There have been rumors ever since the current Accord debuted three years ago that the V6 sedan would be available with a six-speed manual. But 2004 and 2005 came and went without the appearance of any such thing. Then 2006 rolled around and, what do you know, the sportiest Accord is now available in sedan form.

Not only this, but a few of the car's major shortcomings have been taken care of. The rear end styling has been cleaned up. And stability control, which you formerly had to spend the extra bucks for an Acura to get, is standard on the Accord EX V6.

Is the Accord now a top choice for the enthusiast with a family? Is there any reason now to spend the extra money for an Acura TL? I took the 2006 Accord EX V6 sedan for a test drive to find out.

I've placed this review under the coupe listing because there is no sedan listing. I've been wanting to add a sedan listing for a month, but the system keeps telling me to try again later. My preferred solution has been to delete the "coupe" bit from the listing title anyway. Epinions should get around to doing this any month now.

My review of the Accord Hybrid can be found here.

Styling

With the 2003 redesign, Honda tried to render the Accord more exciting by giving it distinctive styling. Unfortunately, the most distinctive part of the exterior, some Buick-like tail lamps running the width of the rear end and before curving up at each end, was widely disliked. For 2006 the frumpy lamps are gone. The revised styling is more attractive, but also less distinctive.

Back when the 2003 Accord first appeared I found its design interesting. But even with the freshening it has grown stale. The upright D-pillar is out of tune with any sporty mission. I've seen a photoshop that stretched the wheelbase of the Accord coupe and gave it two more doors, and the result looked much sleeker and sportier than the actual sedan.

The Acura TL is far more distinctive and attractive. Even though the design is now in its third year it still looks fresh to me.

On the subject of the TL, the EX V6 six-speed sedan's unique wheels look very similar to those on the previous generation TL Type-S. They might even be the same wheel. The tire size and model is the same.

Inside the story is much the same. Despite a lot of hard plastic the interior looks more upscale than the car's $27,000 price. But even the EX V6's carbon fiber trim doesn't make it feel sporty. As a result, the sharp aluminum-topped shifter looks out of place, as if it took a wrong turn and ended up in the wrong car. The Acura does better here as well.

Accommodations

You sit lower relative to a larger instrument panel compared to Accords of the 80s and 90s. You can see out well, but the interior no longer has the airy quality that once distinguished the Accord. Which makes the driving position about average for a midsize sedan these days. You sit a bit higher in other Japanese midsize sedans, lower in most American ones.

The front seats are reasonably comfortable. But, being the same as those in other Accords, they lack the amount of lateral support many enthusiasts demand. The TL does better here, though it could do better still.

The rear seat is less roomy and less comfortable than those in the Camry, Altima, and Sonata, but should be adequate for most people. The cushion is too low to the floor to provide much in the way of thigh support. The TL's rear seat is even worse on all counts.

The Accord's trunk is about average in size. The rear seat folds. For some reason it splits in the coupe and in all Civics, but not in the Accord sedan. If you want to fold it, you're folding the whole thing. To minimize the need for this a passthrough is located behind the rear armrest.

The TL's trunk is a little tighter and its rear seat doesn't fold at all.

On the Road

The Accord's 244-horsepower 3.0-liter V6 is impressively powerful and smooth even when teamed with an automatic. It revs easily, and sounds great when doing so.

The six-speed further enhances the experience. It has the same precise, tight feel of the shifter in the TL, among the best shifters in a front-wheel-drive car. The shifter's throws feel longer than the ones I remember in the Acura, but it's been a while since I drove the TL and my memory might be off. At any rate, many aftermarket shift levers are no doubt available for those who desire shorter throws.

Unlike the six-speed TL, the Accord does not have a limited-slip front differential. This reduces the amount of power that can be applied in turns, but also reduces the amount of torque steer. You'll find buckets of the stuff in the six-speed Acura, but only a dollop here.

The six-speed has the same suspension tuning as other Accord V6s. In other words, though the chassis has a reassuring "tied down" character an lean in turns is moderate it feels mildly sporty at best. A shame, since the powertrain is so good. The car disappointed me here. An Acura has much sharper steering, reacts more quickly, and leans less in turns.

