2014 Honda Accord Pros and Cons at TrueDelta: Reliable car - if y ou can put up with the sound system and seats by cschnarr

Powertrain performance

The engine willingly revs over 3000RPM. The 6 speed manual is excellent, shifts are easy and precise. Acceleration is good for a largish sedan

Handling

Sticks to the road around corners, always predictable with good road feel through the steering wheel. Body lean is well controlled without being harsh over the big bumps

Reliability & durability

I have only had problems with the rear brake rotors over 3 years and 44000 miles. They were turned at around 20k miles due to pulsing, and I replaced them at 40000 miles due to pulsing. That is as good as it gets for any car I've ever owned.

Front seat support & comfort

After 3 years of driving this car, I've developed neck problems from the head restraints forcing my head too far forward. I am 6'2" tall with good posture, a 34" inseam, and not overweight. It is difficult to sit in the seats without getting severe neck pain. I tried turning the head restraint around, in spite of the safety issue, but the bottom of the back of the restraint pokes me in the neck then. Just for kicks, I took the head restraint out to see if I could get comfortable, but the top of the seat back then presses uncomfortably into my upper back/lower neck. The only solution I've found so far that works is to put 3" of foam behind my back so that the head restraint is 1/2-1" behind my head. It is difficult to only fault Honda for this, because most cars model year 2009 and newer have the same problem after the NHTSA head restraint rules update from 2007. Honda, Mazda and Chevrolet seem to be the worst for forcing heads forward though. Ford has a tiltable head restraint in most of their vehicles, so they are adequate. Only when you get to the luxury brands do you find comfortable restraints. The BMW 5 series with multi contour seats, and the new Lincoln Continental have excellent seats, but they are also nearly twice as much as the Accord. Honda could fix their seat problems with a fore/aft adjustment for the head restraint and a taller seat back. It seems as if they make seats for a very limited height range with bad posture...

Audio & nav systems

The stock audio system can be summed up in one word: Awful. I have replaced all of the speakers with much better units and the sound is just barely passable now (except there is still no bass). The car needs a different head unit, but alas, Honda decided to integrate many of the car's functions into the head unit, so there isn't an easy fix. The head unit rolls off bass below 70Hz, so an amplifier/equalizer can only go do far. Be prepared for lacking audio with the Honda Accord

Quietness

The car is fairly noisy, but not more than other sedans in its class