I spotted this first generation Honda Accord last week, while I was piloting a 2014 EX-L four door. Since I found an open space adjacent to this ’76 or ’77, I decided to take a couple of shots demonstrating how the Accord changed over the years (the dark grey car is the newer model).
Perhaps I should have used a ’14 coupe for the comparison, to better match door count. However, both cars represent the most popular body style of their respective model years.
This front shot does not provide quite as dramatic a contrast, since the ’76 isn’t lined up as tightly on the curb as the newer car. Still, I think these two pictures will provide ample comment fodder. Post away!
Honda has always excelled in the engineering side, but has played it safe (dull) in styling. When they have tried to infuse some style it just gets weird.
In reference to your picture above the new Accord is HUGE!
There was a time between the mid ’80s and mid ’90s where the company was able to mix style with savvy engineering.
Hi Dave,
I always wonder is this is response to a fully understandable evolution of customer demand, or a deliberate strategy to raise the typical transaction value of (in this case) the Accord nameplate with a loyal customer base.
Surely the CIvic is now where the gen 1 Accord was? Or look at the Polo – now larger than a gen 1 Golf, a Fiesta to Escort, Focus to Sierra, the list goes on
But to have a big accident, I’d take the new car!
I don’t get this obsession on crashes. Virtually every auto site and blog I read, you’ve got a significant amount of the readership that’s just got to bring up the superiority of modern cars in crashes, as if that’s more important in handling, performance, etc., etc., etc.
Maybe I’m weird, but the number of airbags, etc. in a car I’m looking at buying isn’t part of my consideration in the car buying process. And the car I’ve been the most comfortable in over the past three decades was my Porsche – who’s total safety equipment was (I believe) anti-lock brakes and a buzzer/light combination that goes off for five seconds to tell you to put on your seatbelt. After which, the car assumes you’re adult enough to make decisions for yourself.
And yeah, in states where it’s legal, I’ll ride a motorcycle in town without a helmet. I don’t live for accidents, I live for the drive.
I mostly agree with you Syke, the endless hand wringing and “what is the SAFEST car for my children?” is rather irritating. Really makes me wonder how safe is safe enough, or even too safe, since the safest car is the one that avoids the crash in the first place.
However, having been in a major crash (rear ended at 55mph on the Interstate by a speeding car) has tempered my irritation somewhat. For daily driving I’ll gladly take high back seats, 3 point belts and airbags.
Doesn’t stop me from enjoying old hobby cars and motorcycles though.
The obsession? The “obsession” is thousands of people die in car crashes every year. I’m glad you can just throw that aside, but the fact that people can walk away from crashes that would seriously injure or kill them 20 years ago is huge. Traffic fatalities in the US peaked at 50k+ per year in the 70’s, and has dropped every year since, to around 30k now, thanks to this “obsession”. The ability to drive around a crash is still important, but I’d still much rather crash a BRZ than a CRX, and I bet it’s about as fun, or moreso, to drive.
And not wearing a motorcycle helmet is nothing to be proud of. Think of your family, and the burden you’ll place on them after you become a vegetable when you lay your bike down at 30 mph just to look cool, rather than wear a helmet and walk away. You’re not living for the drive, you’re just not planning for the worst, thousands of others do that every year, and they’re lined up in nicely manicured cemeteries…
I’ve ridden motorcycles from when I was 13 up until I was 40. Arkansas is a no-helmet state. However, I found that a full face helmet with a visor is much less fatiguing on the highway than having the wind beat up my face and hair for eight hours. I’m more alert and thinking about what’s going on around me instead of about how tired I feel.
Ltd, you couldn’t have said it better. Not only have total traffic fatalities dropped, from a high of 51,000 in 1980 to 31,000 now, but this drop is all the more remarkable when you consider total miles driven in 1980 were 1.5 billion compared to 2.9 billion today. The death rate per million miles driven is now 1.14 compared to 3.35 then. The reasons? Good seat/shoulder belts (with 90% useage), crumple zones, airbags everywhere and just overall safer vehicles. Auto manufacturers are constanlty criticized, usually justifiably, but this is a major acheivement they can be proud of.
Syke, no one lives for accidents, but they happen. That’s why they’re called accidents. All of society benefits when we have 20,000 fewer needless deaths per year, not to mention the untold thousands that now walk away from crashes that would have formerly disabled them. My old 280-Z handled great, but even a Porsche in the hands of a skillful driver can’t avoid all accidents. And when they happen, I want the best chance to survive it.
