It’s a 2020, top of the line Signature, former company employee car <4200 miles, Certified Pre Owned. Even has the new car smell still. It’s basically a new car I got for $9000 off MSRP. Got a good trade in value for my G and a good interest rate for the financing as well. It’s not the blue I wanted, but the Gray looks classy enough, I think.
What’s great:
• Best looking non-luxury brand sedan inside and out IMO
• Love the brown interior, can feel a little dark when it’s cloudy but in the sun, you can see the different shades between the dash suede trim, Sen wood and Napa leather seats
• The touch surfaces are very high-quality, reminds me of an Audi. Temperature control knobs with metallic finish and a satisfying click, weighted buttons and infotainment controller etc.
• Heated seats, heated steering wheel and ventilated seats, Oh yeah baby!
• It’s very spacious and comfortable. Rear seats have a lot of legroom, even with a sloping roof you can get in and out ok and the trunk is pretty big even if not class-leading
• Handles great, but I think the Accord has it beat there
• Like the grumbly engine note, The turbo torque is the highlight, obviously. Strong anywhere from 2000RPM drops off at 5000 and the transmission short shifts anyway. I don’t even bother using the paddles. There’s so much midrange torque that I don’t even need to downshift
• One of the quietest cars I’ve driven, even at highway speeds. Some road noise from tires over 70mph I drove it back 4 hours, partly in the rain immediately after buying it. But in everyday city driving it’s a sanctuary where I can listen to podcasts in silence
• No torque steer at all, wheelspin is controlled very well if you don’t ham-fist it.
• Sport mode is a simple toggle switch you either turn it off or on. No cycling thru modes. Love that.
• Throttle response and gas pedal is very smooth, progressive and feels just right
• I had to switch my driving style going from NA High strung V6 RWD to FWD turbo. Roll into it, smooth and ride the wave of torque no need to wring it out
• It’s wayyy quicker when it’s on the roll that from a dead start. In suburban driving, managed to close some gaps in the 30 to 50MPH range so fast I surprised myself. Car& Driver tested 0-60 at 6.1 but 5-60 is what I go with which mirrors real world situations, that was 6.4.
Overall, it’s a very sophisticated car and punches well above its weight as far as midsize sedans go.
Wishlist in order of preference:
• 8 speeds or even just 7 with a short first gear would be perfect!
• AWD would be nice to have but with good tires it’s somewhat compensated. It doesn’t snow here a lot in the South and if it were a deal-breaker wouldn’t have considered this
• Fog lights
• 4 way lumbar instead of 2, and thigh support at least for driver
• Larger infotainment screen, 10+ inches with wireless Android Auto and wireless charging
Dislikes/Annoyances:
• Infotainment is kinda slow to start up, but the cameras come on instantly so that’s more important
• Android auto is not touch-enabled even when stopped, but I got used to it as I have to use the controller for everything anyway
• Ambient lighting is only white, need colors
• Centre console cover doesn’t come to the front all the way so can’t rest your arm on it. Thinner padded portion is not the best solution
• HUD fades away with polarized sunglasses but I guess it’s a universal problem
• Seat base is not soft but not bad
• OEM Falkens are just OK, can’t wait to replace them with a top rated UHP all season
• No hydraulic hood struts
• Brakes are not very progressive there’s some play before they bite and it brakes strong.
• Moving on from hydraulic steering is not easy. It’s quick and has weight but just doesn’t have the same feel but I knew this beforehand
Despite all this I’m very happy with the car and it has all the tech/safety/comfort features I need now.
What next?
• It’s already tinted, might get it professionally detailed (paint correction and maybe a ceramic coating)
• No performance mods planned, will just run Premium gas when I feel like it
• Drive it for 4 years (till I pay off the loan at the very least)
I've had it for a week. Took a lot of self control to take my time gather my thoughts and not post the day of itself LOL. Need to know more? AMA