Accord Coupe.......24-kt Gold

I love cars. I've had a fascination since purchasing my first car at age 18. Now being 53, the one constant throughout the years has been Honda automobiles, and this current version is arguably the best yet. Being the end of the model year, and cars being moved quickly off the lots, I focused on trying to find the coupe version of this popular model. After several calls to many dealers, I was able to locate one, so it was off to the dealer for a lengthy test drive of the LX Special Edition 4cyl auto coupe.

My first thought looking at this car was that precious metal doesn't come any more refined or desirable than the car I'm looking at. It looks powerful and responsive, paired down just to the essentials. The Accord Coupe represents everything Honda prizes in a two door.

EXTERIOR STYLING: If you think about it, nature dislikes excess. You can observe it in the aerodynamic form of a falcon, or the shape of a shark. When you look at the Accord Coupe, there is nothing that will make you smile over again when you walk around the car. However, the simplicity of it's design works beautifully. To be quick, you must be sleek, and this car has clean elegant lines stretched tightly over the essentials, and the beauty of it never leaves you wanting for more. The front cowl is very low with large diamond shaped headlamps, and it flows nicely to an elevated roof line and declines marginally to a mercedes benz like rear end. While I've read that some people think the rear end is too round, I found it to be perfect with the rear end spoiler. The spoiler to get for this car is the flush mounted one, not the one that stands above the trunk. This gives the rear a more squared back end.

Every crease was precise, and the finish was a work of art. I chose the Graphite Pearl color, a dark gray with pearl like specs throughout the finish. Stunning in appearance when the sun hits it. You wont find any gratuitous scoops or pointless bulges in this design, and to some, it might be considered boring. But the cars design just leaves you shaking your head yes, and wondering why American designers after all these years, still cant come close to this car.

INTERIOR: The Accord Coupes interior echoes the simplicity of the exterior. The deep bolstered form hugging black cloth seats are supportive and comfortable, and keep you securely in place. Given the coupes road holding potential, remaining firmly in your seat feels great when you take your first turn around a corner. While I have to admit that the feel of the cloth gives you a serious wedgy when you first sit down, you will soon forget that when you start tooling around town. Accord Coupe's steering wheel has a standard tilt/telescopic feature to calibrate precisely your driving position, and it also has illuminated features for the cruise control. Dash board has large LED speedometer and tach displays. Highly visable during daytime hours, yet very annoying when it's dark...the illumination is a great red/orange color at night though. To the right, the center stack has 2 vent controls, AM/FM/CD 6 speaker sound system with presets on the left and right, then volume controls and ventilation just below. A very large storage cubby leads to the auto transmission shifter. Again, nothing to write home to mama about, but everything has its rightful place and all within reach without having to stretch. The feel of all the controls has an uncanny precision about them...solid and refined.

THE RIDE: I started to laugh as soon as I turned the key. Was this thing running?. Unbelievably silent in it's operation. The first thing I noticed was how quick off the line the 4cyl engine was. 160 horsepower never felt so good. The car storms down the road and the auto shifts were like butter. The ride was slightly firm, unlike the soft ride of another nice car, the Toyota Solara Coupe. I prefer the firmness of the Accord as it makes for a fun ride, and it's more sporty in nature. You feel a bit more of the road, but NO NOISE AT ALL enters the cabin. In the city, it takes turns wonderfully and brakes are very responsive (takes a bit to get use to). On the highway, I was up to speed very quickly, and it was like driving on a cloud. You never lost contact with the road, but it felt oh so smooth. Didn't detect much body roll at all....maybe because at that point I was in heaven. The double wishbone suspension, front and rear stabilizer bars, precisely damped shock absorbers, rack and pinion power steering, all made for a terrific driving experience. Honda engines are without question powerful, efficient, and are the envy of all other manufacturers....IMO. I didn't want to get out of this car, and that's something I've never experienced
before. I was really impressed with the way this car handles.


SAFETY: Front, side and side curtain airbags as well as ABS are on all Accord models. 5 star top crash test ratings in frontal and side impact testing is better than any car tested. The car looks and sounds very solid. I loved the "thump" when you close the doors.


They say that a company is most clearly defined neither by it's history nor by it's people...BUT BY IT'S PRODUCTS. Honda products speak for themselves. Built to last, long lasting value, and always at the top of it's class....I urge everyone to run to your nearest Honda dealer and buy this car.....Needless to say, I DID!....Again.