© Price as tested MSRP $22,335 © Type 4 door, 5 pass. coupe © Layout . transverse front engine/front wheel drive © Engine 2156 cc 4. cylinder/ SOHC/16_ valves/multi- point programmed fuel injection © Horsepower 140 @ 5600 rpm ¢ Torque 142 Ibs./ft. @ 4500 rpm ® Transmission 4 spd. electronically- controlled automatic w/ overdrive © Curb weight 1370 kg/3020 Ibs. © Wheelbase 2720 mm/107.1 in. © Length 4695 mm/184.8 in. ® Width 1725 mm/67.9 in. © Height 1390 mm/54.7 in. © Trunk space 400 L/14.4 cu.ft. ¢ Fuel economy City 11.7 1/100km or 24 mpg; Hwy 8.3 1/100 km or 34 mpg © Warranty Basic 3 yrs/60,000 km Major components 5 yrs/100,000 km Friday, January 1 IVES 8, 1991 - North Shore News - 21 . ONDA ACCORD Engineers improve upon successful formula THE HONDA Accord has developed a reputation for be- ing one of the best imported family sedans in Canada, particularly in the areas of reliability, solid construction, fuel efficiency, and resale value. It is currently the number one selling car in the United States, and is expected to rise to the number three position in Canada for 1990 once ail the numbers are in. So much praise has been heaped upon the Accord by car maga- zines, consumer associations and clever advertising, that the Accord has developed a certain mystique about it. It is often portrayed as the car that other cars must aspire to, or the so-called ‘benchmark’ of the compact sedan class. A NEW top-of-the-line Honda Accord, the EX-R ALB comes equipped with anti-lock brakes, four wheel disc brakes and 140° horsepower — 10 more than the EX-R model. A new station wagon will also be available early this year. Photos submitted Such high expectations may lead to disappointment when you first drive the car. This is not a super car — it’s a very good four cy!- inder, five passenger family sedan in the 16 to 24 thousand dollar Tange, maybe even the best in its class. But don’t expect it to outperform BMWs and Mercedeses. And yes, even the Accord has faults. The fourth generation Accord, introduced last year, offered slightly altered styling, a bigger engine and more interior room than previous models. This model has been carried over for 1991 with a few changes. A_ new top-of-the-line model, the EX-R ALB (this week’s test car), comes equipped with anti- lock brakes, four wheel disc brakes and 140 horsepower, 10 more than the EX-R model. A new station wagon will also be available early this year. Accords come with two or four doors in a notchback sedan or four-door wagon body style. The hatchback body style was dropped a couple of years ago. The Accord’s 107-inch wheelbase is unusually long, even longer than that of the mid-size Ford Taurus. The advantage of a long wheelbase is that it provides more cabin space and a superior ride, and the Accord does excell in these areas. All Accords have an aluminum alloy 2.2 litre in-line four cylinder engine with a single overhead cam and four valves per cylinder. This engine has two balance shafts to reduce engine vibrations and Ac- cords equipped with automatic transmissions have a unique engine-mount that ‘softens’ under idle to further reduce vibrations. The Accord LX and EX have 125 horsepower while the EX-R and EX-R ALB models manage to extract 130 and 140 horsepower Greg Wilson A TEST DRIVE out of the same engine with some modifications to the manifolds. Many of the Accord’s com- petitors are offering optional V6 engines but Honda refuses to follow this trend despite demand for it. Insiders say this is because Honda wants to keep the Accord fuel-efficient and environmentally friendly. Honda tends to take a long term view of things, and so far, it seems to have worked out quite weil. My test car’s new anti-lock braking system, developed by Honda, uses three separate cir- cuits, one to the rear wheels and one to each of the front wheels. At speeds of 10 km/h or more, it activates when the brakes are depressed and the wheels start to lock up. I found it particularly useful during our recent spell of icy weather. | had much better steering control while braking on snow or ice. The EX-R comes standard with a four-speed automatic transmis- sion which features sport and normal shifting modes fo: per- formance or economy. A five- speed manual is standard on other modeis. My major complaint with the automatic transmission is that it sometimes shifts in a jerky fash- ion.