Peak Performance and Refinement
Recently my father-in-law bought a 2003 Honda Accord EX V6 sedan. There is no arguing that this is a well-engineered car, capable of outstanding performance. But yawn, it's such a family car. Yet chop the rear doors off and it's anything but boring!
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| "Sleek" is the word that comes to mind when viewing the completely re-designed 2003 Accord Coupe. (Photo: Rob Rothwell, Canadian Auto Press) |
For 2003, Honda completely re-designed the Accord Coupe too. To quote my eight-year old the look is "sweet", and it is. Sleek is the word that comes to my mind. Its low roofline and short trunk evoke images of an Audi TT, which as Martha would say, "is a good thing." Another good thing is the 0.29 drag co-efficient, making the Accord Coupe one of the slipperiest five-passenger coupes available today.
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| "Dramatically more supportive" seats have been designed for the new Accord, giving a firm snug fit. (Photo: Rob Rothwell, Canadian Auto Press) |
Part of its reduced drag comes from its tidy dimensions. The coupe is slightly smaller than the sedan on which it is based, with a wheelbase 70 mm (2.75 in) shorter and overall length 47 mm (1.85 in) shy of its 4-door sibling. The swept roofline of the coupe is 37 mm (1.45 in) closer to terra firma than the sedan's, which translates into less headroom for the larger Homo sapiens among us. Headroom in the front is dropped by an insignificant 15 mm (0.59 in) however a coif crushing reduction of 61 mm (2.4 in) greets those in the rear seats. Of course, if you are within the target market of the Accord Coupe, the rear seats are unlikely to see many bottoms.
Honda claims that the newly designed seats in the Accord are "dramatically more supportive" than those in last year's car. I back that claim. Those heated, perforated leather seats in front of the EX model provide occupants with substantial side-bolstering and a firm snug fit. During spirited driving the combination of a great seat, leather-wrapped steering wheel featuring tilt and telescopic adjustment and a solid left-foot dead pedal hold the driver squarely in place. And given the athletic cornering ability of the coupe, such elements are necessary.