European Honda Accord Sedan and Tourer In Detail

Press Release

SAFETY SYSTEMS

• Advanced Compatibility Engineering (ACE) Body Structure disperses collision forces over a larger frontal area
• Optional Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC), Collision Mitigation Brake System (CMBS) and Lane Keeping Assist System (LKAS)
• Standard driver and front passenger airbags, side airbags and full-length curtain airbags; ISOFIX anchors and tethers

Safety

The new Accord is equipped either as standard, or optionally, with a comprehensive array of the latest active (accident avoidance) and passive (crash safety performance) safety technologies to place it at the forefront of its class. Features like Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA) with traction control, heightened handling agility, the new Motion Adaptive EPS and ABS enhance the new model’s accident avoidance capability. HID xenon low-beam headlights contribute to superior night-time visibility.

Perhaps the most notable element of Accord’s safety armoury is Honda’s Advanced Driving Assist System (ADAS), a suite of three innovative elements available as an option and for the first time in combination with all three engines: Lane Keeping Assist System (LKAS) which assists the car to help the driver remain in a traffic lane by providing steering torque when necessary; Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) which automatically maintains a consistent distance to a vehicle directly in front, for more relaxed, less tiring driving; and Collision Mitigation Brake System (CMBS) which monitors the following distance and closing rate between the Accord and the car directly in front of it, warning the driver when a collision is likely and helping reduce impact when a collision becomes unavoidable.

Should a collision prove unavoidable, the Advanced Compatibility Engineering (ACE) Body Structure of the Accord is designed to provide a protective cocoon for passengers. Inside, a network of eight airbags work together with sophisticated restraint systems to minimise injury.

Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC)

In addition to maintaining a set speed, as with a conventional cruise control, ACC is able to automatically regulate the distance to a vehicle travelling ahead in the same lane, thereby reducing the burden of motorway (or similar road) driving and enhancing driver comfort and safety.

It uses a millimetre-wave radar mounted inside the front grille to recognise the presence and the speed of the vehicle ahead; the frequency difference between the transmitted-wave and the reflected-wave makes it possible to calculate the exact distance and the relative speed between the vehicles. When this distance falls below a predetermined value, the system instantly decelerates the vehicle through throttle control and, if necessary, by application of the brakes (via communication with VSA).

In instances where quicker deceleration is required, such as sudden braking by the vehicle in front, the system will alert the driver with a warning light and a buzzer to prompt the driver to apply the brakes. If the vehicle ahead changes lane or the distance increases again, then the system increases the vehicle speed to the predetermined value.

ACC operates between 30-180 km/h (or 20-110 mph) and the driver can increase the Accord's speed via the ACC button on the steering wheel in 5 km/h (or 2 mph) increments.

The driver can monitor the status and function of the ACC system by referring to the specific display in the centre of the speedometer. This unit will indicate when a vehicle is detected ahead, when the radar sensor is out of commission and when there is insufficient braking capability, as well as the selected cruise control speed and the selected distance to the vehicle ahead.

Collision Mitigation Brake System (CMBS)

The Collision Mitigation Brake System (CMBS) is a revolutionary safety technology which takes the ACC technology to the next, logical stage by predicting collision situations and reacting accordingly.

When the closing rate between the Accord and the vehicle in front increases to a point where a collision is likely to occur, the system uses visual, and audible warnings to prompt the driver to take preventative action. If, based on the driver's response, the system determines that the likelihood of a collision has decreased to an acceptable level, the CMBS system will disengage. If, however, the driver's response does not sufficiently reduce the risk of a collision, the system will issue a secondary warning, consisting of audible, visual and tactile elements as well as light braking, to alert the driver to take action. If the closing rate increases so much that a collision becomes unavoidable, CMBS can initiate hard braking to reduce the vehicle's speed, and E-pretensioner can tension the driver's and front passenger's seatbelts to help maximize the restraining ability of the seatbelts.

Stage one: When there is a risk of a collision with the vehicle ahead or if the distance between the vehicles has dropped below the pre-set level, a buzzer sounds and the word 'BRAKE' appears on the Multi-information display.

Stage two: If the distance between the two vehicles continues to diminish, CMBS applies light braking, and the driver's E-pretensioner activates an electric motor which retracts the seatbelt gently two or three times, providing the driver with a tactile warning. The buzzer sounds again and the word 'BRAKE' appears again on the Multi-information display.

