Midsize coupes are a dying breed. Ford no longer offers one. GM offers only the Monte Carlo. Honda came late to this market, first offering a coupe version of the Accord in the late 1980s. Toyota entered it later still. Yet these two makers continue to offer such a car even after the domestics, which used to sell them by the bazillion, have gotten out.

For 2003 Honda redesigned the Accord with the intent of creating a car with both more refinement and more “character.” Did it succeed? To find out, I test drove two 2003 Accords: an EX V6 automatic sedan and an LX four-cylinder manual coupe. I focus on the latter in this review, drawing on the former only to offer my impressions of the V6 and the EX trim level. For my review of the Accord sedan, click here.

Honda Accord Reliability

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Styling

The coupe’s styling is much more differentiated from the sedan than has been the case with past Accords. Strangely, the “unique” design Honda ended up with strongly resembles the Cougar the Mercury couldn’t sell and finally killed recently. The side window outline, with a sharply raked beltline along the bottom and an arc along the top, is virtually identical to the recently deceased car. Except that owing to full bodysides like those on the sedan and a bit less glass area the Accord coupe looks portlier than the Cougar. Not a good thing with a coupe. Sure, it’s not a bad looking car. It certainly looks much sleeker and sportier than the slab-sided design it replaced.

A key difference between the Accord and the Cougar is that the former is not a hatchback despite it's steeply raked rear window. A hatch just isn't as classy as a proper trunk, after all.

The rear end of the coupe, and especially the rear lamps, strongly resemble recent Mercedes designs. Whatever the source, the rear on the coupe is much more successful that the controversial rear of the Accord sedan (I don't mind the latter, and even find it refreshingly distinctve, but many people hate it).

I don’t care for the appearance with the 15” wheel covers that come with the LX. To make this car look like it should, spring either for an EX or aftermarket alloys.

The coupe and sedan are styled the same inside. In the EX sedan the interior seemed rich and luxurious. The materials are certainly all of high quality, like the Camry but unlike the Altima. The various knobs and buttons all have a slick, cushy, refined feel to them. However, when I drove the coupe immediately after driving a Camry SE the interior didn’t seem so rich. My first thought was that my first impression was mistaken. But then I realized what the problem was. The EX includes “premium interior accents” that the LX coupe I drove did not have. I believe this refers to the EX’s titanium-colored trim on the center console and door armrests. In the DX and LX this trim is black plastic, which looks less rich. Also, in a black cloth interior this results in too much black, and detracts from the ambiance of the interior as a whole. (It might not be as much an issue with the gray and tan interiors.) This metallic trim is trendy, and a number of cars now overuse it (the 2003 Altima among them), but it works well in the Accord, at least with the black interior.

In general this is your typical Honda interior, rationally laid out and tastefully executed. Nothing much to offend anyone. That said, there were a couple of details I didn’t care for. First, the center of the dash forms an upside-down pentagon. I’ve seen this in Mazdas before, and didn’t care for the look there either. It seems pointlessly quirky to me, a strange thing to have in a Honda interior. I guess this was Honda’s way of escaping a vanilla image?

My second complaint involves the instruments. These are always lit, and in fact light up in stages when you first get in the car. In this manner they resemble the fancy gauges that got everyone excited in the first Lexus LS back in 1989. No problems here, even if the novelty is long gone. No, my problem is that big gauges are generally a good idea, but at some point they become too big. The speedometer here has gone well past that point. It’s flat out huge. While this might contribute to visibility, I’ve got to wonder how much they thought this through. The size of the face and of the numerals around its perimeter are just too intrusive. Yes, Mercedes also uses large speedometers with its latest instrument clusters, but I hate them there, too. Also, the thing’s numbered up to 160, so most of that huge face will never be used. How is an Accord ever going to get anywhere near 160? Now I know some companies put unattainable numbers on their speedometers because the possibility this implies excites some potential customers. For instance, the Altima’s speedometer also goes to 160. However, I thought Honda’s longstanding, functionally-oriented philosophy of “keep it simple” rejected such nonsense. I’d rather have a smaller speedometer with fewer numbers on it. Better yet, fewer numbers, and smaller numbers so the whole thing can be considerably smaller. You know, only large instead of huge. Those who can’t read a speedometer 75% the size of this one shouldn’t be driving.

