroit’s complacency into glaringly sharp relief.
On the showroom floor, the Accord displayed engineering elegance that anybody could appreciate, from the perfectly placed cabin controls and the painstakingly efficient packaging to the meticulously routed hoses and cables under the hood. In motion, an Accord was light, thrifty, fun, practical, and incredibly durable. Honda sealed its reputation with the Accord, and the car has consistently adhered to its core values through nine generations.
There isn’t a bad apple in the bushel, but the 1994-1997 fifth-gen is a particularly warm memory. The sheet metal was wrapped tightly, the hood line sloping down to two illuminated slits for headlights. It was the first Accord with a V-6 and the first with panache as well as purpose. It drove like it, immediately rendering all other cars in its class contenders for second place. Since then, the Accord has grown and matured.
The redesigned 2013 Accord returned to form as a slightly smaller but still unapologetically practical vehicle with acres of glass for visibility, a capacious cabin, and that same spry lightness to its controls and movements. Once again, the Accord became the standard by which the largest and most competitive class of passenger cars were judged.
Exclusive local dealer of Honda automobiles ATL Automotive was thrilled by the development. The company recently launched its “Jamaica Loves Honda” campaign.
Sam McKenzie, general manager and Honda dealer principal said: “We will never tire of celebrating this news year after year. Knowing that we sell a critically acclaimed car makes our job that much easier. The Accord is number one in America and it has been number one in its segment locally for the past 10 years. Jamaicans love Honda. It is a brand that many aspire towards. It looks good and is backed by reliability and the best resale value. We have a high rate of repeat customers who either upgrade to another model or to a new generation of the same model.”
He added: “The Accord exudes luxury and success, so executives are drawn to it. A large interior all around with comfortable seating also makes it a great family sedan.”