Base model euro vs euro luxury

[blueoval]

Just wondering if there is any speed/acceleration difference between a base model 6MT euro compared to a luxury euro 6MT?

I was just reading a review on autospeed and they did say the power was a bit diminished when driving the luxury compared to the base model.

I put it down to weight factors of the luxury with the leather and sunroof etc.

Considering they both have exactly the same power outputs, could this be the only issue with the luxuries performance? Is it really that noticeable?

Comments from owners please?

[EuroDude]

Base Euro = 1,375 kg
Lux Euro = 1,440 kg

So thats a 65kg difference, which is the weight of some people. And being a 4cyl engine, the weight of a person can lower performance quite significantly.

The 6MT lux does 0-100 in 7.8sec, so the Base model should do about 7.5sec or lower I imagine. Or 7sec flat if u power shift :p

[blueoval]

cheers eurodude. so as far as power is concerned, is it worth getting a luxury over a base model?

[EuroDude]

^ its up to u, if u wanna have a sunroof, HID's, leather, 17" rims etc.. then yeh it not too bad. Although u would save money if you were to get the Base model and install your own leather, sunroof etc..

Performance wise they are very similar, you probably wont notice the difference too much

7.6sec confirmed ~ http://motoring.nzoom.com (but the page is gone now)

[blueoval]

hmm. tough choice I guess. I'd have to drive both to see if i could feel a difference.

I love the leather and sunroof, but could live without them if it meant a huge saving. One thing the base model did need IMHO is standard foglights and HID's.

I'll have to do a search to see if it can be done to a base model.

[rusty]

hmm. tough choice I guess. I'd have to drive both to see if i could feel a difference.

I love the leather and sunroof, but could live without them if it meant a huge saving. One thing the base model did need IMHO is standard foglights and HID's.

I'll have to do a search to see if it can be done to a base model.

I have started a thread a while ago about std vs lux.
here is the link http://www.ozhonda.com/forum/showthread.php?t=57500

some people have given their opinions + consideritions about std vs lux

[SiReal]

once u go sunroof, u cant go back.
once u go leather, u cant go back
once u got satnav, u cant go back

LUX . DO IIIIITTT

[_CiVIC_]

I wonder what a 5spd auto base model can do 0-100 LOL!

[EuroDude]

^ Lux 9.0sec, Base 8.8sec

[ZEi20T]

has anyone compared an 03 Lux to a newer model with 17" rims?

mine doesnt have a full-size spare, it lacks the 17" rims etc. all those are weight savers :P plus unsprung weight comparing the 16" rims to the 17"

[blueoval]

thanks for that link rusty, that has answered some of my other questions.

cheers for your replies guys.

[corn_flakes]

i didn't get the lux coz of that approx. 10k difference...

sure leather is nice, but i can do without. don't like that hot sticky feeling in the summer.

sunroof, well...i had one with my previous car...i used it, but it wasn't a necessity...

HIDs are great, but standard halogens on the euro lights up the road quite well. and you can install aftermarket HID's in the standard like i did. even though it's illegal. i don't see much of a light output difference, just a colour difference. purely for looks. lol

curtain airbags may save your life. but chances of getting t-boned? hmm. that's a hard one to weigh out, but at least u've still got side airbags.

foglights...meh, no fog here in sydney. purely for looks again. lol.

17" rims....MUCH MUCH better looking than the standard ones. but still shit. prefer aftermarket ones.

[BiLL|z0r]

I've driven both a lux and std in auto and could definatly feel the diff between them acceleration wise. Both had the same 16" wheels as well as the lux was an 04 and my std is an 05.

[blueoval]

I agree, aftermarket rims FTW

[aaronng]

If you want the luxury, go for the Lux. There is no substitute for that in the base. The base is a base. Built to be of good value.

[blueoval]

I think what I am looking for is making sure I am getting the most performance out of the 140kw on offer. I have to ask myself, 'is the added weight of the lux worth the sacrifice of some performance?'

I really like the lux, but I long for performance more from the stock setup.

I personally dont want to mod the car for quite some time.