We mustn’t forget the impact of harsher drinking driving laws, at least in Canada. I am not sure about the situation in the USA, but drunk driving is now socially unacceptable here. Penalties are harsh and every conviction results in a criminal record. Good.
British Columbia introduced North America’s toughest drunk driving laws three years ago, to the howls of the knuckle-dragging set (who are most likely to do it, in my experience). Fatalities have been cut in half since then. Good.
I have always believed that if you can sit in a bar all night, you can afford a taxi home, or a motel room if it’s too far.
Also, I for one am very glad to have a car with ABS. Insurance companies have stopped giving discounts for it, claiming that statistically it doesn’t meaningfully affect the accident rate, and the car nuts are always quick to insist that you don’t really need it “if you know what you’re doing” (a cant that pardons any number of dynamic sins), but statistics notwithstanding, I know mine paid for itself early on and has been a worthwhile investment.
Svereal years ago I saw comparo photos of the extent of damage in a CC ’59 Bel Air versus modern Impala. They were driven into each other in a frontal offset crash.
The modern car was pretty banged up but the occupants might have walked away. Crumple zones worked as designed.
The CC version, though, was an effing mess. The front wheel was basically where the drivers head used to be, or would have been. The entire car imploded.
I enjoy my ’59 Ambassador but I know that my DD is safer. Doesn’t cheapen the ride in the least, but I do assume the risk.
There is a youtube video of that crash test. The entire front half of the Bel Air was destroyed. Mind you the Bel Air is a heavier car. The windshield practically flew off the thing in one piece.
And there it is, the go to video for safety proponents… Nothing like comparing a rusty old sedan on a frame that was flimsy even by 1960s standards to prove just how awful ALL old cars definitely are in a crash. I’m sure the crackdown on DUIs and acceptance of seatbelt usage(and laws) had minimal impact.
Perception of safety trumps reality. I always love the hypocrisy spewed when the same people who chastise automakers for planned obsolescence strategies via annual styling changes or genuine engineered decay will on the other hand constantly wring out the very same marketing pitch when safety is concerned:
“Ugh automakers should build a car that lasts 10+ years without any major repairs whatsoever!”…. “Oh you you’re still driving a 10+ year old car? Aren’t you worried about your family’s safety???”
XR7Matt: FWIW, that ’59 Chevy wasn’t rusty. The previous owner of that car wrote me about it after I ran that original post at TTAC. It was from Georgia, had been garaged, and the owner said it was not rusty. The red dust that one sees in the video is from the Georgia red soil that had accumulated on its undersides and crevices, as the car lived in the country.
Actually, they chose the ’09 Malibu instead of the ’09 Impala because the Malibu is closer to the weight of the ’59.
If you watch the overhead shot, the cars spin around a common axis, indicating both forces were eqivalent. If the ’59 outweighed the Malibu, it would have pushed the Malibu backwards.
XR7Matt is right in one way, IIHS really should’ve thought of that in advance. Using file footage of a 1959 crashtest of a then-new car and recreating their 1959 test protocol using a modern car – head-on into a wall most likely (I’d give them a belted-in driver, though) would’ve removed the variable of condition.
In Soviet Canuckistan anyway, per capita auto deaths have been cut in half in the last 30 years. While an aging population and more strict (but not strict enough in most places) drunk driving laws will reduce fatalities, there is no doubt in my mind that cars are much safer than they used to be.
I would like to continue living for the drive. Too many other people depend on it.
Agree. Google “Signal 30” and watch the aftermath of auto safety from the good old days.
And don’t forget also some road improvements. Some highways due to geometry and standards of the road was once nicknamed as “blood alley” due to accidents happening on these roads like Hwy-11 between Barrie and North Bay as well as TCH-69. PQ-175 between Quebec City and Saguenay(Chicoutimi), TCH-2 in New Brunswick and there still gaps of TCH-1 in BC who still 2-lanes.
There also a debate about “speed kills…your pocketbook” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2BKdbxX1pDw
It IS incredibly irritating when people put such effort into defebding the status quo. It’s almost as if they’re too afraid to listen to the point you’re trying to make and won’t allow themselves to respectfully disagree, instead denouncing you as, at best, nostalgic.
It’s why I love Curbside Classic and why I hope most of the readership retains your understanding of engineering priorities.
