Motorweek; 1704

Do. Do this time on a motorway. We all knew. OK. Or an all-American sport bike. And Mark on wheels. So come drive with us. Television is a visual automotive magazine. Your host for Motor

Week. John Davis. And welcome again to motor week. We're glad to have you with us. Every year on motor week we test close to 150 new cars and trucks but only a dozen or so are considered by our staff to be major events. And the redesigned 1998 Honda Accord is about as major as it gets for over a decade the Accord has been considered a benchmark family design. Now we didn't make it a benchmark accord. Owners did. They are extremely loyal and for good reasons. The Honda Accord has proven itself year in and year out to be of high quality and practical yet also entertaining to draw. So that means that the all new 98 accord has some pretty big tires to fill. From the first moment we saw the 1998 Honda Accord and got behind the wheel we knew this redesign was more of the same yet different. In fact by the end of our first hour with the Accord it was obvious that this six generation Honda both

in Sedan and Coupe form was the most significant change in the accords 22 year history. And we'd like to thank the kind folks at the Desert prince's country club and resort in Palm Springs for allowing us their expansive background for our test. Indeed the exterior of the 98 accord looks larger more substantial than before. It's an illusion of course. In reality the Accord sedan is less than a half and longer and wider than last year. Perhaps it's the nearly two inches more height but mostly it's in the conservative European styling their blue and soft curves with the occasional sharp edge. The chisel front they ship is now a one piece unit that includes the grille narrow seams and multi reflector headlights contribute to the high end look too. There are more edges increases are character lines along the cab forward body and the power a bulge on the hood and a small but important one in the mirror housings and one that runs the length of the car below the glass. 15 inch wheels are standard on most

models and do a nice job of filling up the wheel wells. Around back the C pillar flows easily into the rear quarter panels. But here despite larger tail lights the distinctive styling seems to fade away into bland. Well this is a Honda isn't it. Or at least a Honda Accord sedan. While the Accord Coupe shares most components the chassis is shorter and virtually no exterior parts are shared except the headlights. So it's truly it's own car and one with a lot sharper style a faster windshield airfoil Rueben up swept trunk like a seriously sweet package. And here the tail lights tail the muscular story properly looking a lot like those on the Acura NSX. There is less difference in the interior styling between sedan and Coupe yet visually it's even more of a departure from last year than the exterior. It's gone is the common L-shaped dash layout. The new instrument panel close up towards the windshield away from the occupants were roomy or peel a two tone color scheme with wax intersection contributes to an upmarket feel.

There is a bit of wood tone used in the V-6 and it's subtle enough to look well thought out despite no increase in the wheel base on the savanna. There is a seven cubic foot increase in interior space of one hundred fifteen point eight cubic feet. That means the accord is larger inside than a Toyota Camry and solidly domestic mid-size. Indeed the broader front seats in this election look a lot like a Detroit competitor as in other accords However the padding is on the firm side but support is excellent. But go for the top line. E x v 6 like this coop and you'll find leather that is as soft as any German import certain Honda trademarks remain like large clear analog gauges. Ditto the available cruise control pad on the steering wheel. But the black breast plate center pod houses much larger control ventilation is by way of oversized rotary knobs and a broad iPad air conditioning and a pollen filter are standard on all but the DX DX V-6 has an automatic climate

system for the first time. Stereo controls or glove size 2 for speaker to set stereo is standard. The x includes a six speaker system with an m dash CD player. I always use a large but you see almost 40 below that is a deep console well and the glow box is nearly double in size. And let's not forget cup holders. They're standard front and rear and they are substantial sedan rear occupants had gained an impressive 3.6 inches in leg room. The sedans folding rear seat back is one piece and has the trademark key lock out. We prefer the rear seat on the coupe which is split for more versatility. Both open into trunks that are larger than last year accord designers have always managed to walk a tightrope between sports event handling and a compliant highway ride rather Well that hasn't changed although the new Accord has a more subdued. You feel. The torque sense of a power steering is nicely weighted push and reporters have moderated but it is still safe and rear tracking is substantially improved.

