2016 Honda Accord LX - Thoughts, opinions

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Originally Posted by goillini8

Completely agree. Don't they get some sort of kickback from XM/Sirius for every car buyer who continues past the free subscription? Even if they don't, what does it cost them to add it? It's a really horrible oversight.

The separate SiriusXM receivers probably cost a bit to add, but now they're integrated into the audio system. The additional cost now is probably $10-15 per car, I'm guessing.

Based on everything I've read and heard about SiriusXM, the automakers do get a relatively small percentage of subscription fees if the customer pays the full price. For example, my 2012 CX-9 has a SIRIUS receiver and it included a 3-month trial. I bought the car in 11/2012, but didn't activate my trial until 03/2013. When it expired in 06/2013, the monthly subscription charge was $24.99 (I can get basic cable for that price!)! Mazda received a kickback/commission from that $24.99 because they effectively marketed SIRIUS by installing it in their vehicles. I called SIRIUS and the best they could do was $14.99 for a lesser package and reluctantly agreed.

I did some research and discovered that you can actually get a 6-month subscription for only $25 using a specific coupon code. These codes are always published on RetailMeNot.com. So I called and told them I wanted the $25 deal and the initially refused. I told them I wanted to cancel service and they transferred me to a 'customer retention agent' who offered my existing service for $12.99 then $10.99 before finally giving up and letting me have the $25/6mos deal! Mazda does NOT get a cut of that amount....and that's so not my problem!

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Originally Posted by louie0406

LX and Sport models come with the worst sound system I have ever heard in a vehicle. Sounds like a cheap boom box radio from walmart when cranked up. My brother in law has a 2015 Altima and the factory sound system in that car is WAY better than my Accord.

The LX and Sport only have a 4-speaker audio system, while most have 6-speakers (4-speakers and 2-tweeters are the usual setup). My dad has a 2004 Accord LX and the sad audio system was the only negative thing about the car (besides the plastic wheel covers). About two years ago, I found him a deal on four 3-way Rockford Fosgate speakers ($59 per set of 2, free shipping). Factory speakers on low/mid-range cars are so cheaply made (not just Honda, but all makes), I was shocked. The ones I removed had cones made of a material only slightly more substantial than construction paper! The RF speakers I installed weighed 4x as much as the factory ones I removed (I actually weighed them). The difference was very substantial and it went from being a mediocre, barely-adequate audio system to a rather good one.

Why no real lane assist feature? Honda's lane watch is quite pointless if you ask me. If you have to take your eyes off of the road and mirrors to glance at a screen when switching lanes, then its kind of counter productive. Give me a simple light indicator on my side mirrors if there's a car aside of me or in my blind spot. I can notice it without taking my eyes off of the road or mirrors when switching lanes.

I'm a Honda fan and have great respect for many of the company's technical innovations. I'm actually flying to Pittsburgh tomorrow to spend a week with my best friend (who transferred there from Atlanta last August). As soon as I land, we're driving to Marysville, Ohio (about 45 min NW of Columbus) and staying overnight so we can tour the Honda Heritage Center (museum) and tour the factory on Thursday morning! So I'm definitely not a Honda-basher unless it is merited.

In the case of LaneWatch, I'm disappointed in Honda. While is more flashy and probably impresses a lot of people on test drives, it isn't as useful or effective as a regular Blind Spot Monitoring System. When I bought my CX-9 in 2012, I thought that BSM (Blind Spot Monitoring) was a joke that I'd either ignore or turn off. But in reality, it is VERY useful and I love having it. When a car is on my right or left flank (blind spot), a yellow warning light appears on the exterior mirror on that side of the car. If I activate the turn signal while a car is in that zone, I get a series of beeps to warn me.

While Blind Spot Monitors should never replace using properly adjusted mirrors (and a quick look over the shoulder sometimes), they are a great addition to increase safety. Mine saved me from an accident that would have been my fault and could have seriously injured (or killed) the occupants of the other car. I was on a 2-lane interstate highway going about 75mph behind a pickup truck hauling various office equipment. A filing cabinet toppled off and landed in the middle of my lane. I was in the right lane and my instinct was to swerve into the left lane to avoid hitting it. But it happened at dusk and I could see the 'BSM warning light' was lit on my driver's side mirror! Instead of swerving left (and into the car at my right rear side), I used the emergency lane on the right instead. If nothing else, BSMs make you aware of who/what is on either rear corner of your vehicle....information is a good thing!
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