What was tested?: 2010 Honda Accord EX-L with Navigation ($28,880).
Options: None.
Price as tested (including $710 destination charge): $29,590.
Pros: It's more sensible than most two-door cars, with Honda's legendary reliability and a surprisingly roomy back seat.
Cons: It's not as exciting as some of its two-door competitors, like American muscle cars and smaller sport compacts.
If you're thinking about buying a sleek, sexy sports coupe, chances are the first two words that come to mind aren't "Honda Accord." Still, Honda makes a gorgeous, two-door version of its bread-and-butter family car. It's designed for people who want the style of a coupe combined with the legendary reliability of an Accord -- a combination that turns stereotypes on their head.
When you think about it, the stereotypical Accord driver is the exact opposite of the stereotypical coupe driver. Accord drivers are older and unwaveringly sensible, looking for value and longevity above all else. Coupe drivers are younger and more carefree, preferring flashy style over boring practicality.
Somehow, the Accord Coupe seems to cover them both.
On the style side, it definitely does the job right. It has a sloping rear roofline and tapered back end that give it the classical proportions of a European sports coupe, despite its inherited nose. It's more tasteful than muscle cars like Camaros and Mustangs, opting for subtlety over garishness.
On the practical side, this coupe actually comes with a perfectly usable back seat and spacious trunk. Where most coupes try to torture their back-seat passengers, the Accord has a seat big enough for a couple of full-size adults and, perhaps, a baby car seat.
Like all two-door cars, it isn't easy climbing into the back. Once you're seated, though, it's a great experience, with plenty of head and knee room.
From the driver's seat, the Accord Coupe feels essentially like the sedan, which is either a good or bad thing depending on how you look at it.
Compared to most ordinary family cars, like the Toyota Camry, the Accord is a lot more fun to drive. It has a sportier, firmer suspension that lets you feel the road. But compared to the raw power of muscle cars or the crispness of sport compact cars, the front-wheel-drive Accord Coupe just doesn't provide as much excitement. It's too heavy and sluggish for enthusiasts to love.
Of course, driving an Accord is more about quality than thrills, and the two-door version doesn't disappoint. It has the same solid, indestructible feeling that Hondas are known for, giving you the impression that it could last through a nuclear holocaust.
The most powerful engine available is a 3.5-liter V6 that makes 271 horsepower, more than enough to get you in trouble. A more efficient engine, the 2.4-liter four-cylinder, makes 190 horses.
Pricing starts at $22,555 and reaches all the way to $31,305 for a V6 model with a navigation system. It's a good price for a car that so neatly bridges the gap between sexy and sensible.
RATINGS:
Style: 9
Performance: 6
Price: 7
Handling: 6
Ride: 7
Comfort: 9
Quality: 10
Overall: 7
