Suburban Dad: 2008 Honda Accord Coupe & Sedan

Talk about your yin and yang: I drove both the V-6 Honda Accord coupe and the four-cylinder sedan, and both would be welcome additions to my driveway. The coupe would get the nod as the hip (even for Honda) ride for going around town with the wife, out to dinner or even on long-distance trips, while the sedan (though less fun to drive) could be the commuter car of my dreams, with enough room and access to carry all three kids.

In the coupe, acceleration was good, if measured, and the ride was just short of exhilarating. It was a blast on the wide open country roads I tried it on, but it also rode well on rougher surfaces. The seats were a little snug, imposing on the sides of my very-American-style girth.

The sedan offered good passing power, but it wasn’t much of a thriller with the pedal down. In addition, there was more road noise in the sedan than there was in the coupe. Still, as a car that I’d use to carry kids to school and events, it’d work fine, especially since that lack of oomph likely translates into better mileage. Of course, it would also be a great car to pass on to my kids when they hit 16 because I wouldn’t have to worry about them peeling out anywhere.

When it comes to kids, one failing I found in both versions, but more so in the sedan, was the lack of cupholders when you have to carry three people in the back. The center armrest has space for two with just cupholder-like spaces in the door, while other cars build in actual cupholders in the doors. This seems like an oversight.

The coupe came with a navigation system that was easy to use but hard to see. Honda has recessed it into the dash, and in bright sunlight it was often hard to make out street names and other key points. Almost every other nav system I’ve seen is easier to read than Honda’s; it’s time to build a brighter mousetrap, guys.

Finally, one thing that stuck out to me in both Accords were the radio buttons. They’re nice and wide, so you aren’t likely to hit the wrong one, but that width means that stations 5 and 6 are waaayyy over on the far right-hand side of the center console. I’d opt for narrower buttons (and maybe more of them).