I initially had a review of the Accord Hybrid in this spot. But an owner who wanted to review her car requested a separate listing, so I created that listing and moved my review to here.

To fill this spot I drove a version of the Accord I've long wanted to, the V6 six-speed coupe. With a 240-horsepower V6 and six-speed manual, this is easily the sportiest Accord ever. But is it sporty enough to replace the dear departed Acura CL? Or even to compete with its closest competitors, the Toyota Solara and Pontiac G6?

Styling

The Accord coupe's styling is handsome enough, if not very innovative. A raked beltline and rounded contours both recall the last Mercury Cougar. Both the swoopier Toyota Solara and edgier Pontiac G6 are more likely to elicit doubletakes. At least the Accord coupe was spared the sedan's Buick-style rear end.

Honda relies on unique, 17-inch wheels to distinguish the six-speed from other Accords. Not enough. A tasteful body kit would help.

The interior, though handsome with a moderately upscale ambiance, is hardly exciting. The Solara interior is plusher and more highly styled. The Pontiac interior, on the other hand, looks and feels sparse and cheap compared to the other two.

Accommodations

You sit lower in the coupe than in the sedan, and the raked beltline cuts into visibility to the sides and rear. The instrument panel is much higher than in previous generation Accords. Add it all up, and the view from the driver's seat is much like that in the other coupes.

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. Not that the Toyota or Pontiac do significantly better here.

The coupe's rear seat is tighter than the sedan's, but this is typical of a coupe. Adults can still be moderately comfortable back there. I haven't sat in the back of the other two cars, but the specs suggest that the Toyota's will be similar and the Pontiac's tighter, especially for heads. With the Accord, getting in and out is a larger issue than the amount of room.

The coupe's rear seat does have one advantage over the sedan's: the seatback is split, so you don't have to fold the whole thing to enlarge the usefully sized trunk.

On the Road

The Accord's 240-horsepower 3.0-liter V6 is impressively powerful and smooth even when teamed with an automatic. It revs easily, and sounds good 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 in the Pontiac is far clunkier, and the Toyota simply doesn't offer a manual with its V6. However, the shifter's throws feel longer than the ones I remember in the Acura. It's possible that the short-throw aftermarket shifter in my personal car has thrown off my judgment here. Either way, many aftermarket shift levers are probably available for those who desire shorter throws.

Unlike the six-speed CL and 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 one of the six-speed Acuras, but only a dollop here.

The six-speed Accord coupe has the same suspension tuning as other Accord V6s. In other words, the car's handling is mildly sporty at best. A shame, since the powertrain is so good. The Pontiac feels even less sporty, and I doubt the Toyota (which I have not driven) is any better in this area. Yet Honda clearly could have done better. The car disappointed me here.

Unlike the Toyota, Pontiac, and related Acuras, the Accord does not have stability control. If you're going to drive a car hard or on slick roads this can be a very helpful feature.

On the flip side, the six-speed coupe 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.

Last Words

Why just three stars for a very good car? Because I'm evaluating the six-speed coupe from an enthusiast's standpoint. Like many Hondas, the Accord V6 six-speed needs more of an edge to it if it wants to strongly appeal to enthusiasts. Honda simply didn't make enough modifications to the standard Accord. A tasteful body kit, quicker steering, sharper responses, and more heavily bolstered seats would be a good start.

The Toyota Solara and Pontiac G6 have no major advantages aside from styling, but then they don't excite me either.

It took me so long to drive the V6 six-speed because from 2003 through 2005 it was only available in coupe form, and I have three kids. There'd been rumors that Honda would offer a six-speed sedan, but it didn't happen.

I finally test the coupe and--guess what--for 2006 Honda is offering a six-speed sedan. Not only this, but the car was also getting standard stability control and a less frumpy rear end. Another test drive was in order. See my review of the 2006 Accord for the results.

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Amount Paid (US$): 26000
Model and Options: EX six-speed