The same people who defend very high safety regulations are the ones who defend the proliferation of in-car entertainment systems. That’s got to tell you something!
People have gotten larger (both wider and taller) over the last few decades also. This is an issue for the airline industry, determining seat size now that people around the world (not just Americans) have become more, er, well-upholstered.
This growth in size of cars is exactly why Nissan, Honda and Toyota have had to add smaller models to their line-ups. The Corollas, Sentras and Civics moved up a class in size leaving a market segment open – hence the Yaris, Versa and Fit.
The Civic is bigger than that 1st gen Accord. The 1st gen was simply a small car with all the limitations that go with that.
Subaru has similar bracket creep. The current Legacy is up there in midsize plus category with the Accord and Camry while my 2012 Impreza is just a tad smaller than the 1st gen Legacy.
The current Accord is a case of having your cake and eating it too.
Some of the size is dictated by consumer and government demand for equipment and safety features that were barely imagined when the 1st gen was around.
And, the new Accord is simply far more practical. You can actually have four junior high kids jump in, take them to school, and head to work – and there is still space in the trunk for your golf clubs for league night. The 1st gen would make that a rather painful experience.
A new Accord Sport will sticker in the low 20s and is really all the car you need with standards a Cadillac didn’t enjoy in the ’70s. And, the modern 4 cyl engine will get you mileage that probably isn’t much different from the 1st gen car while putting out much less pollution.
No matter how good the good old days were, they usually weren’t that good!
I never would have considered the 1st gen car under most circumstances in my life. The current Accord is on a short list for my next purchase.
I still remember the shock of realizing that the 2000 model Civic was LARGER than my ’89 Accord it was parked alongside!! On a related note, I was considering a new Accord coupe, now that Honda offers the 6 speed manual in the LX version. Alas, it is NOT to be! Honda has decided that if you must have a manual, then the ONLY color you can get is Black!!! I can’t figure out the reasoning behind the color limitations and since Honda’s color palette has ALWAYS been limited, IMO, it is IDIOTIC to deny the customer what they want!! 🙁
Back in 07, the only way I could get a Fit Sport with beige interior was to get a white car. Regular Fit? Several color choices with beige. Seats and door panels are the only difference. I have never figured this out. Looks like Honda is doing the same thing again.
I bought an ’07 Fit Sport, 5 MT, blue w/ black interior. A H&R driver T-boned me in 2011. I replaced it with a ’12 Fit Sport, 5 MT, blue w/back interior. In both cases, I had a long wait to get the manual! I have, however, obtained custom fitted ivory seat covers to lighten up the interior! 🙂
How do you like your new Fit as compared to your old one? I have not lived with the newer version, but felt that the added size and weight sort of dulled the personality of the car a bit. But you would know much better than I.
6th gen Civic sedan is as narrow as, and shorter than, 3rd gen Accord sedan. It is about two inches taller, though, most of the extra height being below the beltline.
I am struck by how huge wheels have become, never mind the whole car.
Honda and Toyota have done an excellent job at keeping their bread and butter cars in the fattest part of the market. I can recall in the late 80s/early 90s, the Taurus was significantly larger than CamCord class cars. As we moved through the 90s, that size difference sort of went away, mainly from the growth of the Japanese cars.
I wonder if, going forward, the Accord and Camry will age gracefully along with their longtime buying demographic, or if they will at some point begin to configure themselves for a new generation.
That’s a good question, as it seems like the average age of Camry/Accord buyers has increased over the years. Even now, I do see them as more of a middle-age/older person’s car, not the more youthful appearance they had in the 90s and early 00s. The size increase could indeed be a cause of this, as in general, younger people without kids don’t “need” a near full-size car.
I had the same sensation about how huge wheels have become. Looks to me like the reason you don’t realize the overall size growth of today’s cars until you compare them with their older equivalents.
These huge tires also use a lot of interior space and have a certain weight!
I drove an Accord from TX to the mountains of NM that was identical to the blue hatch. Light, agile, fun to drive. The new one is a nice car, but it has attained the same mid-life bloat as many of its owners. This comparo reminds me of looking at friends (an my) current facebook photos vs yearbook photos. Oy vey.
I liked the Accord for its original mission: small car, relatively nicely appointed, well screwed together. But I like small cars. I don’t particularly need something as large as the modern Accord, and it frankly goes too far in gadgetry and luxury for me.