Accommodations

The front seats fit well with the character of the car. The are moderately firm and provide good support. In leather they feel a bit plusher, thought this might just be the psychological effect of the leather rather than any change in the padding. The side bolsters are modestly sized, but provide enough lateral support for moderately aggressive driving. In hard driving there’s not quite enough bolstering, but even the coupe I drove didn’t ask to be driven this way. (The V6/6-speed/sport suspension coupe might ask to be driven hard; unfortunately I do not believe it includes different seats.)

The driving position is a touch better in the sedan than in the coupe because you sit a little higher. But even in the coupe there is plenty of glass in the Honda fashion, so that visibility is very good forward, and fairly good in other directions. The cowl (base of the windshield) isn’t nearly as low as it used to be in past Accords, but its upward creep over the years has only taken it from extremely low to average. A standard tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel should enable everyone to find the perfect relationship to all of the major controls. If you want a seat that tilts you need a V6 model and/or leather. Other models have either a manual or power height adjustment, but I can’t imagine that many people will want the seat much if any higher than its base setting.

The rear seat in the coupe is less spacious than that in the sedan, but is still quite good for a coupe. Of course, so was the rear seat in the Cougar…Getting in and out of the back seat, as in other coupes, could be easier.

Even in the coupe the Accord’s conventionally-hinged trunk is certainly decently sized (though the opening could be larger). The trunk can be expanded by folding down the rear seat. Unlike in the sedan, this seat is split. (Why does this make more sense in the coupe? Beats me.)

On the Road

What I’d really like to see is a V6-manual combination in the sedan. Unfortunately, this combination was only going to be offered in the coupe, and that only after I visited these dealers. So I drove the four with a manual and the six with an automatic.

Both engines impressed me with their smoothness and power for their type of engine. Even at full throttle neither is loud. The six is downright quiet. Magazine test results bear this out: the six at full throttle never makes more noise than many cars do when cruising. The muffled sound that does exist sounds quite rich, more luxurious but less sporty than the good sounds made by Nissan’s six. Honda's engineers may have done their job here too well. I suspect many people will wish the engine were a bit louder.

The four is very smooth and quiet for a four. The sounds are still those of a four, so I’d still rather have a six even though the four's 160 horsepower is about as much as this car needs with a manual. It wasn’t so longer ago that the optional V6s in cars in this price range put out around 160 horsepower. Most people are less picky about how an engine sounds than I am, and they will probably be perfectly happy with the four.

The manual transmission is the usual pedestrian Honda unit, low in effort and moderate of throw. A good shifter, though I hope the six-speed in the top line coupe has the firmer, shorter throws typical of Honda’s performance cars (the Acura CL-S, for example).

Acceleration with the V6 is astounding. For the 2003 redesign Honda has totally caved to consumers' interest in horsepower. Its world-class powertrain engineers have managed to wring another forty horsepower out of the Accord’s 3.0 liter six, for a total of 240. The super smooth, well-geared five-speed automatic—vs. the four speeds in the competition—helps get the engine into its powerband quickly and keep it there. Although the torque peak is at 5000 RPM, this engine isn’t too peaky. It always felt plenty strong, as if however much power I needed was just a slight tip of throttle away.

This engine becomes even more amazing when you consider its fuel economy. It manages to get higher EPA ratings than the Dodge Stratus and Toyota Solara, which have forty fewer horsepower. As if this weren’t enough, it even runs on regular gas. The others prefer premium.

All of this praise notwithstanding, as I said before I suspect that many people would be plenty satisfied with the four. With the manual the four earns EPA ratings of 26/34, which are extremely good for a midsize car.

Honda claims to have developed the new Accord to appeal to drivers, but it’s still not quite what I’d call sporty. The steering and general handling are more luxury car fluid than sharp. Lean in turns is more than I’d like, though I doubt the Solara corners any flatter. Despite this lean, the Accord handled everything I threw at it without complaint. Though it wasn’t exactly happy, it wasn’t unhappy either. It was composed.

The LX coupe didn’t feel quite as composed, and didn’t stick quite so well, but felt maybe a touch sportier. The weaker tires on the LX didn’t help. Even more than the sedan, the coupe seems born for EX trim. Performance aside, what’s the point of getting the coupe with wheel covers? A coupe is about looking good, and this car needs alloy wheels to look good. Of course, having wider tires on alloys installed by the dealer or a tire store is likely a better value than springing for the EX if looks are the main concern.

