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If Honda’s goal was for the Accord to reflect “Honda’s desire for accord and harmony between people, society and the Automobile,” they’ve been hitting their mark for more than thirty-three years. The Honda Accord has been attracting hoards of loyal buyers since its successful debut in 1976. In fact, the Honda Accord has been so successful it is practically synonymous with the brand. And Accord has done so by adapting to its environment. Growing in terms of size, options, and price, the Accord has kept pace with our society and its core audience; the Baby Boomers.

Interesting Aside: Redesigned just last year (2008MY) the Accord four-door became rated a large car by the EPA, whereas the coupe still squeaks by as a mid-size car.

Mostly Good
After a weekend with the 2009 Accord Coupe, we found it comfortable, pleasant, and easy to live with. The controls are ergonomic and intuitive, the NAV system is superb, the engine and transmission are smooth and responsive, and the cabin (at least for two people) surprisingly spacious due in part to the vehicle’s width. It also has a very large trunk for a coupe.

We did find it a bit strange that this Accord Coupe, an EX-L with Nav, was not equipped with a backup camera. We understand it is just a coupe, but as a rather large coupe with rather poor rearward visibility, it left us wanting a rear view camera. It would also have been nice if Honda offered the 30-pin connector cable for iPod integration instead of a simple aux jack. If the Fit and Civic offer it, why shouldn’t Accord?


Performance
The 271HP V6 is typical Honda. Drivers are rewarded with a good solid feeling when depressing the accelerator and engaging the responsive 3.5L i-VTEC, which has plenty of available power on tap. Thanks in part its power, and despite feeling somewhat large and heavy, the vehicle still feels quick to respond.
Both acceleration and braking were more than adequate for a vehicle in this segment. It is not a sports car, it’s not even considered a sporty car, but it is an everycar for the everydriver. The Accord Coupe excels at being very easy to live with, an attribute not true of all two-door coupes. It insulates occupants from imperfections in the roadway, soaking up the bumps and potholes. This is what makes the Accord Coupe so good… it understands its audience. From commuting to everyday living, the Accord Coupe performed superbly.
The only issue that may come up from time to time is the impracticality of having only the two doors, but if you purchase a Coupe that issue is moot, and the impracticality is off set by the image and style of owning a two-door coupe.

Style
Since this new generation Honda Accord debuted for the 2008MY we’ve heard both sides of the exterior styling debate. This generation definitely is more masculine and aggressive, though some critique it as being too angular or chiseled. Others applaud the bold move and appreciate Honda for moving away from boring. Beauty really is in the eye of the beholder.

A Coupe
We find it very interesting that Honda Accord Coupes still account for about 20% of the Accord mix. Today’s (or tomorrow’s) wisdom says that Baby Boomers find that having four doors and more interior space really is practical (resulting in the rise of four-door coupes and tall wagons from Mercedes-Benz CLS to Toyota Venza to the up-and-coming Honda Accord CrossTour and Acura RDX), even with the kids now out of the house. Even so, Accord Coupe’s success indicates there are still those for whom a two-door coupe fills the bill.
In Conclusion
When it comes to reality and practicality it’s pretty hard to beat an Accord. The Coupe is definitely more enticing than the four-door, although we would submit that it was rather large for a coupe. This is one two-door we could live with day in and day out, without any feeling of claustrophobia (unless of course you venture into the back seat).
NOTES:
Fuel Economy: 19city 28hwy
Total Vehicle Price as Tested: $31,825
Fuel Economy: 19 city / 28 hwy
Safety
Accord Coupe driver and passenger front crash test ratings of five stars with a five star rating for rollover as well. Dropped one star for front seat side crash ratings but picked up one for a five star rating for rear seat occupants.
The Verdict: The sporty-looking car for those who don’t like sporty cars.