Historiography The Honda Accord at 50

Fifty years may seem like a long time. Especially these days. Especially when I have lived longer than that. 

And especially when I remember when the Honda Accord first arrived at the dealership showroom up the street from me. 

Wirth authority I can say that the Honda Accord became then right car at the right time. The OPEC Oil Crisis became the catalyst for the brand’s growth in the USA. Dealers saw numbers of Civic drive off to happy new owners, knowing they will be saving oney of fuel every time they get behind the wheel. 

The fuel savings alone was not the only attraction to Honda. The Compound Vortex Controlled Combustion – or CVCC – engine was a step forward for the company. The a new cylinder head design, it enabled the engine’s exhaust to emit fewer carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons particles into the atmosphere. This was accomplished without any of the required equipment imposed upon the automotive industry by the federal Environmental Protection Agency. 

This is one of the reasons why Honda adopted the slogan “we make it simple.” The fst generation Civic was a simple vehicle that yielded some of the best fuel economy figures in the mid-to-late 1970s. 

By the mid-1970s, customers were wondering if Honda made a larger car. The Civic was fine, but some people want to bring along their adult friends in the back seat, as well as carry more underneath the hatchback. By 1976, they rolled out the Accord. 

The first-generation Accord started out as a hatchback two-door. The first models looked sportier than the Civic, while offering more cabin and cargo space. It had a sportier vibe, which attracted customers immediately.

In the USA, the first Accords were powered by a 68-horsepower 1.6-liter CVCC engine. That might inspire enthusiastic driving, but the Accord was not intended for that market. However, younger comers loved the packaging they provided – a tachometer, nicer cloth upholstery, intermittent wipers, and an AM/FM stereo. You can either get it in a five-speed manual or a two-speed Hondamatic transmission. 

The first-generation Accord enjoyed a successful run so far. To expand the momentum for this model, Honda expanded the lineup to add a more luxurious LX trim and a four-door sedan by 1978. The LX added more convenience features, such as air conditioning, power steering, and a digital clock. 

The four-door sedan was a first for Honda in North America. The new body style showed a level of maturity in the lineup, now with the Civic and Prelude selling alongside of it. While on the smallish side, the Accord four-door offered seating for four with expanded headroom. Cargo capacity was reduced because the sedan had a trunk instead of a hatchback. You can still lower the rear seatbacks for longer cargo. 

By the end of the decade, Honda developed a car with resonance. It foretold the future, while advancing their current engineering and maintaining its core promises to its customers.  The Accord was a fuel economy leader in its segment, which was one of its big selling points.

For 1982, the second-generation model arrived. Although offered in a two-door hatchback and four-door sedan, the latter body style became the focal point for the model’s growth. In fact, that body style became the first Honda models to be assembled in the new Marysille, Ohio plant. The result was a sales boom that made it the best-selling Japanese-branded model in the USA. 

What Honda figured out was that American consumers in the 1980s have switched to wanting four-door sedans instead of two-doors. At least, that was an early indication of this move towards offering sedans over coupes/hatchbacks. The Civic had a four-door sedan, alongside a wagon body style – both helped drive sales of their smallest vehicle. Still, Honds was committed to making two-door models and hatchbacks. 

The second-generation model saw more features added to the Accord lineup. While the engine size has gone up to 1.8-liters and a new four-speed automatic transmission became available. A facelift for 1984 tweaked then front and rear fascias towards a new Honda design language. One that would define the next generation model in 1986. 

If one thing defined the third-generation Accord, it would be its pop-up headlights. This design element had both a sporty and luxurious aura around it. You might say that the 1980s was the peak era for pop-up headlights. 

The pop-up headlights were just the gateway towards a lower body profile overall. This included the introduction of a new two-door coupe for North American markets – one with a trunk instead of a hatchback. This new design language would be seen not just across the Honda lineup, but as an elemental part of a new luxury brand called Acura. 

There were other elements that defined the third-generation Accord. Taking cues from Ford and Audi, the doors were formed onto the roof. The dashboard offered a lower-than-usual cowl, enabling a larger view out the windshield. The glass line was lower, as well. Engine sizes increased to 2.0-liters and equipment levels were raised to allow for more luxurious trim levels. 

Which lead to the fourth-generation Accord and a completely different direction for its popular lineup. First, the overall size increased to meet the mid-sized models from North American brands. In fact, the four-door Accord was shy of a few inches of the Ford Taurus – one of its main competitors at the dawn of the 1990s. 

Design-wise, it replaced the pop-up headlamps with fixed units, forming the face of a more upright design. The wagon had a very interesting roofline and C-pillar glass design. One would think it was trying to match the look of the Taurus. 

Interiors were elevated. You had models that were swathed with leather and a higher level of equipment. You could spend more by heading to the Acura dealer and getting the Vigor with its five-cylinder engine. Of course, you would not know that was built off of the Accord platform. 

Let me interject here…the 1990 Accord was on my shopping list when I eventually bought the 1991 Integra in October of 1990. Granted, I would’ve paid a few hundred dollars more for a two- or four-door sedan with some added factory-installed equipment. For example, air conditioning and an AM/FM/Cassette audio system. 

It is worth noting that there are now three vehicles that shared the same DNA from this platform. Europe and other global markets had a smaller Accord that fit their needs, on top of the Honda/Acura Vigor and the Accord that was assembled in Ohio. 

The Accord’s sales leadership was strong. However, Ford was selling more Tauruses by 1992. The Accord held its own throughout the decade, even with the new 1994 model and its sleeker body style. By the late 1990s, the Toyota Camry overtook both Ford and Honda for sales supremacy. Even with this change at the top, Honda continued to sell strongly finding both loyal customers and conquests from other brands. 

By 1998, Honda dropped the wagon from the Accord lineup. We also saw its overall size grow even further with each successive generation. Power came from either a four-cylinder or V6 engine. Sedans sold the strongest while coupes were attracting enthusiasts. In particular, Accord two-door coupes with the V6 engine and a manual gearbox. 

You may be thinking why I have been skipping going into detail over a few generations of Accords. Well…in my humble opinion…their styling regressed either into something unusual or mundane. Some might say “boring” – word usually reserved for the Toyota Camry of the 1990s and 2000s. 

I get that I will have some pushback and absolute hate for the statements I’ve made in this paragraph, but it proves one thing: As unremarkable and uninspiring that these Accords were through the mid-1990s and the 2000s, they still attracted their share of customers ni matter what they looked like and how they were equipped. The one reason they still attract consumers was Honda’s inherent and proven quality and reliability. 

Today’s Accord sits in the middle of the mid-size sedan segment. Larger than before, which offers more space than once envisioned. Incorporating a more efficient hybrid driveline has become part of the current generation Accord’s package. Plus, safety technology that no one ever thought possible in a Honda 50 years ago. 

The Honda Accord progressed over these years because they hit what customers wanted right on the money. That is why it has been in the sales mix over these past five decades. 

You would never think that the original 1976 Honda Accord would grow up to become the sedan it has turned out to be. That is what staying power is all about. And they certainly stuck to it. 

All photos by Randy Stern