2007 Honda Accord

Review

The Honda Accord may not be one of the most inspiring cars on the market,but it's a reliable and affordable family sedan and therefore one of Honda's best sellers. Since its inception, nearly every other entry-level brand has compared their mid-sized family sedan to the Accord or its biggest rival, the Camry, and for good reason, as both have been symbols of affordable excellence in this hotly competitive segment; benchmark sedans since the early eighties.

The Accord Coupe is nothing new. It has been around for quite some time now, and looks quite familiar despite receiving a minor facelift last year. As a coupe, one would guess that this would be the performance-oriented model of the Accord line. While the EX-L V-6 6MT is the performance standard of the Accord line, the EX that I was testing seemed a little out of place in my mind. Honda says that the majority of Accord coupe buyers are career oriented and under 30. Career oriented is something I can see as the 4-door model lends itself well to family duties with the necessary equipment that is required with having children. With the coupe, the addition of extra passengers and cargo can prove to be somewhat cumbersome. As for the age of thebuyers, I would have thought that the majority of Accord coupe owners would be over the age of 30.

However, I have a feeling the main reason for buying a coupe may be styling. While the 4-door version is not a bad looking car, it doesn't exactly ooze sex appeal either. The coupe, with its steeply raked silhouette and slightly rearranged rear end can be pleasing to the eye, dare I say elegant. However, the rear seems to be the better-looking end, with its sleeker bodylines, while the front still employs the pudgy look of the sedan. It also has yet to incorporate the more aggressive and more stylish horizontally stretched headlight design of the Civic and the Acuras, which, I suppose, may be a bonus to some.

Much of the same can be said for the interior. Up front, it's a standard Accord, no real change from the 4-door version. Although, inthe case of the rear seats, they're a bit difficult to get into and offer very little space. Once settled, the rear seating position seems to be laid back, with my head under the rear window and the ceiling seemingly right in front of my forehead. No doors and a sloping roof-line make things a bit tight. Nothing new for a coupe, I suppose, and the Accord is much better than other smaller coupes. Buyers will also be fully aware of the sacrifices needed for such a car before purchase, so no need to dwell on this any longer.

The interior atmosphere, however, is just the same as the 4-door, and therefore does not inspire spirited driving. Seating is designed more for comfort than stability. The shifter is skinny, and has a very soft throw, as I could easily shift gears with nothing more than my pinky finger. Steering and brakes are also both soft and cushy, and don't allow the driver to feel the road very well (...it's also quite likely that someone wanting a stylish two-door for commuting to work might really enjoy this economical four-cylinder version. It's extremely easy to drive, offers a comfortable ride and enjoys a tight turning circle, all attributes that make it easy to live with - Ed.).

The rear seat-folding feature, however, had me annoyed, as the two release straps in the trunk are mounted far back. Trying to pullthese levers didn't result in anything happening, at first. Confused and not wanting to break the mechanism, I crawled into a rear seat to find a secondary mechanism. None to be found, but there was a key lock hidden deep on the rear shelf under the rear window. Only after another bodily contortion was I able to unlock the folding mechanism and climb back out of the car to finally get the seats to drop in a 60/40 split. The seats fold down fairly flat and the pass-through is quite large, giving good cargo space.

The EX edition has the smaller 2.4L four-cylinder that I mentioned earlier, rather than the 3.0L V6. It's an engine that gives good acceleration thanks to 166-horsepower, pulling the Accord along quite confidently. Of course, you get that wonderful Honda invention, iVTEC, which turns the somewhat sedate four-banger into a screaming beast at 5,000 rpm. For a heavy mid-sized coupe, mind you,I don't find it powerful enough. I, certainly, would want something with a little more grunt. The Civic coupe Si puts out an additional 30 horsepower from less displacement, and has a much sportier ride and atmosphere for the same money. So if I didn't want the 3.0L, the Civic seems a better choice in my opinion. (Then again, the larger Accord offers a more mature driving experience, with greater comfort and roominess, of course, so, once again, for those who appreciate a slower commute with an eye towards saving fuel, and arriving to work or home in a relaxed state, the bigger car's $20,475 price tag seems like a bargain. Actually, the four-cylinder engine is so quiet at idle that I thought Honda had incorporated its "idle-stop" system that shuts the car down when standing still. I have to admit that this car is wonderfully refined - Ed.).

To that end the lack of a six-speed gearbox seems odd. Six-speed manuals have become the industry standard in anything that even pretends to be sporty, thanks to a level of performance and fuel efficiency greater than that of a five-speed, So it was a little disappointing to see that the EX is sticking with the old five-speed. The six-speed is offered, but only on the EX-L V-6 6MT. Shifts are silky smooth, as mentioned above, making the car very easy to drive. It was so effortless, in fact, that I found myself not bothering to use the clutch half the time,as gears would slot in with ease. Speaking of not using the clutch, this car can also be had with a five-speed automatic. Again, some might be disappointed that no six-speed autobox is offered, but remember that the Accord will be replaced at the end of this year, at which time a more efficient six-speed is expected.

Maybe I'm too performance-oriented to appreciate the EX coupe, but I really don't understand why someone would want such a sleek looking version of a family sedan, without any performance gains. The car is more likely to leave the driver feeling relaxed rather than eager for a quick rip when conditions allow (...yes, you've got it Budd... "feeling relaxed" is exactly what many of us older folks like about it - Ed.). The EX-L V-6 6MT model likely solves many of these problems, but I just don't understand having a lower performance version (...great fuel economy without sacrificing styling? What's so difficult to understand? - Ed.).

Things may be looking up in the near future with the redesigned 2008 Accord Coupe, shown in Detroit as the Accord Coupe Concept. It's a car that Honda says will accurately represent the production version. So the next-gen Coupe will no doubt be a much more appealing car to those who may think the current Coupe is lacking street cred.