2nd Place: Honda Accord

Overview:

Though it is customary to cross-shop the Accord with the Toyota Camry, the two are very different cars. Though slightly less so in this generation, recent Accord's have had firmer, noisier, less-absorbent rides than the more comfort-focused Camry, in favor of sporty handling. And while the newly-enlarged Accord has gotten a bit softer, the distinction continues. The Accord and Camry are not interchangeable choices. But the Accord ranking higher than the Camry here doesn't mean that what the Accord offers is necessarily better. Rather, the Accord blends agility, comfort, and space better than other cars that try to do the same, while the Camry faces tougher competition from cars that focus primarily on comfort and luxury. But all is not perfect with the Accord. It's rather pricey, to start, and doesn't have as many of the luxury add-ons at its high price that many of the others in this group include. Its focus on handling makes bumps in the road register more sharply, and tire noise is more pronounced. The interior isn't as luxuriously detailed as some others here. And the NHTSA side crash test result for the rear passenger sticks out among the top scores it earned in every other test. The Accord is an excellent choice for combining traditional family-car virtues with a touch of sport, but be sure that's really what you want before you give up the extra comfort and refinement.

Driving the Accord:

The Accord rides comfortably in most cases, such as at cruise on the highway, but is harsh over some bumps. This helps it corner nimbly, with well-weighted, responsive steering making it feel like a smaller car. The previous Accord was even more agile, however. The enlarged V6 engine only offsets the Accord's weight gain, but power is always sufficient. The engine is smooth and quiet, but a $27,000 sedan should have less road noise. Gas mileage is tied for the second-best in the group, behind only the 4-cylinder Acura TSX.

Inside the Accord:

The Accord's large front seats are very well-shaped and comfortable, and offer plenty of space. The rear is very spacious, and well-shaped and comfortable. The interior is well-assembled, but could use fewer hard plastics. The gauges are large and clear, and the instruments are laid out well and are easy to use. Drivers sit very comfortably, and have excellent visibility. High seats, large footwells, and wide-opening doors contribute to easy entry/exit. Though the Accord was recently enlarged, its space went mostly to the rear seat, and none went to expanding the previous Accord's small trunk.

Accord pricing:

The Accord reviewed here comes in at $27,051, nearly fully loaded but including few extra features. It has active head restraints, but makes the unusual omissions of a trip computer and a split-folding rear seat.

Conclusion:

The Accord is a very impressive all-around family sedan, providing both comfort and space and nimble handling with sharp steering for a large family car. It's certainly deserving of consideration from the buyers of family sedans. But it's not quite perfect even at its intended function (a nicer interior and a better side-impact crash test score should not have had to force any unfortunate drawbacks), its intended function of blending in sporty handling may put its ride and refinement levels a bit south of what some consumers may prefer, and it isn't cheap. Go into a test drive armed with that information; make sure you shop and choose the Accord based only on the specific merits it offers, not on the basic idea of it as the generic family sedan. 

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