Schomp Honda

Safety

Using vehicle speed sensors and seat sensors, smart airbags in the Accord Sedan deploy with different levels of force or don?t deploy at all to help better protect passengers of all sizes in different collisions. The Accord Sedan?s side airbags will shut off if a child is leaning against the door. The A4?s side airbags don?t have smart features and will always deploy full force.

 

Both the Accord Sedan and the A4 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front-wheel drive, height-adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control and electronic stability systems to prevent skidding.

 

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Honda Accord Sedan is safer than the A4 Sedan:

	Accord Sedan	A4
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Head Injury Index	221	338
Chest forces	34 g?s	39 g?s
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Head Injury Index	258	436
Chest forces	35 g?s	38 g?s

More stars indicate a better overall result. Lower numbers indicate better individual test results.

Warranty

Honda?s powertrain warranty covers the Accord Sedan 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than Audi covers the A4. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles. Coverage on the A4 ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

There are almost 4 times as many Honda dealers as there are Audi dealers, which makes it much easier to get service under the Accord Sedan?s warranty.

 

Reliability

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without their vehicle while it?s being repaired. Consumer Reports predicts that the Honda Accord Sedan V6?s reliability will be 8% better than the A4 and the Honda Accord Sedan 4 cyl. will be 25% better than the A4.

 

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Accord Sedan first among midsize cars in their 2010 Initial Quality Study. The A4 isn?t in the top three in its category.

 

J.D. Power and Associates? 2010 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Honda vehicles are better in initial quality than Audi vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Honda 6th in initial quality, above the industry average. With 16 more problems per 100 vehicles, Audi is ranked 12th, below the industry average.

 

J.D. Power and Associates? surveys of the owners of three-year-old cars provide the long-term dependability statistics that show that Honda vehicles are more reliable than Audi vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Honda 7th in reliability, above the industry average. With 50 more problems per 100 vehicles, Audi is ranked 26th.

 

Engine

The Accord Sedan EX?s optional 3.5 SOHC V6 produces 60 more horsepower (271 vs. 211) than the A4?s 2.0 turbo 4 cyl.

 

Environmental Friendliness

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) certifies the Honda Accord Sedan as a ?Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle? (PZEV). The Audi A4 is only certified to ?Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle? (ULEV) standards.

 

Brakes and Stopping

The Accord Sedan stops shorter than the A4:

	Accord Sedan	A4
60 to 0 MPH	122 feet	123 feet	Motor Trend

 

Suspension and Handling

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Accord Sedan is .8 inches wider in the front and 1.3 inches wider in the rear than the track on the A4.

 

The Accord Sedan EX handles at .84 G?s, while the A4 2.0T Sedan Quattro pulls only .83 G?s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

 

Chassis

The Honda Accord Sedan may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 250 to 300 pounds less than the Audi A4.

 

The Accord Sedan EX uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The A4 doesn?t offer active noise cancellation.

 

As tested by Car and Driver while under full throttle, the interior of the Accord Sedan EX is quieter than the A4 2.0T Sedan Quattro (70 vs. 71 dB).

 

Passenger Space

 

Because it has more passenger and cargo room, the Accord Sedan is rated a Large car by the EPA, while the A4 Sedan is rated a Compact.

 

The Accord Sedan has 15 cubic feet more passenger volume than the A4 Sedan (106 vs. 91).

 

The Accord Sedan has 1.4 inches more front headroom, 1.2 inches more front legroom, 2.7 inches more front shoulder room, 1 inch more rear headroom, 2 inches more rear legroom and 2.1 inches more rear shoulder room than the A4.

 

Cargo Capacity

 

The Accord Sedan has a much larger trunk than the A4 Sedan (14 vs. 12 cubic feet).

 

With its coupe or sedan body style, valet key, locking rear seatbacks and remote trunk release lockout, the Accord Sedan offers cargo security. The A4?s non-lockable remote release defeats cargo security.

 

Ergonomics

 

If the windows are left down on the Accord Sedan the driver can raise them all using the key in the outside lock cylinder. On a hot day the driver can lower the windows from outside the vehicle using the key in the outside lock cylinder or the keyless remote. The driver of the A4 can?t use the remote to operate the windows.

 

The Accord Sedan?s speed-sensitive wipers speed up when the vehicle does, so that the driver doesn?t have to continually adjust the speed of the wipers. The A4?s standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

 

To shield the driver and front passenger?s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the Accord Sedan has standard extendable sun visors. The A4 doesn?t offer extendable visors.

 

Model Availability

 

The Honda Accord comes in coupe, sedan and station wagon bodystyles; the Audi A4 isn?t available as a coupe.

 

Economic Advantages

 

Insurance will cost less for the Accord Sedan owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Accord Sedan will cost $210 to $449 less than the A4 over a five-year period.

 

The Accord Sedan will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. Kiplinger's estimates that the Accord Sedan will retain a greater percentage of its original price after two and four years than the A4.

	Accord Sedan	A4
Four Year	39% to 41%	34% to 36%
Two Year	55% to 58%	51% to 53%

 

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Accord Sedan is less expensive to operate than the A4 because it costs $630 less to do the manufacturer's suggested maintenance for 50,000 miles. Typical repairs cost much less on the Accord Sedan than the A4, including $100 less for a water pump, $50 less for front brake pads, $170 less for a starter, $141 less for fuel injection, $113 less for front struts, $630 less for a timing belt/chain and $53 less for a power steering pump.

 

Intellichoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Honda Accord Sedan will be $6794 to $30022 less than for the Audi A4.

 

Recommendations

 

The Honda Accord Sedan has won recognition from these important consumer publications:

	Accord Sedan	A4
Consumer Reports Recommends	TRUE	TRUE
Kiplinger?s Award	TRUE	FALSE

 

The Accord was chosen as one of Car and Driver's 'Top Ten' for 15 of the last 18 years. The A4 has never been a Car and Driver 'Top Ten' pick.

* [1]  Based on 2011 EPA mileage estimates. Use for comparison purposes only. Do not compare to models before 2008. Your actual mileage will vary depending on how you drive and maintain your vehicle.