Now, we at Indiandrives have started a new section labeled as used cars but then that is when it struck me that we haven’t checked out the Honda Accord which is in India as of now. An Accord on sale brought back found memories of the first batch of Honda Accords which were launched in India in 2001. Now, the Honda Accord in India was always viewed as a class product from the Honda stables(tell me one product which isn’t from Honda?). It was viewed as a more upmarket car than the Honda City then before the Civic came in. But then before we could conduct a review about the Honda Accord, we decided to rather pitch it against a German(actually Czech) this time. The German is none other than the Skoda Superb in India, the one which we reviewed few months back. We got a new Skoda Superb from the office downstairs and a new Honda Accord in India from Honda’s PR. Time to test both the vehicles and bring to you the report of the going ons. So it is Skoda Superb in India versus Honda Accord in India. Let the bells ring.

Looks

We will start with the Honda Accord in India since it is new on our pages.
Honda Accord: The Honda Accord in India is the 8th generation car which the company launched in 2008. It has carried along unchanged save for some special edition jokes and also addition of some much needed features to spruce up the posh feeling. It has that mean looks which you would associate with a boy racer car. Ever since the time it was launched, the Accord always had something sinister about its looks. Those peeled back head lamps and the wide front grille give it what you would call, the Sylvester Stallone looks. The tiny fog lamps recede into the bumper. The vertically stacked air dam also signals its sporty intent. The outside rear view mirrors with turn indicators embedded in them is also a nice feature. Go for the Inspire version and you would get more body kit to spruce up your Accord. The rear gets the Camry type tail lamps but then the Inspire version is the one to go for if you want to impress people big time.


Skoda Superb: Instantly recognizable as a Skoda with the family grille and the kinks and curves, it is bound to impress. The head lamps are also similar to the Accord and those fat turning fog lamps also make an impression. The 17 inch multi spoke alloy wheels also look the part but then the 17 inch ones are for the V6 motor and the 1.8 TSI variant gets 16 inchers. The Audi A4 and Volkswagen Phaeton inspired rear end also works wonders for the overall look. I still remember for the first time, that this was a car that I couldn’t recognize when it actually passed by me on the road. Twin exhausts also enhance the visual appeal from the rear. The Skoda Superb in India also has a slightly coupe like sloping roof line. To say the least, Teutonic styling cues abound all around. Skoda like the other manufacturers have adopted a family face thing which would make all of their cars instantly recognizable as Skoda units from the front (not so from the rear though).
If you prefer aggressive looks for your car, then it is the Honda Accord but then if you want to go for certain subtilty, then it’s the Skoda for you. My personal favorite is the Honda Accord.

Interiors

Honda Accord: Plush is the one word which comes to your mind when you open the doors of the Honda Accord in India. The earlier generation Honda Accord catered to the front seat passengers more than the rear seat ones. But now American brawn has overtaken it and this means that the car has grown in length and that translates to better space packaging inside. The meter dials look cool but unlike the Honda Civic, there is no central display readout happening. The steering wheel unfortunately doesn’t have steering mounted controls. The front seats adjust for even lumbar and the intelligent programming can even remember 3 of your favorite seating positions. The rear seat space is in the same league as the Toyota Camry now and can be called as a sofa. The chauffer driven would be happy to know that even they can control the stereo systems.Rear seat space however would suit only 2 since there is a fair amount of the transmission tunnel intrusion in there. Even for a 6 footer like me, it was a revelation. Boot space of about 500 liters is also okay for a car of this size but then the loading bay is quite useful.

Skoda Superb: Starting with the doors, you would definitely feel that you are employing more energy to close them. They are that heavy. The 4 spoke steering wheel is covered in leather and gets audio controls, cruise controls and also Bluetooth operation. The list of features in the Skoda Superb in India is so exhaustive that reading the press handout while reviewing the car made my head spin. The head lamps are also fitted with cornering functions so are the fog lamps. There is a multi information display which displays everything from outside temperature to the tyre pressure in each wheel. There are more small lights inside the cabin that one can think of. They even vary with one’s mood. There are parking sensors with display on the central panel. Seat, though a bit hard do feel luxurious. The rear is where the Superb scores more points. Infact of the coupe like silhouette, it has similar head room to that of the Honda Accord. It even has a Skoda branded umbrella at the rear. Wow. The boot space is marginally more than the Honda Accord but then there is one more trick here. The Skoda Superb can electronically close the boot. It also gets Skoda’s Twindoor boot system wherein one can lift the rear windshield hatch and just drop your items into the boot or go the normal way of opening the boot. Clever and by the way, Skoda has a patent on it.

Well, it is the Skoda Superb here and no it wins by the way of its superior construction to that of the Accord and better features list with innovations.