I had a 1981 four door 5 speed and put 120,000 NYC miles on it by 1990. I just loved the car. By American standards of the time this car was superior in so many ways, fit and finish, interior room, trunk room, gearbox, handling. I think first gen is almost always the best looking. It was broken into 3 times and stolen once. (Thieves delivered it to a chop shop that was under police surveillance) Rust towards the end was its biggest issue.
I had a 1977 Accord in the 1980s. Light, reasonably comfortable, lots of fun to drive. Our next car was a 1984 Mazda 626–a bit bigger than the Accord. In 1994 we moved up to a 1993 Mercury Sable–we’re both tall, and we wanted the room. We also wanted to carry passengers easily. The next car, in 2003, was a Honda Civic Hybrid. We wanted the fuel mileage, and we got it, despite the fact that the car was nearly the same size as the ’84 Mazda 626, and bigger than the ’77 Accord. Now we’ve come back to the mid-size camp, with a 2009 Camry Hybrid–nearly as long as the Sable was, and just as roomy inside. But we still get 34-36 miles per gallon, in city driving.
Great comparison! For some reason it does make me uneasy at times to see how much cars like the Accord grow. But in reality they’re just trying to offer more of what the majority buyers want: more room, higher seating position, more gadgets, etc. They want to keep repeat customers who follow the general pattern of moving up to a bigger and more luxurious car.
Still, there are many who don’t need to keep buying a bigger and more expensive car. It’s an interesting dilemma, and we’ll just have to see what happens. Could the near future bring another huge wave of downsizing across the board like the late-70s/early-80s?
While we’re on the topic of the Accord, my favorite generation was the 1990-1993. Attractive styling, lean-looking, manageable size, and a large glass area.
Buddy of mine had one of these, coupe, five speed. Drove it forever, drove it into the ground. My kind of car.
I had a 91 coupe, white, 5-speed. Great car – drove it for 12 years – until rust got the better of it.
My dad had a ’90 4-door of this generation in a metallic brown. Great car. He drove it till about 100K when a module for the transmission failed and killed the 4 speed auto. He replaced it with a new ’98 Accord in a light metallic silver. That one got to 65K before some one rear ended him at a stop light last May and totaled the car. He ended up replacing it with a new 2012 Fusion SE in metallic silver. Why not an Accord? He felt it was too big. And this is from a man who is 6’2″ tall.
I very much agree on that generation! It was pure Honda with simple lines and clear views. Although the 1992 Camry bitch-slapped everyone back a few feet….
The current gen is constantly criticized for it’s tall greenhouse and bland styling. Um…so?
I think the biggest growth may have been post 1990, Around 2009-10 a colleague was looking to replace a 3rd generation Accord (87-88) and told me he was looking at Civics because they were the same size. This was also around the time i showed my almost teenaged son a first generation Civic, and he was astonished at how small it was.
I’m also with Syke on this ridiculous obsession with safety features, it says bad things about our culture of fear, and irresponsibility. I buy cars to drive, not to crash into things, and I fear an increasing reliance on electronic nannies will just make things worse.
Although it’s a bit off topic, the most egregious recent examples are the Mitsubishi ad where the driver is shown rubbernecking a car accident until the automatic systems kick in to prevent her from rear ending a convertible full of kids, and a Toyota ad touting their various electronic nannies, although it’s worth noting that Toyota quickly dropped the portion of the ad where a Tundra pickup driver attempted a lane change in front of a motorcycle. The bitter paranoid part of me thinks this is because the Tundra’s target market wants to be able to swerve into motorcycles without a blinking light telling them not to.
You’re more right than you may realize: The Honda Accord was a compact until 1990, when it became a midsize.
Apples to oranges, folks. A much better comparison would be a 1st gen Accord with a current Civic.
Of course – we all buy cars not to crash into things – but to drive. But the real benefit from all these new safety features is protecting my family from those who don’t pay as much attention to what they are doing as we do.
If I’m shopping two cars and one has a higher side impact rating than the other – and all other things pretty equal – the one with the better rating is the one I’ll pick.
I think that my decision to buy a Civic was inspired by all of the rides that I took in my friend’s ’86 and ’95 Accords. I think the Civic I’m driving is actually right around the same size as that ’95 Accord.
My dad had two Accords over the years (a 90 and a 98) and I find it hard to believe how small they both seem now. My buddies ’12 Civic is about as big externally as my dad’s ’90 Accord.