Much of that no doubt due to the all new 5 link rear suspension that isolates forward motion road bumps from side to side. Cornering forces and thus handles both better a front double wishbone suspension has also been redesigned chassis Porthcawl stick this is up 40 percent bobbins group is up 69 percent. In 98 the shoulder is also well served in the engine department. The overhead cam 16 valve in-line for had been boarded broke the 2.3 leaders on the DIAC for 2 hours now 135 £145 PITA for the L action at the tech variable valve timing for showers 150 but look at 152 pounds beat rival response on both engines is improved. Now the V-6 is as new as the car itself in the first part of the stick. Made in America. It's an all aluminum leader. Single overhead cam 24 valve engine shared with the accuracy 3.0 coupe for hours up to 200 at 195 pounds either that's a few percent more for books than

last year's 2.7 liter so it's no slouch zero to 60 in eight seconds. Our only regret is no manual transmission. We also regret to say that Honda didn't make anti-lock brakes standard except on buying model. Most records will use Disk Bronson drums rear B6 who has had all this ABS system and managed up from 60 and a neat 120 feet. The pedal is a bit soft and abs speed back is moderate but no one will fuss about accord based stickers remained virtually the same as before at nineteen thousand four hundred eighty five dollars for the popular elex sedan Plus a B 6 today and prices dropped nearly a grand at twenty one thousand nine hundred forty five dollars. That's the same you'll pay for the delicious Honda elex V-6. No two California drivers the Accord is the world's first production car to achieve your ultra low emission vehicle status. No surprise that pricing then leads our list of hits which also includes the bolder styling. A big jump in interior space. Larger controls

fine handling and flexible power train. Misses are in details like the sedans where lamps the see the stereos bulky controls no manual for the V-6 and the lack of standard antilock brakes on the volume sedans. We often hear the not only do accord owners consider their car a benchmark design but so too do competitors. They pretty quickly tell us how they've matched their new car to the accord. Well any hunter will tell you that it's hard to trap a moving target and the 1998 Honda Accord is such an excellent example of the American family car that it may have just moved out of reach for good. Coming up mobile masterpieces. You know Americans are a mobile society and what our cars stop everything stops. So to keep us moving we turned our top technician Pat Goss. Let's see what advice he has this week to keep us out on the road. John this time we're going to talk about an exciting new advancement in tire technology.

Sooner or later everybody's going to have a flat tire and that could be dangerous and it's always an inconvenience. But there is an improvement out here. We're looking at the Michelin V for Z p tires. Now these are zero pressure that's what the Z P stands for. They have a lot of innovations as far as the tire itself. See it's reinforced in the sidewall has a different design on the bead so that if the tire loses pressure it will be stable and it won't come off of the room. As a matter of fact if the tire loses its air pressure you will literally not feel much of anything in the car if anything at all. Now an interesting thing about that is that it comes in a kit. And the reason for this kit these are pressure sensors that go on the wheel inside the car and they relay information to this monitor inside the car. Well by that you know when a tire has lost its air pressure and you can monitor the condition of everything.

They're very easy to install and it's a very impressive system. Now the other interesting thing about the m x v for Z p is that it's available for popular automobiles for family sedans for the people who really and truly need them. So there's something that's very very interesting. Now I'm going to do something that I've always wanted to do. I'm going to drill a hole through the side of this tire. Wow now that we've got this huge hole in the side of the tire we're going to see if zero pressure tires really work. I'm going to drive it. OK I've driven the BMW it will slow speeds and high speeds and

I've driven it through the turns and everything else. I can't tell that this car has a flat tire on it. If there's any difference at all it is very very subtle. One thing you could not help but notice is the fact of the beeping sound in the background. That's the low pressure monitoring and warning system telling us that we're riding with a tire with lower than normal pressure. I think this is a fabulous idea. And if you have a question or a comment write to me. If I use your letter I'll send you a motor week T-shirt. The address is Motor Week always Mills Maryland 2 1 1 0 1 7. 0. On the weekends last week American higher up beautifully preserved 1956 Oldsmobile Delta 88. It belongs to Lewis and Carol words of self old New York if you have a fine old car that you've been taking care of. We'd love to see it submit at least two good color

photos to Motor Week Owings Mills Maryland 2 1 1 1 7. People in other countries often see Americans as a nation of show offs and it's true that we all tend to be a bit more outgoing than most especially when it comes to cars. But with over 200 million cars and trucks on our roads it's getting harder and harder for Americans to express their individuality through their automobiles. After all how do you stand out in a crowd when you drive the same cars a million other folks. Well we asked Lisa barrow that very question and she had a most unusual answer. Like to personalize our car. Maybe a bumper sticker hanging from here but for some people their cars are an amazing person. They're called Art cars and while they might not be influencing Detroit museums and art