The Accord doesn't ask to be pushed. But if you not only push it, but push it beyond its limits, stability control is now standard to save your bacon. In the past this feature was a major reason to upgrade to the Acura.

On the flip side, the six-speed rides much like other Accords. Its lower profile tires have a minimal impact on the ride, which was already a touch on the firm side for mainstream buyers. Wind noise is low, and the car generally has the insulated quality found in luxury cars, but road noise can intrude on coarse pavement. A TL has a significantly firmer ride but is a little quieter.

I must admit that my lack of love for the Accord can partly be traced to an "it's not you, it's me" problem. Quite simply, I prefer compact cars, and the Accord feels its size. I drove the new Civic immediately afterward. The smaller Honda was much noisier inside and its ride was much more jittery, and it generally felt like a much less substantial car than the Accord. But I enjoyed driving it quite a bit more because its steering feels quicker and the car feels much more tossable. The only cars I enjoy driving that are the size of the Accord have rear-wheel-drive.

In other words, I haven't been entirely fair to the Accord in comparing it largely to cars outside its class. Compared to a Toyota Camry or Hyundai Sonata it handles better and generally feels more athletic. A Mazda6 handles a bit better than the Accord, but even it have failed to set my heart aflutter. If I had to choose a midsize sedan with a budget of $27,000, it would likely be the Accord.

At the same time, I haven't been entirely unfair, either. I believe that a more entertaining sedan is possible even at this price point, manufacturers simply haven't seen fit to provide one.

Honda Accord Pricing and Price Comparisons

At $27,300, the Accord V6 six-speed sedan is $6,000 less expensive than the TL. Adjusting for the Acura's higher level of equipment cuts this only to $4,300. If you want a car that looks and feels sporty, though, you'll want to find the extra cash.

The Acura TSX costs about the same amount as the Accord. You get much more nimble handling, but also a much less powerful four-cylinder engine.

Prices change frequently, and differences will vary based on feature level. To quickly generate these and other comparisons with the specific features you want, visit my Web site, www.truedelta.com. (It's the only site that provides true "apples-to-apples" price comparisons.)

TrueDelta's page for the Accord:

http://www.truedelta.com/models/Accord.php

Last Words

For reasons that aren't especially clear, I was excited by the prospect of an Accord with a powerful V6 and six-speed manual. A test drive served to deflate whatever expectations had been floating around inside my head. The powertrain is every bit as good as I expected. But the car is nothing special to look at, and the handling is still too solidly in the family sedan realm.

Swapping out the automatic for a six-speed manual, while very welcome, isn't enough. Like many Hondas, the Accord V6 six-speed needs more of an edge to it if it wants to strongly appeal to enthusiasts. A tasteful body kit, quicker steering, sharper responses, and more heavily bolstered seats would be a good start.

I gave the similar 2005 coupe three stars. I'll give the sedan four, because it is a solidly competent car at a reasonable price and a lack of sportiness is less of an issue with a second set of doors. Still, if a driver's car is what you're after you'll want to find the extra money for an Acura TL. Better yet, buy one of the TL's rear-wheel-drive competitors.

A Note on Honda Accord Reliability

I cannot practically cover reliability within the context of this review. However, many people are interested in such information, so I've started collecting my own data. Results, once they are available, will be posted to my site, www.truedelta.com, with updates every three months.

Unlike other sources, TrueDelta will clearly identify what difference it will make if you buy an Accord rather than another vehicle by providing "times in the shop" and "days in the shop" stats (among others). You will be able to specify the number of years, annual miles, and types of repairs to include in Honda Accord reliability comparisons.

Before I can report results, I need data on all cars--not just the Accord--from people like you. To encourage participation, those who help provide the data will receive free access to the site's reliability information. For non-participants, this access will cost $24.95.

For the details, and to sign up, visit www.truedelta.com.

A link to this website and alphabetized links to my other vehicle reviews can be found on my profile page.

If you're an Epinions member, and you want to receive an email alert from Epinions when I post a new review, click here.

Some of my reviews of related vehicles:
Acura TL review
Acura TSX review
Hyundai Sonata review
Infiniti G35 review
Mazda6 review
Nissan Altima review
Pontiac G6 review
Toyota Camry review (previous generation)
2007 Toyota Camry review