Stage three: If, after issuing the primary and secondary warnings, the system determines that a collision is unavoidable, the E-pretensioner retracts the driver's and front passenger's seatbelts with enough force to compensate for seatbelt slack or baggy clothing and activates the brakes forcefully to reduce the speed of impact and mitigate the effects of the collision on the Accord and its occupants.

CMBS functions only when the Accord is travelling at over 15 km/h and when the speed differential between it and the car directly in front is 15 km/h or more. It can be turned off using a switch located on the side of the instrument panel.

Lane Keeping Assist System (LKAS)

LKAS maintains the position of the car in its lane by providing steering torque when necessary – significantly reducing driver fatigue and helping to prevent accidents.

The system identifies the boundaries of the vehicle's lane by processing images from a C-MOS camera mounted behind the windscreen. It then calculates the optimum steering torque – a combination of human input (minimum 20 percent) and the assisted steering torque (maximum 80 percent) – to keep the vehicle in the centre of the lane. A continuous beep sound will be emitted when the vehicle is about to cross the lane marking.

LKAS operates when the following conditions are fulfilled:

• On roads with left and right lane boundary markings (where markings are clear and visible)
• On motorways or roads that are equivalent to motorways (excluding sharp curves/bends)
• At vehicle speeds between 72 and 180 km/h (45 and 112 mph)
• Driver has to keep contact with the steering wheel – if the system fails to recognise the driver's input on the steering, it switches itself off
• Side indicators are not activated
• Steering torque generated by the driver does not indicate imminent lane change manoeuvre
• Only operates on bends that have a less than 230 metre radius (at 80 km/h)

Advanced Compatibility Engineering (ACE) Body Structure

Progressively introduced throughout the Honda range, the Advanced Compatibility Engineering (ACE) Body Structure is designed to deliver significantly enhanced occupant protection in a variety of real-world crash conditions. These may include a frontal collision between vehicles of differing heights, weights and frame construction.

The ACE Body Structure has been developed after extensive research by engineers, at the vehicle to vehicle crash testing facility at Honda’s Tochigi R&D base. A number of different vehicles were used during the testing in a selection of realistic scenarios to ensure good real-world crash performance.

The ACE Body Structure uses the engine compartment to efficiently absorb and disperse collision energy during a vehicle-to-vehicle collision. It features a new frame structure composed of a highly efficient energy-absorbing main frame, a bulkhead (upper frame) which absorbs the upper part of the collision energy, and a lower member that helps prevent misalignment of the frames of the vehicles involved. This design disperses collision forces over a larger frontal area, which enhances energy absorption of the engine compartment, reduces the chance of deformation of the passenger compartment and results in enhanced occupant protection. At the same time, the structure reduces the chance of vertical or lateral misalignment between the Accord and another vehicle's safety structures.

During a frontal collision, a conventional body structure generally concentrates the loads from the impact through two pathways running longitudinally through the lower portion of the frame. The ACE Body Structure's front-mounted polygonal main frame is designed to prevent cabin deformation by distributing forces through multiple major load bearing pathways – and away from the passenger compartment.

To achieve top -level side-impact safety, Honda's engineers have increased the side section of the frame and chosen different material specifications to provide the desired level of stiffness and strength for critical areas, without adding unnecessary weight.

The new Accord incorporates many of the pedestrian-protection design features already familiar from recent Honda models. Research shows that features such as these dramatically improve a pedestrian's chance of survival if struck by a moving vehicle. Items include:

• windscreen wiper pivots designed to break away
• a new collapsible boxed frame structure beneath the base of the windscreen which provides impact energy absorption
• energy absorbing front wing mounts which help mitigate injuries
• the bending structure of the bonnet hinges which help mitigate injuries
• a bonnet frame which is designed to bend and deform
• an unobstructed area beneath the bonnet allowing greater space for deformation

The new Accord is equipped with front seat active headrests which reduce the likelihood of neck injury in rear impacts. As the occupant is pushed against the seat back, a rigid plate in the seat presses a link to the headrest pushing it up and forward to support the head.

All models feature front seatbelt pre-tensioners and load limiters, dual stage front airbags, driver and front passenger side airbags, full length curtain airbags and ISOFIX fittings and tether anchor points for secure childseat fixture. The side airbags now have a dual chamber structure designed to deliver optimum protection for both the pelvis and the torso.

Since offset frontal impacts can lead to a rebound in which there are strong lateral forces, the curtain airbags are now deployed in such situations to protect occupants’ upper bodies.

The front passenger seat airbags can be deactivated when using a childseat and the airbag status is displayed electronically in the information display in the centre console.