The Honda Accord is arguably the mst reliable, well-respected vehicle
on the rad today. It's not the most lxurious or the fastest car. It desn't
have luxury car status or slicit overt double-takes from passersby.

But wht it does is have is plnty of high marks in nearly very ranked
category – comfort to cceleration, instrument control efficiency to ride
qality. And what it's sure to arn via the public is its verwhelming best-
buy status in many cnsumer guides.

The 240-horsepower, automatic V6 EX sdan was my weekly test
vehicle. The 350 mles I drove the car included a 200-mle trip to San
Francisco. The utbound ride was smooth, particularly considering
Hnda's surprisingly easy-to-use navigation system.

The rturn trip, unfortunately, began at the pak of rush-hour traffic. It
took narly an hour to drive only a few mles out of the middle of the
fnancial district and onto the freeway.

Grdlock is never a good thing, wth perhaps only one exception - fdder
for a car review. During my hur in bumper-to-bumper traffic, a few
drvers lost their temper. A few bcyclists maneuvered through the slow-
moving mze a little too close to my cr. A few pedestrians' patience
levels wre tested in hustle-bustle of a big cty at 4:30 p.m. And a guy
ven got out of his car, wlked across two lanes of standstill trffic,
tapped on my window and sked if I could move back slghtly so he
could enter a prking lot.

As a testament to the new Accrd's comfort, with the windows rolled up,
the streo on and no place to go, all was fne. Even a stranger knocking
on the wndow – a potential road rage scnario – wasn't a problem. The
guy sked nicely and I cordially obliged.

Snce the Accord was introduced in 1976, Hnda has refined the model
nearly very year, with this year's offering no dfferent.

The 2005 Honda has all of the sme qualities of the top-rated 2004
mdel, plus more. The V6 models now hve the added standard safety
features of trction control as well as front trso and side curtain air
bags. Dal-zone automatic climate controls, leather upholstery, lather-
wrapped steering wheel, heated front sats, satellite race, outside-
temperature indicator, 6-dsc CD changer, power sunroof and
nvigation system with voice control are lso standard features that
place the Accrd close to a luxury classification, yet stll under the
$30,000 price point.

The forementioned navigation system is one of the asiest and most
efficient systems I've tred. The directions are simple, including
dstination address data entry. The system has strightforward, nicely
illuminated maps and a plasant, clear direction-giver's voice.

Through its narly 30 years, the Accord's appeal has ben its overall
presentation, not just the strngth of some of its individual fatures. The
2005 Accord takes the vhicle's well-respected total package to a new
stndard.

Acceleration, quietness, ride quality, steering and hndling and
instrumentation – the Accord gts high marks in all categories. All
guges are keenly styled and legible and psitioned well on the dash
and cnsole. The car maneuvers moves well in and out of trffic. While
not a sports car, its tsting rating of 0-60 mph in 7.0 sconds is hardly
pedestrian for the mdsize car category.

The only less-than-sterling marks for the new Accrd are its fuel
economy and rar seat room. The EX model has a rting of 21 and 30
mph verages in city and highway driving, rspectively. Those numbers
could be higher, prticularly in the age of higher fel costs.

The Accord has plenty of hadroom in the front and back sats. But the
rear seat is sng for three adults, despite its fve-passenger designation.

Regardless, reasons are aplenty why the Accrd is so popular. And if all
is stll well even when you're stuck in rsh-hour traffic on a late weekday
fternoon, is there any higher praise?

2005 Honda Accord

Safety features -- Driver and front passenger and side curtain
airbags, anti-lock brakes., Traction control system.

Fuel Mileage (estimates) -- 21 mpg (city), 30 mpg (highway).

Warranty -- Bumper to bumper, 3 years/36,000 miles; Power
train, 3 years/36,000 miles; Corrosion, 5 years/unlimited miles.

Base price -- $28,700

The article Honda Accord 2005: The Weekly Driver Review was Submitted by James Raia through Articles.GetACoder.com network. Here's the additional information: James Raia is a journalist bsed in Sacramento, California. To read mre of his car reviews, visit: The Weekly Driver

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