1989 Honda Accord 1.8L 4AT FWD (105 HP)

Vehicle Overview

Honda didn’t keep the third generation of the Accord for too long, and in 1989 it quickly replaced it with the fourth generation, a model that lasted for almost three years.

In 1988, the Accord became the best-selling car in the U.S., so customers wondered why the Japanese automaker should replace an already proven recipe for a successful vehicle. However, Honda answered all those questions when the fourth generation of the Accord reached its buyers, convincing them that they made the right choice. The car sported a less ’80s styling, a better-made interior, and a completely new engine lineup. Furthermore, the automaker offered the 1990 Accord in three shapes: two-door coupe, four-door sedan, and station wagon. The hatchback styling, which was the only one offered on the Accord’s first generation back in 1976, was ditched from the lineup since it became obsolete. However, the automaker didn’t keep this fourth generation of the Accord too much on the assembly lines, replacing it with a fifth generation in 1992 for the sedan and the coupe, while the station wagon was canceled in 1993.

At the front, the car had fixed and slim headlights that flanked an even slimmer upper grille, where the H-badge had to be shrunk to fit in the middle. The low hood line and the wrapped-around plastic bumper sporting the rest of the vehicle’s exterior color were more rounded than on the previous generation of the Accord. At the same time, the automaker offered an option for a set of fog lights on the apron.

Its low-slung profile made the 1990 Honda Accord look more like a sports sedan than a regular family vehicle. The flat and smooth body panels were interrupted by a black or body-colored rubber stripe that created a continuous line between the front and rear wheel arches. Honda also made the vehicle available with body-colored door handles and mirror caps. Depending on the market and grade, the car came fitted with 14- or 15-inch alloy wheels. At the back, the short and flat deck emphasized the vehicle’s sporty look. At the same time, the rear fascia featured wide taillights that emerged from the quarter panels to the trunk’s lid.

Inside, the Accord offered comfortable front bucket seats with velour upholstery. The dashboard was molded into one piece and covered by a soft-touch material. Fronting the driver was a clean-looking instrument cluster with large dials for the speedometer and tachometer, where the former took center stage. On the right, the automaker placed the fuel, temperature gauges, and the indicator for which door or trunk was opened. On the center stack, the Accord featured the HVAC control panel and the stereo. While most grades came fitted with standard power windows on all four, a lower-grade version offered cranked ones for selected countries. In the back, most versions featured fixed bench seats, while in the U.S., a flat-folding one was available.

Under the hood, the fourth generation of the Accord came with an utterly new engine lineup ranging between 1.8- and 2.2-liter, paired with a five-speed manual gearbox across the range. A four-speed automatic transmission was available, depending on the market. Honda had already developed and implemented the VTEC technology on other cars, but the Accord didn’t get it. Furthermore, its 16-valve engines featured a single camshaft instead of two, as was usual for that kind of distribution system. Unlike most sedans from those times, the fourth generation of the Accord came with multilink suspension in all corners, which greatly improved car handling and comfort.