Handling and ride quality

Honda Accord: The Honda Accord in India gets sophisticated double wishbones up front and multi-links at the rear as suspension. However the company has tuned the car more for ride than handling. This means that the ride quality is more cosseting than the handling which was given precedence earlier. But then load her up fully and the car just sags, typical of Honda cars in India. But then the Accord does let its passengers know what is going on beneath with the noisy suspension. Going over a broken patch revealed that one would prefer going slower than be in a hurry in this sedan. The typical trait of big sedans where the pitching and bobbing of the nose is present is there in the Honda Accord as well. Handling which was the benchmark of the Honda Accord has somewhat been subdued now. The steering wheel sometimes makes you feel that it is devoid of any feel. But then mid corner bumps catch it out of place and the passengers would be regularly jolted out from their throne. NVH is on the higher side once the engine is on full swing. Moreover, even some road noise also creeps into the cabin at high speeds.
Skoda Superb: The compound link crank axle with torsion stabilizer at the rear and Multi link with transverse control arms, torsion stabilizer at the front make up for the suspension parts of the Skoda Superb in India. The Superb is slightly stiffer sprung than the Accord. This doesn’t mean an uncomfortable ride for the passengers. Infact, it is all the more cosseting. Typical of German saloons, the ride at the rear was a bit more stiff at low speeds but then it was never uncomfortable. Accelerate to elevated speeds and the magic ride carpet effect takes place. Go around fast corners and even midway bumps cannot throw it off track. The steering wheel is light with a nice feel but then it also doesn’t involve the driver much. However it is more precise than the Accord’s unit. I never imagined myself to be saying this but then that is what the test enlightened me with. NVH is controlled well with not even the engine noise registering at high speeds. The bank vault like build quality actually does help out in ironing out the NVH big time.

The Superb for sure on this one.

Engine, performance and fuel efficiency

Honda Accord: The Honda Accord in India is offered with two engine options and both are petrol motors. The smaller of those is the 2.4 liter Ivtec unit which pumps out 180 Ps of peak power at 6300 rpm whereas the torque figure reads as 222 Nm at 4300 rpm. It is offered with either a 5 speed auto or manual transmission. The more powerful engine is the 3.5L, V6, i-VTEC which has a power output of 275 PS at 6200 rpm and peak torque of 339 Nm at 5,000 rpm. It is available only with a 5 speed automatic transmission. For the smaller engine with auto transmission, the 0-100 kmph run was completed in 9.8 seconds whereas the manual did the same run in 9.2 seconds. For the performance lusty V6 engine, the same run was completed in only 7.6 seconds and the top speed was 228 kmph. The 2.4 motor reaches a top speed of 221 kmph.
The performance as well as acceleration is good for both the engines but then the V6 takes top honors in this regard. The auto gearbox however is slower in the kick downs and even upshifts. Honda should have provided a 6 speed unit instead. Braking is achieved via ventilated discs at the front and solid ones at the rear. There is TCS, ABS and EBD to assist the car in slowing down and coming a complete halt. Safety features are noteworthy with the car getting a complement of 6 airbags, 3 point seat belts, the G-CON body construction and Seat belt Pretensioner. Fuel efficiency is okay for a car this sizze with the Accord 2.4 manual returning 7.12 kmpl in city and 14.38 kmpl on the highway. The auto would shave off some points from the fuel efficiency thing. The V6 on the other hand as expected is a thirsty beast with figures of 6.4 kmpl in city and 12.3 kmpl on the highway.
Skoda Superb: The Skoda Superb in India boasts of 3 engines. It has 1.8 TSI motor which has a power output of 160 Bhp and 256 Nm of torque. The second engine is the 2.0 liter Tdi diesel which has a power output of 140 Bhp and a good 320 Nm of torque. The third one is the range topping 3.6 FSI petrol that has 260 Bhp of power at its disposal and an amazing 376 Nm of torque. There are manuals as well as DSG triptronic boxes handling the transmission duties. The transmission is smoother than the one found in the Honda Accord. Since I have already elaborated on the 0-100 timings as well as top speed of all the engines in my Skoda Superb in India review, I wouldn’t be harping about all of that. The important arsenal in Skoda’s armoury is the diesel engine and the choice of 6 speed transmissions.
Brakes as usual were fantastic with the same combo of ventilated discs at front and solid ones at the rear. Like the interior features list, there are number of electronic aids assisting the braking of this car namely anti slip regulation, EBD, ESP, hydraulic brake assistant, mechanical brake assistant, traction control and also ABS. As far as safety goes, the Superb comes with parking sensors, 4 air bags and anti whiplash seat belts with pretensioners. Fuel efficiency is more or less the same as the Honda Accord but then the flexibility of the Skoda unit is amplified with a light foot.
Skoda Superb wins this round for its host of engine and transmission options.

Verdict

From the above inference, it can be safely noted that the Honda Accord has been dethroned and a new emperor has been crowned. The Skoda Superb in India gives the Indians exactly what they want. Skoda have a good reputation with their engines and other stuff in India. The only sore point was that they have a bad reputation as far as after sales service goes. The good thing is that Skoda have taken care of it now and the situation has marginally increased now. As far as Honda goes, commanding a premium every time doesn’t work and this has been proven with the Honda Jazz. The prices for the Accord were hiked by Rs 1 lakh on the same day that the new Superb set foot in India. The Honda Accord has got 11 variants whereas at the same time, the Skoda Superb offers only 4 variants thus reducing the customer’s tension about choice. The Skoda Superb price in India starts from Rs 18,28,563 and ends at Rs 26,38,282 whereas the Honda Accord price in India starts from Rs 18,53,500 and ends at  Rs 26,71,731. Not much of a difference but then factor in the equipment which Skoda throws in at that price and you would appreciate the Superb.


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