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 Taurus' side airbags don't have smart features and will always deploy full force.

 

The Accord Sedan has standard whiplash protection, which use a specially designed headrest to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the whiplash protection system moves the headrests forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Taurus doesn't offer a whiplash protection system.

 

The Honda Accord Sedan has Daytime Running Lights to help keep it more visible under all conditions. Canadian government studies show that driving with lights during the day reduces accidents by 11% by making vehicles more conspicuous. The Taurus doesn't offer Daytime Running Lights.

 

Both the Accord Sedan and the Taurus 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 Taurus:

	Accord Sedan	Taurus
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Head Injury Index	221	374
Chest forces	34 g's	43 g's
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Head Injury Index	258	379
Chest forces	35 g's	36 g's
Leg injuries (L/R)	286 / 427	312 / 781

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

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 4 cyl.'s reliability will be 16% better than the Taurus.

 

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 Ford vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Honda 7th in reliability, above the industry average. With 9 more problems per 100 vehicles, Ford is ranked 8th.

 

Engine

As tested in Motor Trend the Accord Sedan EX 3.5 SOHC V6 is faster than the Ford Taurus V6 (automatics tested):

	Accord Sedan	Taurus
Zero to 60 MPH	6.5 sec	7.4 sec
Zero to 80 MPH	10.9 sec	12.3 sec
Passing 45 to 65 MPH	3.1 sec	4.1 sec
Quarter Mile	15 sec	15.6 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	95.5 MPH	89.1 MPH

 

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Honda Accord Sedan higher (6 to 9.5 out of 10) than the Ford Taurus (5 to 6). This means the Accord Sedan produces up to 19.8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Taurus every 15,000 miles.

 

Transmission

The Accord Sedan offers a manual transmission for better acceleration, control and fuel economy. The Taurus doesn't offer a manual transmission.

 

Brakes and Stopping

The Accord Sedan stops much shorter than the Taurus:

	Accord Sedan	Taurus
70 to 0 MPH	169 feet	191 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	122 feet	129 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	148 feet	150 feet	Consumer Reports

 

Suspension and Handling

The Accord Sedan EX handles at .84 G's, while the Taurus SEL pulls only .81 G's of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

 

For better maneuverability, the Accord Sedan's turning circle is 2 feet tighter than the Taurus' (37.7 feet vs. 39.7 feet).

 

Chassis

The Honda Accord Sedan may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 650 to 800 pounds less than the Ford Taurus.

 

The Accord Sedan 4 cyl. is 8.8 inches shorter than the Taurus, making the Accord Sedan easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

 

The design of the Honda Accord Sedan amounts to more than styling. The Accord Sedan has an aerodynamic coefficient of drag of .31 Cd. That is lower than the Taurus (.32 to .33) and many sports cars. A more efficient exterior helps keep the interior quieter and helps the Accord Sedan get better fuel mileage.

 

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 Taurus doesn't offer active noise cancellation.

 

As tested by Car and Driver, the interior of the Accord Sedan EX is quieter than the Taurus SHO AWD:

	Accord Sedan	Taurus
At idle	43 dB	47 dB
Full-Throttle	70 dB	73 dB
70 MPH Cruising	65 dB	70 dB

 

Passenger Space

The Accord Sedan has 3.8 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Taurus (106 vs. 102.2).

 

The Accord Sedan has 2.4 inches more front headroom, .6 inches more front legroom, .3 inches more front hip room, .3 inches more front shoulder room and .7 inches more rear headroom than the Taurus.

 

Cargo Capacity

With its coupe or sedan body style, valet key, locking rear seatbacks and remote trunk release lockout, the Accord Sedan offers cargo security. The Taurus' non-lockable folding seat and non-lockable remote release defeat 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 Taurus can only raise the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

 

The Accord Sedan has a standard locking fuel door with a remote release located convenient to the driver. A locking fuel door helps prevent vandalism, such as sugar in the tank and fuel theft. The Taurus doesn't offer a locking fuel door.

 

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 Taurus' standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

 

Consumer Reports rated the Accord Sedan's headlight performance 'Good,' a higher rating than the Taurus' headlights, which were rated 'Fair.'

 

Model Availability

The Honda Accord comes in coupe, sedan and station wagon bodystyles; the Ford Taurus isn't available as a coupe or station wagon.

 

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the Accord Sedan owner. The Car Book by Jack Gillis rates the Accord Sedan with a number '5' insurance rate while the Taurus is rated higher at a number '8' rate.

 

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 Taurus.

	Accord Sedan	Taurus
Four Year	39% to 41%	36% to 38%
Two Year	55% to 58%	48% to 51%

 

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Accord Sedan is less expensive to operate than the Taurus because it costs $258 less to do the manufacturer's suggested maintenance for 50,000 miles. Typical repairs cost much less on the Accord Sedan than the Taurus, including $663 less for a water pump, $161 less for an alternator, $29 less for front brake pads, $52 less for fuel injection, $443 less for a timing belt/chain and $43 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 $11206 to $26086 less than for the Ford Taurus.

 

Recommendations

Consumer Reports recommends both the Honda Accord Sedan and the Ford Taurus, based on reliability, safety and performance.

 

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Accord Sedan third among mid-size cars in owner reported satisfaction. This includes how well the vehicle performs and satisfies its owner's expectations. The Taurus isn't in the top three in its category.

 

The Accord was chosen as one of Car and Driver's 'Top Ten' for 15 of the last 18 years. The Taurus 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.