Autoblog

Click above for high-res gallery of the 2008 Honda Accord Coupe

Honda's Accord has grown at every redo since the model's inception, and this latest version is no different. We've already tried out the sedan, so we borrowed the two-door version to sample the Coupé lifestyle, wherein you actually pronounce those acute accents. Our first impression is that the Accord Coupe is the best Monte Carlo never made, while retaining a fundamental core of Hondaness. Accords have always been half cool, half dorky, with the scale tipping one way or another depending on the generation. This latest one continues that trend, and we wanted to find out if the 2008 Accord Coupe is crushingly cool or heavily noisome.


All photos © 2008 Dan Roth / Weblogs, Inc.

Click image for live gallery of the Honda Coupe HFP from SEMA

The second accessorized Accord from Honda is the Accord Coupe HFP Concept. This is the one that you can replicate with a careful parts checking in the Honda Factory Performance accessory catalog, not the HF-S as we previously reported. This red sample looked pretty good, but not nearly as racy as the HF-S. After the jump you'll find the limited press release and a photo of the placard that provides details about what specific mods this coupe is sporting that you can buy for your own coupe. As we pointed out earlier, the great thing about factory accessories is that if you have the dealer affix them to your car, they carry a 3 year/36,000 mile warranty.

[Source: Honda]

Click image for live HF-S Concept gallery from SEMA

Honda's Accord Coupe has barely hit the pavement and we're already seeing what the platform can host in terms of modifications. Today at SEMA Honda showed off a BMW M6-like Accord Coupe HF-S Concept that looks extremely hot (may be those lights) and features a retuned throttle, suspension and exhaust. You can see the full list of upgrades by viewing the placard, but it's basically a carbon fiber and body color aero kit that really makes the shape pop. This particular Accord Coupe was built by Honda Access America, Inc., Honda's U.S. accessory development team, so it is conceivable that you could replicate it for yourself. We would highly recommend it.

Follow the jump for the brief press release and check out the gallery for some lives shots.

Click image to enlarge

We're starting to get that overwound spring feeling in the pits of our stomachs as SEMA is roaring down upon us. Next week, the ginormous event for tuners and aftermarket manufacturers gets underway in Las Vegas, and Honda will be there with two Accord Coupes they spiced up in-house. The 2008 Accord is still wet behind the ears, and the two coupes are going to be rolling showcases for what treasures can be found in the accessories catalog. The Honda Factory Performance version of the coupe will be equipped with ownership and enjoyment-enhancing pieces that everyone can purchase and have installed at their dealer.

More exotic will be the HF-S concept (above), created by Honda's accessory development team. Our guess is that the HF-S will be more kitted-up and carrying stuff that's not yet available, but could be. The car definitely looks like it was ripped from Manga, and the great thing about factory accessories is that if you have the dealer affix them to your car, they carry a 3 year/36,000 mile warranty. That's better than the nonexistent warranty you'll find on anything you bolt on yourself from the Mugen catalog.

[Source: Honda]

click above image for 50 high-res pics of the 2008 Honda Accord Sedan

During the night, Honda opened the flood gates and officially unveiled the 2008 Honda Accord, the eighth generation of the automaker's perennial best-seller. There's too much new stuff to talk about, so we'll hit the highlights here and you can check out Honda's exhaustive press release after the jump.

The Accord for 2008 is available as a sedan, which has grown large enough to be classified a large car by the EPA, or a coupe. There are three basic engines available, including a 3.5L iVTEC V6 producing 273 horsepower and 250 ft-lbs. of torque. Do the math and you'll realize the '08 Accord with this engine is the most powerful Honda ever produced. It also features a new Variable Cylinder Management system when ordered in the sedan that can power the vehicle on three, four or all six cylinders to achieve an excellent 19/29 mpg. The other two mills are a 2.4L inline-four producing 200 horsepower/170 ft-lbs., and another 2.4L producing 180 horsepower/166 ft-lbs. All models of the '08 Accord can be ordered with a five-speed automatic, while four-cylinder models can also be had with a 5-speed manual transmission, and the V6 Coupe can be optioned with a six-speed manual.

Read on after the jump for more.

[Source: Honda]