collectors are watching closely. In fact anyone who has seen one can't help but stare and wonder what is it but. Would like a fly doing. In spite of their outlandish appearance. These cars are in the tradition of hot rodders and the custom car craze of the 60s. Like their predecessors our cars are a defiant public statement about personalizing our cars and expressing your own individuality on the counter. Until recently many in our car artists thought nobody else would do such a thing to their cars. But the truth is automotive artists were scattered throughout the country. The search for these unknown artists and filmmaker Harrod blank on a quest resulting in his delightful movie Wild wheels a lot of people think I'm crazy. They think I should be driving a normal car. I just wish I could find somebody I can relate to. When I made wheels I didn't really know what I was doing I was a warrior and

nobody really knew who was going on. People didn't know when our car was like they thought it was. John thought it was a crazy person. They thought it was a hippie that somebody from the. But all that is changing now thanks to Harrods film Wild wheels. And thanks to major events like Houston's annual our car parade. For some artists making the yearly journey to Houston is like a pilgrimage to Mecca. This is. An extraordinarily powerful phenomenon that's growing faster. Than a speeding bullet. And what we're trying to do is create an opportunity for people to express themselves. Houston's nonprofit arts organization the orange show sponsors the annual Are car weekend. It's a zany celebration of cars and creative self-expression. But it's not all foolishness. Many of these people have spent enormous time and energy in personalizing their cars

transformation of this boring icon that detritus point now there and people are eating that up and it's boring boring boring and what people do is they make it their own. And that's what le Baron that's my own. A lot of people assume you're making fun of them or that you're trying to be on some kind of ego trip which is not what I'd say any of these people are doing. It's more of a celebration. People that have I've seen and they they get in the car and they start doing their car. It gives them so much integrity so much joy of expressing and finding their own identity and then they just keep going and keep going. And suddenly that car becomes a symbol of the most important things in their life. This is the dollar car and we have over $500 on the car and we have dolls on crosses as well than toilet plungers. And for us the kind of man the unity among all different people and races and

tribes and because the dogs basically are all different colors and kind of represent the lives sharing a ride together and join the world you know the automobile in our society inherently has so much power as it is as an icon and to take that icon that symbol and change into something else that it carries with attempt at a level to suddenly transform it into art into personal values into communication. No more. Free. Associating our personal freedom and south of fundamentals. America's automotive legacy. Small car based sport utility wagons like our Subaru Outback Sport are a new and growing trend of blending maximum traction with civilized utility Subarus ability to invisibly package all wheel drive into a small car chassis

is India. We continue to be impressed with the sport surprisingly roomy interior and its genuine bunda drive nature. Since the Impreza derived Outback Sport arrive last November we've managed over 15000 mostly around town Miles. While we still get annoyed that the cup holders hide the radio mechanically it has never hit up one's mileage keeps getting better and now stands at twenty four point three. The Subaru Outback Sport is very much like the faithful pet that is always there when you need it. A lot of the automotive press has tried to find fault with a German made Cadillac its hero and we're not sure why. Based on the highly acclaimed Opel Omega and the six the caetera trades little of that car's prowess Graham group rides numbered after four months and forty five hundred miles beginning with Tara. We are pleased with the mileage which is twenty one point eight. We do admit Tara styling is a little un distinctive but then we're often told buyers are premium parts kind of like it that way. The only fault we had was a

check engine light because someone didn't tighten the gas cap. Otherwise this is one great road car and the German sports sedan bargain of the decade. Next week it's the Ford Expedition and Mitsubishi Montero Sport on motor weeks long term update before we let her go. Here's Lisa barrow again but this time with all the latest Motor News the Pontiac Firebird Trans-Am has always been the bad boy of the General Motors stable and that reputation is not likely to change in 1998 because that's when Pontiac isn't seen its most aggressive transition ever. Ninety eight models Road Warriors styling features include a new front end with a more muscular hood shape wider fenders and deep almost threatening facia But the bat is part of the new trans and lives in the engine bay city. It's by its enemies aluminum block Ellis one DA which comes out 305 horsepower and 335 pounds of touring. Brand them 60.

