Honda adds HFP package for 2013 Accord

Limited edition gets bigger wheels, lower suspension

The limited-edition Honda Factory Performance package for the Accord Coupe goes on sale Tuesday. It was first shown at the Las Vegas SEMA show in 2012. Honda says the package enhances vehicle dynamics and adds distinctive styling cues.

The HFP package adds 19-inch HFP wheels, a decklid spoiler, a sport suspension that lowers the car by about a half inch, front, side and rear underbody spoilers, red interior illumination, and new badges and floormats. The parts carry a three-year, 36,000-mile limited warranty when installed in a new vehicle.

Only 500 HFP packages will be sold for the 2013 Accord Coupe, at a cost of $4,620, not including installation.

"The new Accord Coupe V6 is already a natural on twisty roads, but the HFP package really takes it to a new level," said Lee Niffenegger, program senior engineer at Honda Performance Development. "With a lowered ride height, sport suspension and more performance-oriented tires, the HFP kit definitely provides more controlled body motions and enhanced stability."

The 2013 Honda Accord gets power from a 3.5-liter V6 making 278 hp and 252 lb-ft of torque, mated to either a six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission that sends power to the front wheels. Mileage is rated at 22 mpg combined with the manual, 25 combined in the automatic. Check out our full review of the V6 Accord here.

The HFP package will be limited edition. 

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Mini Acura NSX Back on the Table

Shrunken Supercar Rumored to Get AWD, Mid-Engine Layout

While the stillborn, V-10-powered NSX was being developed, Honda was also working on a related and obscure project referred to internally as the Small NSX. At the time it was just one of several advanced R&D ideas sitting in the design room. Then the financial crisis hit, causing Honda to kill the NSX and shelve all other sports car projects. But Honda has since rebounded, and as we know, the NSX has been reborn as an all-wheel drive hybrid. Now we're hearing the Small NSX may be back on the drawing board as well.While the words "Small NSX" may conjure up visions of a successor to the S2000, our inside source tells us this is not the case, and that it will look much like a shrunken version of the big-boy NSX, something along the lines of the car you see in this artist's impression. Our source also tells us that like the NSX, it will be equipped with a version of Honda's SH-AWD system.Power will likely be provided by a turbocharged direct-injection engine. Honda currently has a number of engines that could fit the bill, including the 3.5-liter V-6, 2.4-liter I-4, and 2.0-liter I-4 already offered in several of its American-market products. Given Honda's America-focused development, overseas engines such as its 660cc and 1.0-liter mills are unlikely to be considered. Of the possible three, the 2.4-liter is the most likely candidate. There's also the possibility that it will be fitted with some kind of hybrid drivetrain.Our source also tells us the Small NSX will make use of a number of parts from the NSX to help recoup development costs. Given that both cars will be developed at Honda of America's R&D center in Ohio (we're told that in July Honda HQ assigned several of its top test drivers and engineers to the facility for a five-year stint), it's a logical move. The NSX remains on track to return for the 2015 model year. If it's indeed green-lit, the Small NSX could follow a year or two afterward, before the drivers and engineers head home in 2017. Don't expect it to be a bargain sports car, however. Given the amount of DNA it's likely to share with the NSX, the Small NSX would likely cost between $50,000 and $60,000.

 

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