Accord 4 cyl vs. 6 cyl

Discussion in 'Accord' started by Joe, Aug 28, 2005.

  1. Joe

    Joe Guest

    I'm buying my first Honda and decided upon a 2006 Accord, but I'm not sure
    if it should be a 4 or 6 cylinder engine. I realize the 4 cylinder gets
    better gas mileage, but wonder if it has enough power to carry two passages,
    kayaks and associated gear. Also, I understand the 6 cylinder is a smoother
    running and a quieter engine.

    Any suggestions are appreciated and thank you for your help.
     
    Joe, Aug 28, 2005
    #1
  2. Joe

    Bubba Guest

    Unless you're going to be doing **a lot** of driving through the mountains
    (ongoing, not just an occasional vacation trip) the 4-cyl engine will be
    just fine. Consumer's Reports loves the car and loves the 4-cyl. Their
    road test over all types of terrain & driving conditions averaged 24 mpg
    overall. By all means get one with an automatic transmission. If nothing
    else the automatic will make it **much** easier to sell (better trade-in)
    when it comes time to replace it. CR also says the 4-cyl is smoother than
    most 6-cyl.

    Ultimately the decision is yours. Go to a dealer and test drive both, but
    make it a fair test. You want both test drives to be of the same model,
    i.e., coupe vs coupe or sedan vs sedan and stick vs stick or automatic vs
    automatic.

    Gas prices are only headed in one direction; UP

    My son bought an '05 EX sedan 6-cyl. He wishes now he had bought the
    4-cyl.
     
    Bubba, Aug 28, 2005
    #2
  3. Joe

    L Alpert Guest

    There is one of each in my immediate family (2004) with auto. I usually
    drive the 6, as it has the NAV system. The 6 is more powerful, but you will
    not be disappointed by the 4. Either one will fill your needs as you
    describe them.

    Take a test drive of each. Drive them aggressively.
     
    L Alpert, Aug 28, 2005
    #3
  4. I have the Accord V6 and have also driven the 4 cylinder (both 4 door
    automatics). The four is fine, but the V6 has substantially more power
    and acceleration. Of course, the gas mileage is less, but we get 32 mpg
    on trips. I'm talking about driving calmly and maintaining a steady
    65-70 mph on major highways for 250-300 miles. So, I think either
    engine would do the job for you (or me) but the V6 sure feels better to me.

    Ken
     
    Kenneth J. Harris, Aug 28, 2005
    #4
  5. Joe

    Vikings Fan Guest

    if it should be a 4 or 6 cylinder engine. . . .

    Joe, I have owned and driven nothing but Honda Accord 4 door sedans (LX,
    then EX) for the past 15 years, so I have thought about this very same
    question quite a bit. My first Accord, purchased new in 1990, was a 4
    cylinder LX sedan. When that car was totalled, I replaced it with a new
    1994 EX with the 4 cylinder VTEC engine.

    While I have liked both cars quite a bit, I have been telling myself for the
    last 5 years that my next car, and every car afterwards, will have no lower
    than a 6 cylinder engine. My main reason has to do with safety, especially
    as traffic worsens and people drive at increasingly higher speeds in the
    metropolitan area where I live.

    The problem I have now with my 4 cylinder VTEC is that it's difficult for me
    to get into the flow of freeway traffic (and sometimes even non-freeway
    traffic) when I'm entering the freeway from the on-ramp. The car just can't
    accelerate fast enough to easily get into the flow of traffic so I
    invariably end up with another vehicle inches from my rear bumper no matter
    how skillfully I merge into traffic. Of course, the real problem is that
    there are drivers going 75+ mph in the right (merge) lane in a 55 mph speed
    zone, and if this wasn't happening I wouldn't have a problem. But given
    this reality, I have often wished I had a 6 cylinder vehicle to give me
    better acceleration in this situation and others, thus giving me a higher
    level of safety.

    I remember when I bought my Honda EX in 1994 I read a Consumer Reports
    article on the car that said the relatively new (at the time) VTEC 4
    cylinder engine had so much more power than a "regular" 4 cylinder engine
    that you would be wasting your money buying a 6 cylinder Accord because the
    power between the two wouldn't be much different. I'm not so sure that I
    agree with that as I've driven a 6 cylinder Accord similar in model year to
    mine and it seemed to have much better power and acceleration than my VTEC
    4. And this was when my car was new.

