In history, the greatest warriors always fall in battle. The Honda Accord is one that has had a great run being one of the front runners in the midsized army and now it is time for its reign to end.

No this car is not aweful by any means, but it certainly is no match to its competitors for overall likeability.

Let me explain. I'm going to break this down into terms of human offspring in order to show the difference between this generation of Accord and Camry. If I had 2 babies here is how they would be:

The Camry would be active, always moving, never cry, and only craps his diaper on a regular basis.

The Accord would be the ugly baby, quite noisy, but would also only need regular amounts of tender love and care.

Bad analogy, I know.

Style
You can decide for yourself. I always encourage self satisfaction with style (I own a Hyundai Elantra GT). This is my father's car and for him its perfect. My father used to own a beautiful Nissan Maxima. I miss it. Compared to this it was sporty, powerful and absolutely magnificent... albeit hard to drive in tight spaces. To me the Accord looks like my dog ate a bunch of dimes and threw them back up in my garage. The front end looks like it could belong on a feminine sports car and the back looks like Honda got to the end and forgot the trunk so they decided to borrow one from a '91 Accord. Sorry Honda, I caught you! I understand trying to resemble prior accords but this new car is bigger and bulkier than any other Accord. If you're making big changes make them 360 degrees around. The sad thing is that in the end, I would have bought a Buick over this if it came down to style. The interior isn't so bad. This model is the 4cyl Ex-L. The leather is fine quality, smells great with 60000km on it and two not so small owners (one being my father and we could tell that the prior owner was large since the rubber insulation in the door frame had ripped from being constantly agitated as he got in and out of the car). The steering wheel controls are quite pleasant. I also really like the dash arrangement. Many people have complained about the big speedometer which I actually like. Both my parents' eyesight are getting worse and those big numbers assure that the fines are kept to a minimum. Believe me, the way my father drives it's good if he at least knows how fast he's going. Also, we can fit my whole family of 5 grown up individuals in this car AND our little doggy (mother's idea). The armrest in the center of the back is quite nice as well if four adults are going on a long trip.

Drive
Ok, now the tricky part. The 4cyl engine holds it's own in its class. It's peppy, willing, quiet, and responsive at all rpm and provides a nice 10 l/100km in regular city driving. But there is no thrill with this car. It's quick and I think that most people with V6s could handle one of these. But it's not made for fun, so don't expect to break the sound barrier. My Elantra beat the Accord in an off the line race. I was very impressed with those results. The Accord is very heavy though so that could explain the loss. The automatic transmission is excellent too: smooth shifts, no whine, seemingly reliable which is strange for a Honda automatic. Now, the bad part. When I drove the Camry I didn't feel the bumps on the road, it felt soft, like I was driving over cats the whole way. The Accord does not give you this pleasure. Especially on the highway. Going over 100km per hour every minor bump is cushioned by your spine. There is no point for seats, you might as well be sitting on the wheels. To further my agitation, louder than my radio were the "squeek squeeks" and the "rattle rattles" that you could only hear in the Camry if you kept your hamsters in the shock absorbers. This as pleasant as being the only one in a business suit at a swimming party. Again, bad analogy.

Reliability
We haven't had any problems other than noises coming from everywhere but the radio, which by the way, always skips when there's a CD in there. It's really nice that the 4cyl has a timing chain. Never have to replace it! They say you sacrifice engine noise for never having to replace the chain, but this car is quiet enough. Honda hasn't been perfect with these cars though. The engine is solid but I have heard a few rumours of radio and transmission problems. Our transmission is solid though. Honda's iV-tech engines have proven to be the ultimate in reliability if taken care of, so at least have that security.

Safety
I need not go into much detail. These cars a packed with safety devices. ABS, every kind of airbag possible, and of course working seatbelts (I usually like that). This car is great for child seats and has all the anchors you need. No complaints here.

Conclusion
By the sounds of things this car isn't bad at all. True, it is a good car for the general over 40 years old driver. I also think this car would appeal to the buisiness woman. The V6 of this car is very fun to drive but is unnecessary (I would rather get a Maxima if going to the V6). The Camry, Honda's rival, is probably better for what you are looking for in this class. It isn't quite as fun either but it has a flawless reliability and safety record and I think it looks much sportier. Also, look into the Hyundai Sonata. You can get a much newer Sonata for the same price as an Accord with probably less mileage. The Sonata is a keeper car, if you're planning on selling your car a few years later then stick with the Camry.

Ahhh... so many options! Ok, here's the deal. Buy the Accord for sporting credentials and sacrifice your spine and your eardrums. Buy the Camry if you want a reasonable balance of everything. And buy the Sonata if you want something that can be fun, is inexpensive, and it sticking with you until death.

This Accord was a bit of a disappointment. I enjoyed driving my 1997 Accord more than this because it was more comfortable, had no rattles or squeaks, and the radio always suited my young person needs. It's not bad though and don't take my dislike as hatred. This is a good car. Just look around you'll most likely find better.
Amount Paid (US$): 20000
Condition: Used
Model Year: 2003
Model and Options: EX-L