AFFORDABLE CRUISER
Accord coupe neither fish nor fowl
Occasionally, we hand the keys of a test vehicle to two of our experts. Here’s what auto journalists Brian Harper and Nick Tragianis think about the 2015 Honda Accord Coupe. Brian Harper: For the life of me, the Honda Accord Coupe has me kind of stonewalled. I don’t quite know what to make of it. Is it just a two-door version of the fourdoor Accord for those wanting to be cool(er), or is it attempting to cater to a younger, hipper crowd with a sportier vibe, but without treading on Acura’s turf?
God knows Honda could use a shot in the arm from a performance standpoint. Until it gets off its rump and gives us the Civic Type R, the Si seems to be it for cheap thrills — and it’s looking tired. The thing is, the 3.5-litre V-6 in our Accord Coupe tester is a marvel of an engine with some serious juice to it. Or am I just blowing smoke because I’m one of those aging baby boomers who grew up with easy, cheap power and want to rekindle my youth? Nick Tragianis: You know, you might be onto something. Everyone says Honda has lost its way. Honestly, it’s a tired spiel but it holds true — and the Accord Coupe is proof. It’s like the two-door Accord is a shadow of Honda’s former sporty self because it’s quite literally in a class of its own.
Seriously, when was the last time you saw a front-wheel-drive coupe based on a mid-size sedan? Nissan pulled the plug on the short-lived Altima Coupe in 2013, effectively putting the two-door Accord in a class of its own. The easy way out is for Honda to do the same, but despite being a loner, the Accord Coupe is fantastic. I have to hand it to Honda for sticking to its guns.
The engine and transmission combination has to be the Accord’s best feature. The 3.5-L V-6 puts out 278 horsepower and the slick-shifting six-speed manual makes it (and its fourdoor, four-cylinder sedan sibling) one of the unlikely heroes of the stick shift. There’s a bit of torque steer when you get on the throttle, but it’s manageable and the V-6’s surprisingly growly exhaust note more than makes up for it. That said, the Accord Coupe is far from being a sports car. BH: You got that right. First, though, I’m not quite as thrilled with the transmission as you are. I found I had to be very deliberate on the clutch to get a crisp upshift into second and third. However, the actual gear lever had a nice, light touch to it.
But, boy, does that V-6 love to rev, pulling strongly through 6,000 rpm without a trace of coarseness. The engine and transmission combo is good enough that I don’t see the need for (much) more power. I just wish the rest of the car would match it.
It’s a case of just a little more needed — suspension, brakes, handling, styling, etc.
I can’t help but think that if Honda put as much effort into creating a proper sport coupe as Hyundai has done with its Genesis, the Accord Coupe would be a halo model for the brand instead of just an under-appreciated companion to the sedan. NT: Under-appreciated doesn’t even begin to describe the Accord Coupe. … Like you said, it boils down to the fact that it isn’t a sports car; the Accord Coupe isn’t light on its feet and power is sent to the wrong axle.
I think of it as an affordable cruiser — I’ll reserve the “gran tourer” moniker for Aston Martin and Bentley — because it’s quiet when you’re not nailing the throttle and the ride is comfortable and doesn’t get skittish over bumps and potholes. The Accord Coupe is attractive: definitely not muscular, but understated and smart-looking.
In a way, I don’t think the Accord Coupe should be a Honda. Look at it this way: Hardly any mainstream automakers do coupe versions of sedans, but there are many luxury players, including Audi’s A4 and A5, BMW’s 3 and 4 Series, and Mercedes’ C-Class sedan and coupe. Maybe, just maybe, the Accord Coupe would be better off as a two-door Acura TLX. That V-6 and six-speed manual would be stellar with Acura’s SH-AWD system. BH: I like the way you think, though I’ll stick with the idea of an improved coupe under the Honda name. “Affordable cruiser” is a fairly accurate, if somewhat clunky, description of the Accord Coupe. Its as-tested price of just under $36,000 might seem a bit high at first glance, but the amount of content Honda builds into the top-of-the-line EX-L V-6 Navi trim level is impressive in both modern conveniences and safety features. However, the cabin itself is more functionally sporty than upscale.
I’m well beyond the age of strapping toddlers into back seats and not yet at the stage where grandkids are in the picture, so I could look at a coupe as a rational purchase decision, something fun as well as functional. Yet, while the mechanics and electronics that go into the Accord Coupe are pretty good, the car as a whole leaves me ambivalent. The powertrain is its best feature, but the car needs sharper handling dynamics and a general overall freshening before I’d get back in the seat for a second look. NT: Good thing that freshening is coming for 2016. We’ll see if Honda does anything to liven up the drive, but at the very least, we’re going to see some restyled sheet metal and updated tech, including Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. I was never big on the Accord’s dual-screen setup; it isn’t very intuitive and the interface is outdated. I say the refresh set for next year couldn’t come any sooner.
You need to spend time with the Accord Coupe to understand and appreciate it for what it is. It isn’t brash like the Ford Mustang, sporty like the Hyundai Genesis Coupe or premium enough to take on the Audi A5 or BMW 4 Series. Yes, the Accord Coupe is an outlier, but that isn’t a bad thing. It’s close to perfect for introverts who want a sensible and sometimes fun drive.
That’s not to say Honda can’t turn it into something truly sporty. It’s already doing that with the Civic Type R. Why not the Accord?