    The other reason I would go with a 6 is that I believe the mileage gap
    between 4 and 6 has narrowed with Accords in recent years so perhaps,
    depending on your driving habits, there may not be a huge difference between
    the two in overall fuel economy. Especially if you do alot of freeway
    driving, live in a more rural area, etc.

    And then of course there is the new Honda Accord Hybrid V6 which came out
    this year which has interested me alot as far as a next car choice. I
    haven't read any reviews yet but the information on the car seemed pretty
    impressive from a power AND fuel economy point of view.

    You also mention that you will be regularly hauling stuff in your Accord
    (kayaks, etc.). Another reason to get a 6 instead of a 4, especially if the
    trips are long.

    Anyway, from a guy who has driven 4 cylinder Accords for the past 15 years,
    I recommend you get a 6 cylinder. If you don't, I think you'll end up
    wishing you did. Just my humble opinion.
     
    Vikings Fan, Aug 28, 2005
    #5
  6. And as a guy who has driven MODERN 4 cylinder Accords for awhile, I have
    an opposing viewpoint.

    the MODERN 4 cylinder Accord is a wonderful machine--and it doesn't lack
    for power at all.
     
    Elmo P. Shagnasty, Aug 28, 2005
    #6
  7. Joe

    jim beam Guest

    wow. is this automatic or stick? if it's automatic, there must be
    something wrong. if it's a stick, you're just not using the right revs.
    my crappy 1.5 non-vtec civic has me merging onto busy metropolitan
    freeways with plenty of ooomph. the vtec accords i've driven have been
    /significantly/ more powerful than my car and just /take off/ when
    floored above 4k rpm, so i really do find this claim surprising.

    regarding the op's question, longevity of honda 4's is legendary. the
    6's, not so. for economy & reliability, with /plenty/ of spare power,
    i'd go with the 4.
     
    jim beam, Aug 28, 2005
    #7
  8. Joe

    Vikings Fan Guest

    something wrong. if it's a stick, you're just not using the right revs.

    It's an automatic, but I don't think there's anything wrong with it. It's
    just old...almost 12 years. But like I said, even when it was new I thought
    the acceleration could have been better. I don't know about the newer
    Accord VTEC 4s, maybe they are better as far as power and acceleration. But
    I'd still get a 6 over a 4 if/when I buy a new Accord. No question about
    it.
    6's, not so.

    Wasn't aware of this. If true, definitely an argument in favor of the 4, if
    the difference is indeed significant. Do you have source on this or is this
    just anecdotal?
     
    Vikings Fan, Aug 28, 2005
    #8
  9. Joe

    jim beam Guest

    it's largely anecdotal. but i've taken the trouble to check junkyards
    for this kind of thing, and i've never seen a 6 over 160k miles. you
    see 4's with 200, 300 or even 400 regularly. of course, it's all
    academic if the op replaces their car every few years.
     
    jim beam, Aug 28, 2005
    #9
  10. Joe

    Dave Garrett Guest

     
    Dave Garrett, Aug 28, 2005
    #10
  11. wow. is this automatic or stick? if it's automatic, there must be
    something wrong. if it's a stick, you're just not using the right revs.[/QUOTE]

    I absolutely agree here.
     
    Elmo P. Shagnasty, Aug 28, 2005
    #11
  12. "Elmo P. Shagnasty" wrote
    Me, too. My 4 '04 Auto has plenty of power -- if I use the transmission
    correctly. OK, what's correctly? If you KNOW you're going to need instant
    acceleration, manually downshift the damned thing before you're ready to
    accelerate. Otherwise, it does take a second or two for the transmission to
    get to where you seem to need it. I shift down to 3rd or even 2nd when I'm
    in close city traffic where speeds are varying because of moronic drivers
    ahead of me who don't know how to maintain a simple speed.

    Granted, you still won't be able to go 0-75 in 8.4 seconds.....

    Clear enough?

    Howard Lester
     
    Howard Lester, Aug 28, 2005
    #12
  13. Joe

    Vikings Fan Guest

    correctly. OK, what's correctly? If you KNOW you're going to need instant
    acceleration, manually downshift the damned thing before you're ready to
    accelerate. Otherwise, it does take a second or two for the transmission to
    get to where you seem to need it. I shift down to 3rd or even 2nd when I'm
    in close city traffic where speeds are varying because of moronic drivers
    ahead of me who don't know how to maintain a simple speed.
    Well, Howie, if you took the time to read my posts in this thread, you would
    see that I mentioned I have an automatic transmission, not a manual. So
    shifting, RPMs, etc. is NOT the issue with me. Also, you mentioned you have
    a 2004 4-cylinder and mine is a 1994. Obviously, with a model that is 10
    years newer (and only a year old), you're not going to have the same
    problems that I do. It is not an apples to apples comparison. So you can
    turn off the snide condescension.