Then again looking at my ’12 Mustang parked next to my ’88 Thunderbird in my garage is a bit of a shock. The Mustang is almost as big as the Thunderbird. All cars are getting bigger. Then again so are the people who drive them ;).
We’ve had a series of Accords starting with a 1980 sedan, through our current 2009 sedan. This is definitely a big car, and I particularly notice this when I park near something like a Mach I Mustang. I’m certainly glad that it has the Honda solidity and handling, because I don’t think it’s that great-looking inside or out, and it has some seriously ugly points from certain angles. Note the way the headlight unit bulges from the angle shown.
All that said, between the apparently universal tendency for a car model to grow over the years, and the added safety standards and equipment on the new car, it’s hardly surprising that the new one’s bigger.
>>All that said, between the apparently universal tendency for a car model to grow over the years, and the added safety standards and equipment on the new car, it’s hardly surprising that the new one’s bigger.<<
Not so this time.
The new one is superior is just about every way BUT it is also about 3 inches shorter than yours, w/ much better visibility, mpg and performance.
http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/2013-honda-accord-sport-sedan-long-term-test-wrap-up-review
Dave said it best though, the Accord is no longer a compact, that's the Civic. The new Fit fills the old Civic slot.
I had a 2010 Accord LX which I traded in for a 2013 Accord LX. The ’13 is the car I should have gotten to begin with. The’10 was severely decontented. It was a nice car…big..but really stripped down (basic interior lighting, no trip computer, basic stereo etc) and mediocre gas mileage (28-ish), the Honda equivalent of the Chevy Biscayne. The ’13 also a base model ( which I paid about the same for as the ’10) comes with Bluetooth, backup camera, ambient lighting, trip computer, CVT trans 36-38 MPG highway. I just feel like I got more for my money with the ’13. Before the ’10 I had an ’05 LX which also felt more substantial than the’10.
I recall the same reaction when I rented an Accord around 08 or so. I had previously rented a Saturn Aura and there honestly wasn’t much of a difference in features and interior quality. A friend has a 12 Accord and it is much more like what I think of when I think of an Accord.
There are also car models that shrink first and then grow again. Maserati Quattroporte for example.
One could also mention Mustang in this respect.
Cadillac Seville, Eldorado. Several model names that survived the eighties I guess.
In 1982 my Dad decided he’d had enough of the car business and changed jobs. The only downside in his opinion was that instead of a new Chevrolet or Oldsmobile company car he had to settle for a nearly new 1981 Accord left behind by the previous manager. With a manual transmission yet.
After about a week he decided maybe Honda was on to something, and after a year he steadfastly refused to be “upgraded” to a new Cutlass. By today’s standards that Accord wasn’t much, and it rusted way too soon, but it was a revelation in it’s day for a car in that price class. My now elderly folks still drive a Honda today largely on the strength of the impression that Accord made way back when. It was game changer for a lot of people. Nice find, you don’t see many around in any condition these days.
As far as safety goes, there are plenty of modern cars that meet all the same safety standards as the current Accord in considerably smaller packages. I think the main driver in the Accord’s growth is the usual consumerism.
My scoutmaster drove an Accord like that hatchback except it was the beige that you usually saw them in. It is a suprisingly large car inside, given how diminutive it seems by comparison. We fit three scouts and a couple backpacks in the car on our monthly camping trips. Of course, the assistant scoutmaster’s Econoline carried the bulk of the gear (and the scouts).
My 1982 Citation X-11 fits tidily in my garage with plenty of walk-around room and it, too, is suprisingly roomy inside. It makes you wonder what designers and engineers forgot about space usage when they were learning about all the safety gear.
I most certainly would rather be in my E46 than the Citation in an accident, that is for sure.
It really is hard to believe it leaves so much room.
My upload crashed before.
My 1982 in the garage. There’s plenty of walk around room in the front and back. Something I did not have with my 1995 Volvo 850 Wagon and barely had with my 1996 Audi A3.
It seems the Accord gets it right style-wise every other generation. The new one is certainly better looking than the previous. I think their style apex was the 1998 gen.
A few years ago I was looking for my mid-life crisis car. I’ve always been hankering a classic Mustang convertible, and had a great one on the line for a very reasonable price. But after driving it and weighing my options, I went with a gently used off-lease modern car. It drives much better and provides the cocoon I want for my family if ever needed.
Many years ago I was sitting at a stop sign when I was hit from the back by a drunk woman driving a Benz. She was going 65 miles an hour. My car was totaled, her tank was damaged but not heavily. I’m lucky to be here, and I was hospitalized for a long time.
