Honda Needs to Start Developing an Accord Type-R Wagon

A Honda Accord Type-R wagon is the stuff of dreams, but CarScoops can see sense in Honda developing it.

Our friends over at CarScoops.com recently put forward a solid case for what a Honda Accord Type-R wagon could look like. It’s a delicious idea, and we can find little to argue about in the site’s wishlist for features. The proposal includes a rear-wheel-drive powertrain based around the 3.0-liter turbocharged V6 from the upcoming Acura TLX Type-S, and we agree that over 350 hp and 354 pound-feet of torque would certainly be plenty of power for a car considerably larger than the Civic Type-R. Then, instead of the 10-speed automatic transmission, CarScoops imagines a manual box that would satisfy the genuinely hardcore.

It’s a fascinating vision of a Honda Accord Type-R that CarScoops has outlined. We also love the idea of one to bridge the gap between practical family vehicle and fun driver’s car. It’s just unfortunate that the fast wagons we have available here in the U.S don’t sell so well. That doesn’t mean the case has to slam shut on the idea of Honda making one, though. The problem with the fast wagons currently available is that they are from German premium brands and expensive. We would suggest the case for an Accord Type-R would involve keeping the tradition of affordability alive. That would mean keeping it front-wheel-drive.

We wonder if the fantasy of an Accord Wagon Type-R might actually have a case for development as the car industry could be ready for another cycle in mainstream preference, and away from the crossover. The cycle we have in mind started in the 1970s with the station wagon, which was the default family vehicle until the minivan became wildly popular in the 1980s. The minivan then gave way to the rise of the SUV through the 1990s. From there, the crossover started a meteoric rise to its current level of popularity. Now we have every kind of crossover you can imagine from nothing more than small raised hatchbacks to giant seven or eight seater crossovers that are as close to an SUV you can get without a body-on-frame chassis.

Honda is one of the companies that could start the wheel turning again and bring the wagon back to the mainstream. With both wagons and SUVs, a large part of the reason tastes changed is because kids didn’t want to drive the same vehicle their parents did. Hence, the wagon and minivan became objects of scorn as kids became adults. That means, by our math, it’s about time for the same thing to start happening with the crossover. At this point, presenting a new Accord wagon along with a faster and sexier Type-R performance version as a halo could be the perfect spark to ignite a wagon comeback.

If things were to take off from there, a rear-wheel-drive version of the new Acura TLX Type -S to compete with the German premium brands would be just the ticket.

Photos: CarScoops and Aksyonov Nikita

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Ian Wright

Ian Wright has been a professional writer for two years and is a regular contributor to Corvette Forum, Jaguar Forum, and 6SpeedOnline, among other auto sites.

His obsession with cars started young and has left him stranded miles off-road in Land Rovers, being lost far from home in hot hatches, going sideways in rallycross cars, being propelled forward in supercars and, more sensibly, standing in fields staring at classic cars. His first job was as a mechanic and then trained as a driving instructor before going into media production.

The automotive itch never left though, and he realized writing about cars is his true calling. However, that doesn’t stop him from also hosting the Both Hand Drive podcast.

Ian can be reached at bothhanddrive@gmail.com