This one goes out to all the people who say their normal sedan is also a sports car. The turbocharged Honda Accord is back on track, taking on more established sports sedans like the Jetta GLI and the Subaru WRX. But can they keep up with the base Ford Mustang, the one everyone makes fun of?
Throttle House has made a habit out of racing Japanese mid-size sedans. First, we learned that the turbocharged Accord is faster than a Camry TRD, even though it hasn't got the badges and spoilers to back its performance. After that, the Honda 4-door took on its turbocharged relative, the Civic Type R.
The four cars cost about $30,000 and have turbocharged four-cylinder engines, but that's where the similarities end. The Mustang has the bigger engine, a 2.3-liter which makes 310 hp. The WRX has launch control and AWD, boasting 268 hp from its boxer. The Jetta GLI is the least powerful here at 228 hp, and the Accord has 252 ponies under its hood.
In the first race, they use launch control where available, and even though the Mustang can't get a perfect run, it still manages to win while the Accord breathes down its neck.
"I think the Honda fanboys are going to be very happy with how this went," the reviewing duo notes. Even without launch control (where available), the Mustang still wins, followed by the Accord. Meanwhile, the GLI is dead-last.
"That has the picture of a Mustang on its front; this is a commuter car," James says, trying to claim a moral victory for the Accord. But he does have a point, especially when you consider Honda has just begun making a 2.0-liter turbo Accord while the WRX and Mustang have decades of ancestry.
Is this an unfair race? Are the Subaru and VW fans going to be angry? Let us know in the comments.
The four cars cost about $30,000 and have turbocharged four-cylinder engines, but that's where the similarities end. The Mustang has the bigger engine, a 2.3-liter which makes 310 hp. The WRX has launch control and AWD, boasting 268 hp from its boxer. The Jetta GLI is the least powerful here at 228 hp, and the Accord has 252 ponies under its hood.
In the first race, they use launch control where available, and even though the Mustang can't get a perfect run, it still manages to win while the Accord breathes down its neck.
"I think the Honda fanboys are going to be very happy with how this went," the reviewing duo notes. Even without launch control (where available), the Mustang still wins, followed by the Accord. Meanwhile, the GLI is dead-last.
"That has the picture of a Mustang on its front; this is a commuter car," James says, trying to claim a moral victory for the Accord. But he does have a point, especially when you consider Honda has just begun making a 2.0-liter turbo Accord while the WRX and Mustang have decades of ancestry.
Is this an unfair race? Are the Subaru and VW fans going to be angry? Let us know in the comments.