In this day of SUVs and pickup trucks becoming the norm for daily drivers, I want a fighting chance. You never plan for an accident….
Dare I suggest that this issue be regulated away with bumper height and curbweight regulations? Not everyone needs an SUV or pick-up as a daily driver. I think it’d be better if they required some sort of special registration or special licensure.
The only solutions to consumer safety and fuel economy concerns aren’t ever larger cars with mild hybrid technology. There should also be an encouragement to shrink cars and maybe slow them down. If we can get cars today, which are so large and heavy, to get such respectable mileage, imagine if smaller cars used similar technology.
Novel idea in your first paragraph, but I can’t exactly stomach the idea of the state or federal goverment telling me what to drive, or giving me a financial enema if I choose to exercise my freedom of choice.
I don’t use my 2002 Ford Super Duty pickup as daily transportation, but I deeply resent the thought of being personally penalized if I did, simply because of other idiot drivers who happen to own the same type of vehicle.
Wouldn’t bumper height/curb weight legislation have a similar result?
BigBrotherism at its finest. No thanks.
First generation Honda Accord – i can still remember the revelation when I went to the dealer and first sat in and drove that car – sum it up in one word – “jewel-like”………
I bet the biggest market for the first generation (1976-81) Honda Accord is California. Back then, Most Accords were sold with 5-speed manuals. Automatics didn’t become popular until either the third (1986-89) or fourth (1990-93) generation.
Third gen, at the latest.
Those transmissions hitched to the carbureted engine made for an unpleasant combination.
How many wrecks have you been in? In my 53 years (so far) of driving, I have been in one auto accident. My fault for not paying attention, at age 19. I learned my lesson, and never had another wreck. New cars are much safer, but safest of all is not running into someone. I know that is not always possible. I have seen the result of a semi driver who was asleep and ran over two cars on the interstate. Traffic stopped for a wreck and the semi driver never hit the brakes. No matter how modern the car, some accidents can not be survived. I don’t worry about those, I just try to avoid the minor fender benders. Doing that has a lot to so with avoiding the other type as well.
The wheels on the old Accord are ’79 (they are the only year with four slots). The wheel trim rings are not stock, they are too wide. I remember people replacing their old banged up trim rings with these wider looking ones. The tail lights are also 1979 – the only year that the tail lights had a thin chrome horizontal separator. (76, 77, 78 had vertical separator – 80 and 81 had a wide horizontal separator) The front grill is not the same as the 1979 I bought in Hawaii, it may be a 1980 grill.
Honda sold its first automobiles in the USA since late 1969 where the N600 was marketed on the West Coast (back in 1967 the company exported 50 N600s 2 the West Coast where 4 exist as of 2016 – 46 were used 4 winter test vehicles and later crushed by AHM); also when the Civic came out the West Coast was used 2 Honda automobiles whereas when introduced nationwide some considered it comic relief until the Civic and Accord became part of the WMIS era (the first Accord started out as a hatchback coupe when Asian automakers exported their products but were sized too small – at first the Accord was considered as a VW Scirocco competitor (external styling were alike but with rounded edges and a larger body) – this in turn (along with the Civic) along with the rest of the Asian automakers ended up dethroning the VW Beetle and American Motors as Big Three alternatives (it was during the malaise era where the musclecar died off and coke bottle styling was fading out; Detroit compacts were styled in proportion 2 its European counterparts (Ford and Chrysler styling its compacts eg Granada, Volare) using the Mercedes and GM’s X platform based on BMW sheetmetal while AMC retained its 1970-era Hornet which was restyled (including a 4 x 4 Eagle which pre-dated the crossover); also when Honda was making inroads it was comic relief back then (recalled when it was powered with a motorcycle or lawnmower engine prior 2 the We Make It Simple (WMIS) era evolved – those who owned one back in the mid-70s and built their brand loyalty still own one (the current Accord since the 8th gen again used a styling similar 2 a BMW 3-series and it was not badged as an Acura)
also the JDM Accord was the basis of launching the Acura brand in the US; with the Honda products from the 70s this spelled the end of body on frame RWDs in the USA when the phrase ‘from rear to front wheel drive’ signaled the beginning of the end (2011 marked the end of an era in the US where the final Ford Crown Vic rolled off the assembly line and exported 2 the Middle East when the US and Canada transitioned over 2 HSS unibody products since