I forgave the lack of sportiness with the sedan. With the coupe I find this more difficult, even if it probably feels plenty sporty to most people considering this type of car. It's not a car I'd personally want, but then I don't lust after a Dodge Stratus coupe or a Toyota Solara, either. Currently those in search of serious driving thrills in a midsize coupe will have to go with a premium brand. (The EX V6 with six-speed manual might change my mind on this, but without driving that version I cannot say.)

The ride in the EX sedan was very smooth and very quiet. The LX coupe was just a bit noisier and rougher—these evaluations being very relative.

Pricing

For quick, up-to-date pricing, and especially user-specified price comparisons, check out the website I created: www.truedelta.com. Why yet another vehicle pricing website? Well, I personally lacked the patience to keep using the others. They were too slow and required too much effort, especially when trying to compare prices. So I taught myself some programming and created a site where there is no need to dig through option packages, prerequisites, and the like one by one -- the TrueDelta algorithm figures these out for you in one swift pass.

Price is an Accord strong point. The LX coupe I drove listed for $19,760. Edmunds suggests that the typical discount brings the price to $18,400. The EX is another $2,400. The buys mainly ABS, side airbags, a CD changer, and alloy wheels. So it’s a bit steep, but the EX is still competitive. Another $1,300 on the EX gets you heated leather seats, a sunroof, dual-zone automatic climate controls, and a power driver’s seat. A good value. Equipment differs for the V6; it adds about $2,000 adjusted for equipment. Another $2,000 will get you a nav system on any of the leather-equipped models.

I’ll compare other cars to the LX I drove. Given the dwindling number of coupes, only two cars resemble the Accord coupe in size, powertrain offerings, and price: the Dodge Stratus/Chrysler Sebring and Toyota Camry Solara.

A Dodge Stratus SXT coupe (based, unlike the sedan, on the Mitsubishi Eclipse) is very similar in price. However, that’s before whatever rebate Dodge is offering, which I believe is $2,500 as I write this. I have not driven the Dodge, but know from sitting in the car that it is not as well-appointed or as comfortable. Reviews I have read suggest that it is not nearly as refined, nor as comfortable riding. EPA ratings are much lower, despite less powerful engines. The Accord should hold its value much better than the Dodge based on current used car prices. How much are the Accord’s advantages worth?

The Accord EX sedan has a substantial price advantage over a comparably equipped Camry. Not so with the LX coupe. A base Solara like the Dodge is very close in price. So which to choose? I’ve driven the Camry, but only in sedan form. My best guess with the coupe is that it is quieter and smoother than the Accord, but does not handle as well. The interior, especially with leather, feels richer than the Accords. The styling to my eye isn’t as nice. Overall, these cars are close enough that both should probably be driven. Toyota is redesigning the Solara for 2004. The new car looks a bit sleeker, but doesn’t look much different.

Last Words

The redesigned Accord impresses in many areas, most notably power and refinement. The new styling is certainly an improvement as well, especially with the coupe. As with the sedan, the new coupe is still not a driver’s car. I forgave this with the sedan, as it was a sedan. From a coupe I personally expect more in the way of sporty handling.

On the other hand, many coupe buyers couldn’t care less about handling. They want the comfort the Accord provides with a sportier look than they can get with the sedan. This car should please them.

Is the Accord coupe better than the competition? It is as far as I can tell a better car than the Dodge, but then Dodge offers a hefty rebate to even things out. Is it better than the Toyota? In many areas, but not in some others. The Honda is the better-looking, slightly sportier car, while the Toyota is slightly richer in feel. Take your pick.

I’ve given this car four stars conditional on it being fitted with alloy wheels. (Honda dealers do more business than others in this area, given Honda’s avoidance of factory options.) I really don’t know how many stars to assign the car with its standard wheel covers, as the point of such a combination escapes me. A coupe is about looks, as otherwise a sedan makes much more sense. With wheel covers, the car just doesn’t look right.

I don’t give the Accord coupe five stars, as I did the sedan, because a coupe should be more fun to drive. I might give the V6/manual coupe five stars, but cannot say without driving it.

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Amount Paid (US$): 19,760
Model Year: 2003
Model and Options: LX four-cylinder manual; also EX V6 sedan