Honda Accord Achieves 5-Stars at Euro Ncap's Revised Rating System

The latest generation Honda Accord (sold in the States as the Acura TSX) has been awarded with five-stars under Euro NCAP's revised safety rating scheme that replaces the three separate ratings for pedestrian impact, adult and child protection with a single five-star rating. In the previous rating system, the Accord had a 5 star adult occupant, 4 star child occupant and 3 star pedestrian protection scores

Euro NCAP's new rating scheme uses a weighted score that combines adult (50 per cent), child (20 per cent) and pedestrian (20 per cent) protection assessment results with the availability of safety assistance devices such as the electronic stability control (10 per cent). Under the new rating system, a minimum score of 70 per cent overall is necessary for a 5-star rating. Honda's Accord achieved an overall weighted score of 78 percent.

2010 Acura TSX V6: Acura's Version of the Euro Honda Accord gets 280HP 3.5 V6

Acura finally decided to add a V6 option to its latest generation TSX model which as you probably already know, is sold in Europe as the Honda Accord. Unveiled for the first time today at the Chicago Auto Show, the most powerful version of the Acura's premium sports sedan is fitted with a 280-horsepower 3.5-liter V6 that's coupled to a Sequential SportShift automatic transmission with steering-wheel mounted F1-style paddle shifters. And no, Acura did not equip the TSX V6 with its four-wheel-drive system as it retains the 4-cylinder model's front-wheel drive layout.

The V6 powertrain also brought along a sportier suspension tuning along with 18-inch, five-spoke aluminum wheels, fit with Michelin Pilot all-season tires. To distingush it from the 4-cylinder variant, Acura slightly revised the TXS's front fascia and added a V6 badge on the trunk.