Overall, we were impressed with the 2.0T. So there is a slight fuel-economy benefit, although V6 automatics are known to return better mileage than their stick-shift counterparts. Over the course of a 192-mile round-trip, and including the dyno pulls and drag races, the 2.0T managed to return 27.1 miles per gallon. Everywhere else, however, it’s not even close. Don’t bet against the 2.0T at a dragstrip. It accelerates away while the V6 is still axle-tramping madly and spinning its wheels to no end. From a standing start, the 2.0T is far, far better at maintaining traction. With all of that said, there is one area where the new car beats the old one.
The V6 in the old car is closer in output and behavior to the boosted-up version of the 2.0T that powers the Civic Type R than it is to the family-car variant in the Accord Touring. We’ll be happy to repeat the test with a six-speed 2.0T if we can get one, but you’d be foolish to expect too much difference in the numbers.
In a traditional 40-120 roll, the new car wouldn’t be within shouting distance of the old one’s taillights. Could the 2.0T beat the V6 in the real world, where the various computer issues and shifting problems wouldn’t be as much of a factor?Īlthough the 2.0T always pulled half a car or so at the beginning of every 40mph roll, the V6 crushed it in short order, usually well before the speedometers hit 60. With the formal measurement out of the way, it was time to use some private roads in southwestern Ohio for a bit of old-fashion roll-racing. So this 52,150-mile V6 Accord is making between 300 and 315 horses. It’s safe to assume that a Dynocom's rating is between 20 and 25 percent below the actual power at the crank. The Dynocom is known to be a little pessimistic compared to the Dynojet that you’ll see used at tuning shops, although it’s not as tough as the “heartbreaker” Mustang dyno.
The third run showed a robust peak of 249.4 horsepower at 6350 rpm, with peak torque of 220.7 at 4750. Luckily the Dynocom uses a visual reading of RPM and can make the proper calculations. There was one small problem, however: the Accord’s direct-drive fourth gear reaches the 122mph speed limiter before hitting redline. Just turn traction control off, disable Eco mode, and let ‘er rip. Getting a dyno reading with the 2014 was simplicity itself. It was just above freezing when we rolled my 2014 into the open garage and onto the rollers of the Dynocom, but with a jet heater running in the garage we were able to get the temp into the low 60s. It was rated at 278HP but as you’ll see, that’s a bit pessimistic.
HONDA ACCORD 3.5 L V6 MANUALS
Six-speed manuals got their own firebreathing version of the V6, called J35Y3. That’s emphatically not the case for the 2014 Accord.
HONDA ACCORD 3.5 L V6 MANUAL
But there’s no indication from Honda that the engine is in a different state of tune for manual and automatic versions. As you’ll see, this made testing slightly more difficult. We couldn’t get our hands on a six-speed manual 2.0T Touring, so we had to settle for the 10-speed automatic. The stage was set for a high-noon shootout.
HONDA ACCORD 3.5 L V6 FULL
Both cars were run to empty, then given a full tank of the same BP 93 octane fuel from the same pump. So I took the new Accord Touring 2.0T to my race team’s semi-secret dyno facility near New Lexington, Ohio-and I also took my 2014 Accord V6, factory stock with the exception of O.Z. That may be-but we didn’t want to just take their word for it. Honda believes that the 2.0-liter turbo four-cylinder, the only engine available in the new Accord, meets the needs of the premium family-sedan market better than the old J35 V6. Accord V6 Coupe: The Last Real American Muscle Car