[yfin]

Base Euro = 1,375 kg
Lux Euro = 1,440 kg

So thats a 65kg difference, which is the weight of some people. And being a 4cyl engine, the weight of a person can lower performance quite significantly.

The 6MT lux does 0-100 in 7.8sec, so the Base model should do about 7.5sec or lower I imagine. Or 7sec flat if u power shift :p

Interesting that for a number of years Honda was showing on their web site a weight difference of 40kg between the std and lux manual (ie 1395 vs 1435). Don't know why the weight figures for the standard dropped all of a sudden. If anything the weight of the standard should have increased in 05 with the change to a full size spare. Even on the Honda NZ website it still shows a 40kg difference between the standard and lux.

http://www.honda.co.nz/site/new_cars/accord_euro/specifications.html

Either way blueoval - don't decide whether to go for the lux or std based on a difference of 0.1 or 0.2 seconds for the 0-100kph. That sort of difference for a car that is driven on the street is negligible. You can make up that time and more by becoming a better driver and doing some motorsport/driving courses. Buy the car based on condition and what you need.

[EuroAccord13]

Almost OT but...

I put the car on the weight bridge the other day... with 1/4-1/3 fuel plus me and all the things that came in the car...

The weight was 1420KG... (Aaron, can you confirm this number since you were there too :D)

[aaronng]

^^ that's the number. Maybe your tyres made up most of the extra weight. My car would weigh about 1450 with all the stuff in my boot at the moment.

[xiang]

Get lux dude..
I've got base, sat in a lux and got jealous..

[mastcell]

foglights...meh, no fog here in sydney. purely for looks again. lol.


I agree with corn_flakes on most points here.
The Std is better value, but I got the Lux version anyway. Overall, I am very happy with my decision to go with the Lux version.

The sunroof is not as useful as the one on on my brother's Civic VTi-R (EJ series, I think) because it is much noisier at speed with the glass fully retracted. It is also positioned much further back instead of being directly over the front passengers, limiting vision out of the sunroof. This is due to the steeply raked front windscreen.

Foglight is not that useful because it lacks the range. Please note that it is illegal in most states to switch on the foglight unless there is fog or rain. Police can issue you with an infringement ticket.

Most of the differences between Lux and Std are purely cosmetics. Just like the HIDs, a normal Halogen headlights are just as effective.

[Lukey13]

This question obviously comes down purely to individual budget.

For me, I had a fixed amount of money I wanted to spend. For this amount I could've had
a) A 3-4 year old BMW 325i.
OR
b) A brand new car.

I very nearly went with option a). However wasn't able to find one that exactly fitted my requirements - black paint, black leather sports seats, sunroof, M-sport kit, black or silver interior and most importantly MANUAL only. These are evidently as rare as hen's teeth.

Being that I didn't wish to compromise on options when spending $50K, I decided to go for option b). Now I could've gone for a base model car with less options (say a standard Mazda 6 MPS), however for that price range I expect all the goodies.

So for me, the fact I could fully option an Accord Euro Luxury Sat-Nav and stay within my price range made the difference. My last car was a luxury car and I don't plan to downgrade car features.

I know the Mazda 6 MPS is much more fun to drive than the Euro, however optioned up it would cost at least $60K (leather and Bose pack, sunroof, on-roads).

I also considered the Subaru Liberty GT, however it too would cross into a different price range (that and the fact that I struggle with its exterior styling).

However, I'm sure this is different for those who only wish to spend $40K.

BTW, the next car is going to be a brand new BMW coupe.

[yfin]

Almost OT but...

I put the car on the weight bridge the other day... with 1/4-1/3 fuel plus me and all the things that came in the car...

The weight was 1420KG... (Aaron, can you confirm this number since you were there too :D)

So that would be around 1350kg without fuel and you I imagine.

[Euro76]

Although I was envy on the luxury version, I feel I don't need the luxury yet. If I want the luxury I would have gone buying a 3 series BMW for a start. I like the base version as it was more than enough for me. I want standard stock performance without any mods to the engine so the base would suit me better than the luxury.

