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2000 AccordHonda Accord is arguably the best mid-size sedan available. It does everything well. The interior is roomy and comfortable, the suspension...
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Honda Accord is arguably the best mid-size sedan available. It does everything well. The interior is roomy and comfortable, the suspension is responsive and well damped, the brakes are excellent, and both of its VTEC engines-a 3.0-liter V6 and a 2.3-liter four-cylinder-are incredibly smooth. It is a remarkably easy car to drive and every aspect of it is user friendly.
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178 Reviews from Epinions.com
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2000 Accord
Author's Review
FIRST OFF, WHO I AM:
I have read many reviews on automobiles from aesthetic, interior, power, warranty, options, etc... points of view. I believe an important, but always neglected area, though is from an undercar point of view, and let me tell you, most people are missing a very important part of researching a prospective major purchase by not being well enough informed about the running gear.
There are some very well engineered and built suspensions out there, but all the same some very weak and suspect ones in my opinion, and my purpose is to help you make a more informed decision. If a decision is being made between one of a few different vehicles, I hope to help you decide based on my experience, which one will be better for you from the standpoint of strength of, and reliability of, one of the most important parts of the vehicle as a whole, the steering and suspension system.
NOW ON TO THE ACCORD:
The Honda Accord is one of those cars that, no matter how hard you try, you can't kill. That is, of course within reason. It has one of the most unique suspensions of its time. This design is called a double wishbone system because parts of it are actually shaped like the wishbone from your thanksgiving turkey !
What this means to you is simply a very comfortable and predictable ride both from the steering and the suspension aspects. It looks very complicated when you take a wheel off of the vehicle, with rods and bars everywhere. It has almost double the count of actual suspension parts as your regular MacPhearson strut type or double control arm type or (SLA), and reason would tell you more parts to wear out.
This is simply not the case with the Accord. I have been working on these vehicles since they came out, and have seen my share of extremely high mileage units come into my shop with the bodies hanging off and dents all over, looking all ugly and everything, and after looking at the odometer reading over 200,000 miles the suspension system is still going strong.
Though neither the ball joints, nor the tie rods are factory greasable, they are of such superior design and construction that long after the warranty wears out they are still operating without trouble. This seems to be true straight across the board for most Japanese engineered vehicles, just read my other Japanese car reviews for the list.
The drive axles hold up very well also. They are of an almost equal length so there isn't much imbalance causing any torque steer as is the case with some other imports. It is a very solid driving suspension, very well designed and executed, and should give you many years of virtually trouble free service.
Steering is very light. No more than one finger is all it takes to comfortably steer this car, wether on the highway at speed, or maneuvering into tight parking spaces. Note: I do not recommend you trying this at home. This was figured out by the ubiquitous professional driver on closed course. The rack and pinion steering unit is mounted to operate in a nearly horizontal attitude, keeping wear on the inner tie rods to bare minimum, (read: Nil).
ALIGNMENT ADJUSTABILITY:
The suspension is very well made with all 4 corners being able to be factory aligned. There is no camber adjustment, which I don't like, but I have seen Accords come in for alignment and the camber angles have been very far out of factory spec., with no significant tire wear at all. If you hit a curb or massive pothole and it gets knocked out too far you will need to replace what's bent instead of just be able to re-align, so this obviously is a minus. The design is such that there is not a great deal of change in the suspension as it goes through its range of travel while being driven, which adds to the car being very light on tire wear.
Read some other reviews from the advisors here at epinions on the other aspects of the Honda Accord, engine, interior, etc. Be confidant in the Accord suspension. There is a reason it is, and has been one of the best selling, and most stolen automobiles in America, and one of the best in any class at holding its resale value.
Can I have the wishbone ?
| Author's Rating: |
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Pros: Very solid suspension.
Cons: No camber adjustment
FIRST OFF, WHO I AM:
I have read many reviews on automobiles from aesthetic, interior, power, warranty, options, etc... points of view. I believe an important, but always neglected area, though is from an undercar point of view, and let me tell you, most people are missing a very important part of researching a prospective major purchase by not being well enough informed about the running gear.
There are some very well engineered and built suspensions out there, but all the same some very weak and suspect ones in my opinion, and my purpose is to help you make a more informed decision. If a decision is being made between one of a few different vehicles, I hope to help you decide based on my experience, which one will be better for you from the standpoint of strength of, and reliability of, one of the most important parts of the vehicle as a whole, the steering and suspension system.
NOW ON TO THE ACCORD:
The Honda Accord is one of those cars that, no matter how hard you try, you can't kill. That is, of course within reason. It has one of the most unique suspensions of its time. This design is called a double wishbone system because parts of it are actually shaped like the wishbone from your thanksgiving turkey !
What this means to you is simply a very comfortable and predictable ride both from the steering and the suspension aspects. It looks very complicated when you take a wheel off of the vehicle, with rods and bars everywhere. It has almost double the count of actual suspension parts as your regular MacPhearson strut type or double control arm type or (SLA), and reason would tell you more parts to wear out.
This is simply not the case with the Accord. I have been working on these vehicles since they came out, and have seen my share of extremely high mileage units come into my shop with the bodies hanging off and dents all over, looking all ugly and everything, and after looking at the odometer reading over 200,000 miles the suspension system is still going strong.
Though neither the ball joints, nor the tie rods are factory greasable, they are of such superior design and construction that long after the warranty wears out they are still operating without trouble. This seems to be true straight across the board for most Japanese engineered vehicles, just read my other Japanese car reviews for the list.
The drive axles hold up very well also. They are of an almost equal length so there isn't much imbalance causing any torque steer as is the case with some other imports. It is a very solid driving suspension, very well designed and executed, and should give you many years of virtually trouble free service.
Steering is very light. No more than one finger is all it takes to comfortably steer this car, wether on the highway at speed, or maneuvering into tight parking spaces. Note: I do not recommend you trying this at home. This was figured out by the ubiquitous professional driver on closed course. The rack and pinion steering unit is mounted to operate in a nearly horizontal attitude, keeping wear on the inner tie rods to bare minimum, (read: Nil).
ALIGNMENT ADJUSTABILITY:
The suspension is very well made with all 4 corners being able to be factory aligned. There is no camber adjustment, which I don't like, but I have seen Accords come in for alignment and the camber angles have been very far out of factory spec., with no significant tire wear at all. If you hit a curb or massive pothole and it gets knocked out too far you will need to replace what's bent instead of just be able to re-align, so this obviously is a minus. The design is such that there is not a great deal of change in the suspension as it goes through its range of travel while being driven, which adds to the car being very light on tire wear.
Read some other reviews from the advisors here at epinions on the other aspects of the Honda Accord, engine, interior, etc. Be confidant in the Accord suspension. There is a reason it is, and has been one of the best selling, and most stolen automobiles in America, and one of the best in any class at holding its resale value.
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