AD #2202 – 2018 Accord First Impressions, Cummins & Achates Developing Military Engine, VW’s Plan to Win Back Trust
October 2nd, 2017 at 9:00am
Runtime: 8:09
To watch this episode on YouTube click here.
- Volkswagen’s Plan to Win Back Trust
- Cummins & Achates Developing Military Engine
- 2018 Honda Accord Impressions
- Customers Feedback on New VW Tiguan
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On today’s show… our impression of the new Honda Accord… Cummins and Achates team up to develop a engine for the military… and how Volkswagen plans to win back people’s trust. All that and more coming right up on Autoline Daily.
This is Autoline Daily the show for enthusiasts of the automotive industry.
VOLKSWAGEN’S WIN BACK PLAN
Volkswagen used to think that German engineering and charging a premium over its competitors was the way to differentiate itself in the U.S. But VW’s Head of North America, Henrich Woebcken recently told a group of reporters that things are starting to change post-dieselgate. By forming the North American Region group it gave more autonomy to the folks in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Engineering is still a differentiator, but Woebcken says they’re also focused on coming out with competitive products with the right set of options for the region and with competitive pricing. He points to the Atlas’ $30,500 starting price as sign this is already happening. And it’s got a bunch of new products coming, which Woebcken says the North American Region was key in pushing for. Volkswagen will have 2 new models coming out every year for the next several years to come. And if that’s not enough to help win back people’s trust, Volkswagen is doubling its warranty in the U.S. The People First Warranty covers a vehicle bumper-to-bumper for 6-years or 72,000 miles and it’s transferable. The same warranty had previously been announced for its SUVs, but it’s now being spread across the entire Volkswagen lineup.
ACHATES & CUMMINS TO DEVELOP MILITARY ENGINE
The diesel engine maker Cummins and Achates Power, which has developed an opposed piston engine, have teamed up to create a new combat vehicle engine for the U.S. Armed Forces. The goal is to improve the performance, survivability, and range of ground combat vehicles while reducing fleet fuel use by 13% compared to current combat vehicles. The new engine will be tested by TARDEC in 2019.
Still to come… our impression of the 2018 Honda Accord.
2018 HONDA ACCORD IMPRESSIONS
Knowing it would be battling a brand new Toyota Camry in the marketplace, Honda brought its A-game when it came to redesigning the 10th generation of the Accord. The car is improved in every way and is probably the most handsomely styled Accord ever, with a more aerodynamic and upscale look. It’s wider, lower, roomier, quieter and lighter.
It also rides and handles better. One reason for this is that the front suspension now uses a lower L-arm instead of an A-arm. Not only is this design more rigid, lateral forces are now directed on a straight-line path to the strut, and the rear attachment point of the L-arm uses a fluid filled bushing. The result is a more accurate steering feel and less NVH.
Interestingly, the Accord only offers turbocharged 4-cylinder engines—no more V-6. The engines come in two flavors, a 1.5 and a 2.0 liter. The one-five produces 192 horsepower and 192 pound-feet of torque. The two-liter cranks out 252 horses and 273 pound feet. Most impressively, both engines develop peak torque at very low rpm: only 1600 rpm for the 1.5 and 1500 for the 2.0. The engines work well in every situation, but the 1.5 is slow for about the first 10 feet when accelerating hard from a dead stop with the CVT. Of course you can choose a 6-speed manual instead, while the bigger engine offers the choice of a 10-speed automatic or the 6-speed manual. A hybrid version will come later and we’ll report on that when we have more details.
The most noticeable difference when seated in this car is the open, airy feel and great visibility looking out the windshield. Honda achieved this with a wide, shallow dashboard and thin A-pillars that were moved rearwards by 4 inches.
And that brings us to the manufacturing innovation in this car. Honda was able to make the A-pillars thinner with a dedicated engineering effort to reduce the cross section. They reduced it by 20%. They also adopted what Honda calls Partial Hot-Stamping. Different sections of the steel are heated to different temperatures for different strengths before it’s stamped. They use this on the B-pillars and rear frame as well. The new Accord also uses structural adhesives for the first time. While other automakers have used adhesives for years, Honda was worried about the durability and reliability. Not any more. No doubt we’ll see the company greatly expand its use of adhesives.
There are far more details to get into, and we’ll do that in the coming days, but this gives you a good overall sense of what the new Accord is all about. Overall, this is a superb car and will help Honda to continue to sell passenger cars in a market that supposedly only wants crossovers.
Are Tiguan customers happy with the new model? We’ll look into that, coming up next.
VW TIGUAN CUSTOMER FEEDBACK
The new Volkswagen Tiguan just hit dealerships a little over a month ago. On last week’s Autoline After Hours we were joined by the Product Manager of the crossover, Jeffrey Ng. And in the following clip, he talks about some of the customer feedback on the new model and whether owners of the previous version like the new one.
(Clip from AAH #393 can only be viewed in the video version of today’s show.)
If you want to learn more about the new Tiguan, you can watch that entire episode right now on Autoline.tv or just look for it on our YouTube channel.
But that’s it for today, thanks for watching and please join us again tomorrow.
Thanks to our partner for embedding Autoline Daily on its website: WardsAuto.com
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Comments (18)
October 2nd, 2017 at 10:07 am
I think it will be interesting to see how the new ACHATES & CUMMINS engine does; up until now it has been rhetoric that it was coming sometime in the future. Hope it does what it has been touted to do; save fuel/space and be top-notch reliable.
