No, not for an Accord. It’s for the boating enthusiasts. . .

By Gary S. Vasilash

Back in the day when the Honda Accord was about the size of the current-generation Civic, Honda put a four-cylinder engine in the car, which did the job that needed to be done.

When a new Accord was launched, there was always praise among the motoring press that had a seemingly obligatory, “But only if it had a V8.”

After all, sedans were meant to have those things and it just seemed odd that Honda was more concerned with things like efficiency.

By 1995 the company gave in and put a V6 in the Accord.

But it never put in a V8.

Had it, it would probably been one heck of a V8 because Honda Marine has launched a new outboard motor, the BF350, which is a V8.

The new engine has garnered several awards already, including the National Marine Manufacturers Association and Boating Writers International 2024 Innovation Award and a Red Dot Award for Product Design (Red Dot awards, if you’re not familiar with them, are prestigious in the design community).

The Honda Marine description of the engine rings with familiarity for those who are more interested in powertrains for things with four wheels:

“a broader, flatter torque curve; smoother power delivery throughout the engine’s operating range. . .excellent fuel efficiency. . .superior reliability, ease-of-use, maintenance and ownership. A fully balanced, 60° offset precision crankshaft eliminates the need for a harmonic balancer—saving weight and seamlessly integrating with 60° engine design and nonlinear engine mount to provide exceptional operation with minimal vibration.”

And there’s this:

“VTEC (Variable Valve Timing & Lift Electronic Control), the BLAST (Boosted Low Speed Torque) System, Lean Burn Control, Programmed Fuel Injection (PGM-FI), a new Friction Reduction Technology, and Honda Intelligent Shift & Throttle (iST).”

Sounds like it has all of the characteristics that automotive V8 enthusiasts of yore were seeking from Honda.