In under. Five seconds. At three hundred twenty four as premier inducing should not have second that. Other improvements include a new one piece welded exhaust system with marginal players suspension gets rebuilt with no sacrifice in handling plus all weather traction. Interior gets improved bucket seats that now features standard power controls. Our first drive showed the latest transit to be as exciting as ever and with its new Mad Max body work even more of a head turner than before the 98 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am will arrive in dealer showrooms in the next few weeks with prices starting at twenty six thousand five hundred dollars and that's it for this week's Motor News. If you're still shaking your head wondering what is it with those Art Car things. Then check out our cars by James Harris and Claire Poole. This beautifully photographed book takes a sociological look at our cars in the context of American pop culture. For a more intimate profile we

also recommend wild wheels by filmmaker Harrod blank. And don't miss the video wild wheels which features some of the most famous and not so famous a Martin car artist you want to be famous. Oh yeah. Wild wheels is a classic. Folks you know everyone knows that American cars come in all shapes and sizes but to most people American motorcycles come in only one for the Harley Davidson cruiser. What a great sound. But this seems to leave patriotic bikers who want something a bit more sporting out in the cold. At least it would if not for a small Wisconsin based company called a buhl. Their motorcycles are as American as apple pie but not so much cruisers as cruise missiles. When most riders first encounter the fuel asked one white lightning they think it's something radically new but in reality it's only the latest of a long line of Harley

Davidson powered sport machines that former Harley engineer Eric Buell has been building since 1987. Like its predecessors and unlike traditional American cruisers a white lightning is a person one feels following Erica Hill's own unique rules of motorcycle design and unique with its hyper aggressive junkyard dog styling it doesn't look like anything else on the road but rather than distract its unique lines draw your eyes to the Buells rather novel components the frame this familiar chrome Molly tubing follows unconventional lines and uses the engine itself as part of its structure. It rides on a set of trick race bred inverted forks up front and a fully adjustable but horizontally mounted rear shock. It's designed to extend over bonds rather than compress. The primary braking load is carried by a single huge thirteen point four inch front desk that's gripped by a six piston caliper while the all-American drive train delivers power to the fat rear Dunlop by way of a couple are reinforced bel air cooled twelve hundred CCB twin

engine Stuart's wife is the same unit found in Harleys twelve hundred Sportster. But Mr. Buell then adds reflowing head like Y will recalibrated ignition and bigger exhaust header inhales through this ungainly looking side mounted air box and exhales through a stainless steel exhaust system. Notable for the sheer size and efficiency of its muffler as well as funky details like the inconsistent weld quality and hardware store hose clamps attaching the heat shield the end result measured on the final with Marilyn Wann. Bill Harley Davidson is 84 hour and seventy five point six pound feet of torque. Huge increase over stuff. This not only means serious wheelie pulling bottom end but massive midrange and the power keeps on coming from a very Harley. 7000 RPM. These changes do trade away a bit of the old hawgs user friendly be a law. I don't those raised on peaky for pot sport bikes will still consider it a stunt. Our test bikes 5 speed gearbox shifted poorly on delivery though a bit of clutch adjustment

soon smoothed it out and had the bike heating up past rose like a rabbit. Right now the suspension is firm even on its softest settings but still soaks up bumps at speed and sticks to the riders chosen line like a limpet mine while the short 55 inch wheel base allows it to turn at a right light years ahead of its work your compatriots and should allow an experience you wider to easily hang with the fastest foreign sport bikes on twisty roads while the brakes deliver both stand on your no stopping power and superb lever wheel a riding position is sporty but comfortable. Perfect for long distances on the Harley engine stormily promenade vibration is dampened by fuels effect if you know plane or isolation system. We didn't however care much for the narrow thinly padded seat or the lack of return springs in the pay of the compact windscreen. What with the rider at high speed and protect a set of costly looking white faced analog gauges surrounded by an inexpensive looking cast instrument panel. It's yet another odd clash of

crude and classy the sort of inconsistency that could cause some buyers ass to splash out ten thousand five hundred ninety nine dollars for a white lightning to think twice. And the sort of detail that Buell must address if it wishes to expand from its manufacturer to market powerhouse. A recent agreement with Harley Davidson which the motor company bought forty nine percent of fuel and agreed to sell fuel motorcycles through Harley dealership should help the tiny company reach that goal. But for those willing to live with a few idiosyncracies the fuel S1 White Lightning offers a unique motorcycling experience one that will forever change their ideas of what an American motorcycle can be and blow those old cruiser cobwebs away for good. And I hope you'll join us next week for more motor We will show you all that's new from General Motors for 1998 and seeing Oz hits the road for a historic journey by jeep. We'll have all the latest Motor News.

I'm John Davis will see that. To order a video cassette of this program call 1 800 4 2 2 0 0 6 war or send 195 plus 495 shipping and handling to motorway. Post Office Box 5 5 7 4 2 Indianapolis Indiana 4 6 2 0 5. This is yes.