    What is it with this newsgroup...is there nothing but Group Thought that
    occurs in here and anyone with a minority opinion gets talked down to? I
    obviously have not kept up on the changes to the Accord VTEC 4 like the rest
    of you have, so I was not aware of the significant increases in horsepower
    that have occurred over the years. So I learned something here and I may
    have to re-think my original position. But snide condescension that comes
    from not reading/comprehending other people's posts sure isn't making you
    look very good either.
     
    Vikings Fan, Aug 28, 2005
    #13
  14. Joe

    Dave Kelsen Guest

    Speaking of snide condescension, Howie was talking about automatic
    transmissions. If you took the time to read... nevermind. It turns out
    that automatic transmissions have more than one gear.

    Several of the responses here were from people with 4-cylinder engines
    of a vintage similar to that of your car; your dismissal based on the
    changes in the engine certainly aren't germane there.

    While some folks aren't necessarily doing as much reading as they
    should, it's not just them.

    RFT!!!
    Dave Kelsen
     
    Dave Kelsen, Aug 28, 2005
    #14
  15. Joe

    Matthew Guest

    How is the transmission on the 6 vs the 4.
     
    Matthew, Aug 28, 2005
    #15
  16. Joe

    jim beam Guest

    i don't think people are intending to "talk down", but there's
    definitely some disbelief at the problem you describe. unless you're
    used to driving a porsche or something /substantially/ faster than a
    vtec honda, there's no way you'd be complaining of this car being a
    slouch. seriously, if the car is as bad as you say, there has to be
    something wrong, for instance, the kick-down on the automatic should not
    be significantly delayed. if yours has a problem with slow downshift,
    it needs fixing.

    returning to your "check engine light" posting, what other work have you
    had done to the car other than valve adjustment & exhaust? how long has
    it been like that? have you had anything replaced like oxygen sensor or
    thermostat? low grade after-market components affect performance. and
    have you had the egr system cleaned? does it hesitate? has the air
    filter been changed any time recently?

    regarding age comparisons, that's something of a red herring if your
    "honda specialist" has been telling you age is an excuse. your car is
    low mileage by honda standards. and the engine technology is not that
    retarded. a friend has a stock accord vtec your vintage with /many/
    more miles. when driving that car, i'm much more concerned with keeping
    my licence than i am about whether it's a 6.
     
    jim beam, Aug 28, 2005
    #16
  17. Joe

    HPGrn Guest

    I agree...I have a '92 LX with automatic that has been driven all over
    the east coast and most of the midwest. I currently live in Texas and
    don't have any trouble merging or holding 80+ (no lectures, please).

    See no need for a 6, expecially in light of today's (and tomorrow's
    increasing) fuel prices.

    Herb
     
    HPGrn, Aug 28, 2005
    #17
  18. Joe

    al Guest

    Either your car has something wrong, or you simply can't anticipate traffic
    properly. I had a '91 Civic 1.5 and very little on the road touched me in
    it. It never set the world alight, but really - 99.998% of people drive
    like they have Ms Daisy in tow ....

    FYI, yes, it was a manual (auto's are for American's and those that like
    bumper cars ;p), but that's not really the point. When I go home and
    occasionally borrow my Mum's 1 litre Yaris, I still stay ahead of virtually
    all traffic - even when joining the motorway (just forget 50-90mph
    acceleration or going up hills).

    Learn to drive better or get your car serviced/traded in. One's at fault
    .....




    a
     
    al, Aug 28, 2005
    #18
  19. Joe

    Dave L Guest

     
    Dave L, Aug 28, 2005
    #19
  20. Joe

    al Guest

    Have to disagree there - 6 cylinders would be more comfortable and give
    better low end torque. As for petrol prices, please, don't make me ill!!
    You're from Texas right? Land of free (never mind polluting the rest of the
    planet) oil?? ;p

    May as well enjoy petrol cars while we can - your government (and plenty of
    others) will use up the rest of the world's oil before the next generation
    take over! That and big brother monitoring the roads so that even a few
    seconds exceeding the speed limit will see people fined. I really do wish
    some propellerheads would come up with a lightening quick alternative to
    internal combustion ...




    a
     
    al, Aug 28, 2005
    #20
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