2004 Honda Accord EX Test Drive

Growing in size with each succeeding model, the Honda Accord is exceptionally roomy inside. EX model tested comes with a front-wheel-drive V-6, 5-speed automatic and a host of power assists. Base price: $15,900. Price as tested: $26,400. Warranty: 3-years, 36,000 miles total car.

The next time I drive an Accord, I may wear a chauffeur's uniform and hire myself out to customers who prefer to be invisible on the highway. Less chance of being ambushed that way. There is so much room in the back that mafia bosses, crooked investors, basketball stars and even honest politicians (if there are any) can stretch out; a top hat may not fit but a bowler would be right at home. Our test car came in black and except for its aluminum wheels, was the very personification of stealth, aided in part by somewhat conservative styling. With each succeeding model the Accord has been getting bigger and no longer bears the faintest resemblance to the neat little sports hatch that gave it its name; I suppose, for the North American family market, it makes some sense, inasmuch as Honda's marketing types are under the misapprehension that we're a race of giants. The European Accord, sold here as an Acura TSX, may have less rear seat roominess but its compact size makes it more of a pleasure to drive. Not that the Accord wasn't pleasant enough, but I was constantly aware of its bulk, both on the highway and when parking.

The first thing you'll notice when you climb into the driver's seat is the speedometer. The instrument panel lights up like a cinema screen when the door is opened, then dims only slightly. Yes, I'm one of those who complain that instruments in some cars are too small to be read at a glance, but I've seen grandfather clocks with smaller faces than this one: it's not a pretty sight. Neither is the centrally-located information panel, which disappears when the sun is behind you. Fortunately the rest of the interior is quite handsome, the panel trim nicely repeating Honda's distinctive exterior style. And like all Hondas, the controls and knobs (also big) fall right to hand, as our British colleagues would say. The EX was trimmed in leather and came with the usual power assists, including a sunroof, which was never closed during two weeks of fabulous Vancouver Island spring weather. Doors shut like bank vaults, reflecting Honda's build quality, but unless you've got arms like an orang-utan don't try closing them from their outermost positions. You'll risk falling on your face. Overall, the effect is one of luxury (there's that chauffeur image again), though I'd imagine the base Accord is less so.

Under the hood of this Accord EX is a twin-cam V-6 noted for its ample power and smooth delivery. I also noticed a rapidly descending gas gauge but perhaps I was influenced by my previous two test cars, one of which came with a fuel-saving turbo while other other was a diesel. That brings up an interesting point, however. My normally performance-mad contemporaries at Edmunds.com have a long-term 4-cylinder Accord in their fleet which they unanimously agreed offers all the power anyone really needs. I've heard similar remarks from other reviewers, though some folks absolutely must have multiple cylinders or they're not comfortable. They're kidding themselves, of course, but hey... everyone's entitled to their choices and for them the V-6 is a suitable option. Especially with that 5-speed automatic, changing gears so subtly you'll hardly know it's there. Handling is stable and responsive, which translates as "dependable," something your average family car driver craves more than he or she does a canyon-carving sports sedan. Since the only canyon most buyers will encounter is the one between city skyscrapers, that's good enough. The rest of us are happy to know those 4-wheel disc brakes can handle anything we throw at them.

Motoring serenely from the beautiful seaside town of Sidney, where I live, to downtown Victoria, where I sometimes visit for a taste of city life, is an arrow-straight run along a divided highway. This being mountain country, there are enough hills and valleys to make it interesting, with views of farmland and a sudden and spectacular reveal of Washington State's Olympia mountain range a few miles across Juan de Fuca Straight. On this run the 2004 Honda Accord sedan is at home. Supremely quiet, spacious, comfortable-riding, powerful enough to blow away those bad guys pursuing the Sheik of Arabia in the rear seat of my black stealth machine, it perfectly meets the needs of families that comprise a gangly Dad, a leggy Mom, and three oversize kids. If that's you, Mr. and Ms. North America, the Honda Accord just may be your perfect car (which helps explain its best-seller status). Don't fret if you can't afford the leather-lined EX and the V-6 engine; you don't need that stuff anyway. What you will appreciate more is a cavernous trunk and, who knows, you may even like that big speedometer, which reminds me of one in a late-50's Chevrolet. For my taste the Accord's outgrown itself, but maybe that's why they make Civics.