I like the new Accord more than the new Camry, but alas, an American car company buyer, if I’d have to pick, it would be a Malibu (or maybe that new Buick Regal coming in ’18).
October 2nd, 2017 at 10:54 am
6 year warranty with maintenance included will help VW a lot. Before selling back our TDI, I asked what the 40k service interval typically costs. It was the better part of $700. I asked what was involved and the service manager simply hand waved.
The new warranty will help, but with the 3 VW dealers I had my TDI serviced at, they all had the same “hand waving” mindset. They really didn’t know much or what to create a positive relationship.
October 2nd, 2017 at 10:56 am
“or what” should be “or want”
October 2nd, 2017 at 12:14 pm
I wish VW luck at going mainstream in the U.S. I’ve had VW’s fairly recently, but only because I like cars that are “different” from most Americans want. My VW’s were a 1998 GTi VR6 and a Jetta TDI wagon. If I wanted a mainstream crossover or sedan, it wouldn’t be a VW.
It’s nice that Honda will still sell manual transmissions in the new Accord, but they need a hatchback or wagon. I am intrigued by BMW’s 4 series “Gran Coupe,” and might consider splurging on one to replace my 8 year old Mini, but there is one major issue, other than price. That BMW “ultimate driving machine” is not available with a manual in the U.S. That’s too bad, because the car proves that a car can be a utilitarian hatchback, and be attractive.
October 2nd, 2017 at 12:20 pm
Chuck- would you consider a Fusion? Just curious.
October 2nd, 2017 at 12:31 pm
Sean, I have been keenly watching Honda for 40 years. While this generation Accord may be a space and ride quality improvement over prior Accords, I find other Accords to be much more tastefully styled on the outside. Like the over-wrought Civic, I completely dislike the side DLO. Like the over-wrought Civic, I also dislike the C-shaped taillamps (as I dislike them on the Buick LaCrosse). And the brow of the front grille borrows too much of its style from a beluga whale.
So, there you have it. Not everyone can agree with a subjective attribute like styling. As such, I’d recommend staying away from superlative statements like “probably the most handsomely styled Accord ever”.
October 2nd, 2017 at 12:33 pm
I just reviewed the press release from VW and it does not say that maintenance is included. That would make a big difference in cost of ownership, but it would cost so much that I was skeptical they would throw that in.
October 2nd, 2017 at 12:47 pm
#7 My guess is they will do like GM and others have done with offering free maintenance for the first 2/years which on most modern engines is only 2 free oil changes. Not really a big expense @ $100 but sounds good to a buyer. Plus that helps to insure those 2 yr leases are maintained.
October 2nd, 2017 at 1:06 pm
#5 Buzzard, alas, I am a GM monger; the Fusion is okay, and again being an American car buyer, would buy the Fusion before the others.
October 2nd, 2017 at 1:13 pm
Sorry Chuck. As nice as the new Bu’s ride and space are,,. I just can’t swallow the serendipity of the body side sculpting or the jack o’lantern daytime driving lamps.
October 2nd, 2017 at 1:19 pm
Since VW plans to go more “mainstream,” do they plan to expand their sparse dealer U.S network?
October 2nd, 2017 at 1:26 pm
Yeah, ’18 GS Regal; yeah baby: http://www.buick.com/regal-mid-size-luxury-hatchback-sedan/index.html#/index
That’s why they make so many different looking vehicles (and the fronts seem to be the most different as the sides have all kind of become similar).
October 2nd, 2017 at 1:37 pm
The Malibu 2.0T pretty has the Accord V6 beat in every metric including better braking, quieter, better handling and better fuel economy. This according to Motor Trend test data. The new 2.0T Accord faster in acceleration but has almost one mph faster trap speed in the 1/4 mile. Go to 6 minutes to see the turbo-4 pull on the V6 at any speed.
https://youtu.be/spIczRuboEc
The Regal Sportback at $29,999 is compelling as you can AWD and Buick has a better warranty.
October 2nd, 2017 at 1:57 pm
Kit Maybe VW can buy some of the 47 Chrysler dealerships that are planned to be closed in Ohio alone.
October 2nd, 2017 at 2:30 pm
@14 – OEMs generally are not in the business of buying dealerships. Rather, OEMs recruit and sign business agreements with independent businessmen to become representatives of the OEM’s brand. That businessman owns the dealership, operated within OEM-agreed practices.
October 2nd, 2017 at 2:38 pm
14 If VW really wants to go mainstream, they should look into some of those dealerships.
The Regal Sportback looks interesting. I suppose it will be automatic only, though.
October 2nd, 2017 at 8:29 pm
VW claims to have the best bumper-to-bumper 6 year/72k warranty, but I’d still prefer the Hyundai/Kia 10 year/100k powertrain with a 5 year/50k bumper-to-bumper. GM had a longer warranty for a while and determined the marketing value was not worth the extra up-front costs. As others have said, if VW is to make a bigger impact in the US, they are going to have to expand their dealer network beyond their current niche dealers.
October 2nd, 2017 at 9:50 pm
It is especially inportant to have a dealer nearby, if you are likely to use your warranty a lot, as seems the case with VW.