What you’re about to read here is utter fiction with our artist Josh Byrnes creating an illustration for Accord Type R Wagon that is neither related to nor endorsed by Honda; please refrain from any excitement and keep a fire extinguisher on standby!
Car enthusiasts are an interesting mix. The sheer variety of differing tastes is massive, with followers of Kei cars to V8-powered muscle coupes and everything in between – you name it, and there’ll be a loyal following.
While many gravitate towards high-end halo offerings, there’s an inherent fondness for vehicles that are obtainable, fun, and family orientated. The type of cars that you could consider your best mate, as they’re loyal and reliable, (well, unless it’s an Alfa).
Honda’s current Accord is one such car, a practical turbocharged sedan that still offers three-peddle fun. Well, that used to be the case until recently, when Honda started making cutbacks, discontinuing the manual Accord for 2021, as well as culling the Civic Coupe and Fit subcompact.
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Depressing as that news may be, what if the Japanese giant went utterly bonkers and brought back the Accord wagon with a turbocharged engine and a manual transmission in scintillating ‘Type-R’ guise? Let’s illustratively crystal ball-gaze further.
Performance Proportions
This study employs an aggressive new front facia that screams performance with its imposing grille, hood scoop and red-accented lower splitter. Keen observers will notice the flared front and rear fenders, and the Accord’s front-wheel-drive proportions have changed to exude a RWD bias by increasing the axle-to-dash ratio.
The most obvious change, however, is the transition from saloon to wagon. Unlike many estate cars which have a generic rear quarter glasshouse, this study keeps the window-line ‘up-kick’ from the sedan, which intersects the chrome trim at the base of the rear pillar. Add the satin roof rails and a sloping roof, and the end result is a dynamic, sleek-looking hauler.
Gazing at it from the rear reveals full-width LED tail-lamps and an aggressive diffuser to improve the stance of the car, while lower red accents and quad exhausts cement the ‘go-fast’ appearance.
Power To Haul
Being a ‘Type-R branded’ model, the Civic’s hot powertrain came first to mind with its turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder unit. In that car, it pumps out 228 kW (306 hp) to the front wheels via a close-ratio six-speed manual and a limited-slip differential. Taking the Accord’s additional weight into consideration, an increase of power up to 350 hp would help the wagon keep up with its smaller sibling.
Read Also: We Drive The Honda Civic Type R Hot Hatch
All well and good, you say? Well, make way for some more evil thoughts – courtesy of what lays beneath Acura’s upcoming TLX Type-S. The powertrain in question is a throaty turbocharged, 3.0-litre V6 developing north of 350 hp and 354 pound-feet of torque. While some may lament the 10-speed automatic as the sole transmission choice, it does redeem itself with an intelligent torque-vectoring all-wheel-drive system.
Handling could improve with chassis strengthening, variable-ratio steering, adaptive dampers and stickier rubber wrapped over its huge 20-inch wheels.
Long-roof Rivals
If Honda did make an Accord Type-R wagon, it would encounter very little in the way of direct rivals in North America. Elsewhere it’s a different story, with options like Volkswagen’s Arteon R Shooting Brake, Peugeot 508 Sport Engineered plug-in hybrid wagon and Subaru’s upcoming Levorg STI wagon.
Or if you wanted to step up into luxury territory, there are players like Audi’s S4 Avant, BMW M340i Touring and Mercedes-AMG C43 wagon.
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Ultimately, wishful thinking aside, Honda would need a business case to build the Accord in wagon format. Unless there is some SUV-oriented variant with tons of plastic cladding, it’s unlikely to materialise any time soon. Dreams are free aren’t they?
Read Also: Which Bonkers Family-Friendly Estate Would You Buy?
Should Honda bring back the Accord wagon with a performance variant? Let us know what you think in the comments below.