Honda Accord Coupe EX V-6

Honda Accord Coupe EX V-6 - Like anyone else, we appreciate high quality, flawless road manners, smooth power, and a solid value story. But we also value passion. And that EX four-door was exactly as passionate as Lt. Commander Data running a routine systems check on the bridge of the Enterprise.

Which brings us to the Accord coupe. Properly equipped, with the V-6 backed by a manual transmission, it raises the Accord's EQ (“emotional quotient”) by a large order of magnitude. Quicker on its feet, quicker straight ahead, quicker to provoke smiles at the helm.

The key elements of this character shift—tires and transmission—aren't very mysterious, but they combine to make this particular Accord unique among its stablemates. The EX four-door rolls on Michelin Energy MXV4 P205/60VR all-season tires, wrapped around 6.5-by-16-inch aluminum wheels. Our EX two-door tester came with a set of Michelin HX MXM4 P215/50VR Pilots on 7.0-by-17-inch wheels. The Pilots are also an all-season design, but bigger footprints and shorter sidewalls produce better grip—0.82 g versus 0.74 for the EX four-door—as well as better braking performance: 181 feet from 70 mph versus 209.

The EX breaks with this tepid tradition. For the first time in the Accord's long history, V-6 and manual transmission are not mutually exclusive concepts, and the six-speed's precise engagements and short shift throws enhance the pleasure of piloting this rig by a bunch.

They also enhance performance. With a five-speed automatic sending power to its front wheels, the EX V-6 four-door needed 7.0 seconds to reach 60 mph and covered the quarter-mile in 15.5 seconds at 92 mph. The six-speed two-door hit 60 in 5.9 seconds and hustled through the quarter-mile in 14.5 seconds at 98 mph. Although the coupe did weigh 140 pounds less than the sedan, that's still a pretty strong testimonial for the efficiencies of a standard transmission. We should also add that the Accord manages to deliver the engine's substantial output to the drive wheels with only the barest hint of torque steer. This is not your father's Saab 9-3 Viggen.

It would be lovely if Honda also offered the CL's limited-slip differential for the EX two-door. After all, the CL won't be needing it anymore, having joined the ranks of the dearly departed. But with or without that enhancement, the six-speed EX V-6 package ranks as just about the hottest ride in the mid-size, subluxury coupe class.

It may not eliminate our mourning for the old Prelude. But it does stimulate the driver-gratification glands.