If you take a look at Wheels magazine, they reported the 6MT luxury is 7.8 secs to 100km/h compared to base 6MT's 7.9 secs. Typo or something?

[blueeuro]

Go the Lux, I bought a std in 2003 and a couple of years later I started to wish I had a sunroof and leather. After investigating an after market roof, I decided it would be better to upgrade. I looked at the Jetta and others but couldn't fault the Euro Lux, so in 2006 I upgraded, no regrets.

[Tobster]

I think what I am looking for is making sure I am getting the most performance out of the 140kw on offer. I have to ask myself, 'is the added weight of the lux worth the sacrifice of some performance?'

I really like the lux, but I long for performance more from the stock setup.

I personally dont want to mod the car for quite some time.

As said, in the real world, the weight makes no real difference that you're going to notice. Make the purchase decision based more around the features you like/want -- and work out what it might otherwise cost you to add them in afterwards (including the insurance). Sometimes it's easier and cheaper in the long run to go factory. Aftermarket fitted parts can cause greater loss of resale value.

If performance is really what you want, don't make the mistake that I've seen a few people on this and other forums make: buy the car and then complain that it's not fast enough. In manual form, it's no slug (it runs similar times to your average V6 family car like a Commodore or Falcon, i.e. around 8 secs 0-100 and high 15 sec 400 m), but it's no lightweight darting sports car either.

I find it a good compromise between an economical family car, a luxury express and a fun sportster. My car is stock and it's great fun to punt through the Adelaide hills. It's not a drag car, but it's great on a winding road.

PS I thoroughly recommend Dave Potter Motors down at Glenelg; I've now bought 2 Hondas through them, and they're very good to deal with (they also don't work on commission, so they're not pushy). Both Formula Honda and Nordic Honda are owned by the same people, so don't bother trying to compare what those two dealerships might offer.

[blueoval]

As said, in the real world, the weight makes no real difference that you're going to notice. Make the purchase decision based more around the features you like/want -- and work out what it might otherwise cost you to add them in afterwards (including the insurance). Sometimes it's easier and cheaper in the long run to go factory. Aftermarket fitted parts can cause greater loss of resale value.

If performance is really what you want, don't make the mistake that I've seen a few people on this and other forums make: buy the car and then complain that it's not fast enough. In manual form, it's no slug (it runs similar times to your average V6 family car like a Commodore or Falcon, i.e. around 8 secs 0-100 and high 15 sec 400 m), but it's no lightweight darting sports car either.

I find it a good compromise between an economical family car, a luxury express and a fun sportster. My car is stock and it's great fun to punt through the Adelaide hills. It's not a drag car, but it's great on a winding road.

PS I thoroughly recommend Dave Potter Motors down at Glenelg; I've now bought 2 Hondas through them, and they're very good to deal with (they also don't work on commission, so they're not pushy). Both Formula Honda and Nordic Honda are owned by the same people, so don't bother trying to compare what those two dealerships might offer.

Thanks Tobster.

I actually test drove a second hand euro from Dave potters there a week or so back. I spoke to keith there and he was great. The car i test drove was a blue base manual. Still loved it. But I did sit in the lux and was overwhelmed with emotions sitting in the leather seats etc. :p

What you have just described to be is excellent. Essentially all I am after is a marked improvement in overall power and performance over my liberty wagon. I dont expect it to be a bullet on the street and like you said, I want it to be a balanced compromise in power and economy.

I think I will be happy with the power the car delivers stock for quite some time. If I really wanted full on power, I'd opt for a wrx or something, but I am over that boy racer image. I dont want to spend mega dollars either to start changing things etc because it just doesnt quite fit the criteria Im looking for either. That just defeats the purpose.

Either way, I know, Im gonna be happy. It just comes down to price.

Also just to let you all know I plan to buy second hand.

[80057]

i got quoted a 4k price difference from lux to std, and i couldnt turn that down. the real gains i think are leather elctric seats, bigger wheels and fog lights, i really didnt like the furry std seat material.

test drive them and decide yourself, you have to live with it.