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.
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 any image to enlarge
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The last time the Accord Coupe looked lithe was two generations ago, and the new one is much, much larger than the tiny thing it started out as so many years ago. Even though the coupe is down a couple inches in both wheelbase and overall length on the sedan, size is on par with the BMW 6-Series! It's not just the overall footprint that takes its inspiration from BMW, there are also Roundel styling touches. The roofline is classic two-door, with a chrome accent and a euro-chic kick at the base of the C-Pillar. The nose treatment's inherent aggression works well on the Coupe, with its raked back windscreen and fast roofline. Honda's design idiom has traded frippery for lines that are classically attractive; this big two-door will look just as sharp in ten years.
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We peeked inside and found Honda has designed a thoughtful, if slightly flawed, driver's environment. It's virtually identical to the Accord sedan, though the roofline is lower. Materials are high quality and the design is largely restrained and clean. Bolstering hugs your torso snugly in the comfy seats, and the leather in our test car was soft and fragrant. It's not all sweetness and light, however. The spumy layout of the radio, HVAC and navigation system controls is frustrating to learn and difficult to use. An up/down toggle for temperature? Fail. Rockers for radio tuning and cabin fan, neither within easy reach? Fail. iDrive-like control knob? Half-Fail.
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Underway, the Honda DNA is evident. Ride motions are well controlled and wallowing is not allowed. When the road goes curvy, the Accord Coupe can make use of those 235/45/18 Michelins without scraping its chrome door handles off the pavement. Even with a V6 capable of delivering a hard shove into the seat, we didn't find torque steer to even be on this car's radar. With its relatively sharp handling, the Accord Coupe reminds us of Preludes gone by, but this car has, you know, balls. The downside to the large and relatively low profile tires is that the ride can be choppy, and there's a fair bit of roar in the cabin when cruising the highway. Besides the noise, we also had difficulty finding a satisfyingly comfortable driving position. There are armrests on both the door and in between the front seats, but we found them positioned too low on which to rest our elbows. That sounds like a minor quibble, but it's fatiguing to put in significant miles when you're only able to prop your arm on the top of the door panel.
There are several alternatives to the Accord Coupe - Toyota's Solara and Nissan's Altima Coupe are its most direct two-door, front-wheel-drive competitors. The Accord is a winning combination of size, speed, and luxury, though. Optioning up the Accord Coupe can push it past $30,000, however, which might be offensive to some buyers. But Honda's reputation precedes this car, and you can rest fairly assured that it will eclipse the proscribed 100,000-plus mile tuneup interval, with passengers who have wriggled in and out of the back seat offering the only whimpers. As an everyday conveyance, the Accord Coupe extracts virtually no penalty while offering performance when you ask, and definitely weighing in on the cool side of the scale.
![](https://s.aolcdn.com/commerce/blogcdn/www.autoblog.com/media/2008/03/accpe_rear_450.jpg)
All photos ©2008 Dan Roth / Weblogs, Inc.
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