2007 Honda Accord

Kathy Renwald

SPECIAL TO THE STAR

My most interesting discovery about the V6 Honda Accord was that the gearshift knob was exactly the size of a free-range egg.

So different, so delicate in this era of iconic knobs.

You could say there is something sweetly bashful about the Accord. The design says, "sorry to bother you." Certainly the "aw, shucks" aura is fine with the heaps of people who have bought and adored their Accords over the years.

During my week of test-driving the $34,900 EX-L, I heard many times over, "I love my Accord."

If you are one of those lovesick Accord-ians, best to tune out now.

There is very little that is wrong with the Accord, and there is much that is right, but there is not much I found to love. Driving one is like being in an arranged marriage: full of practicalities, short on passion.

The V6 puts out 244 horses, it's nippy, zippy and deceptively quick – it's got that librarian-glasses, hair-in-a-bun thing until you step on the gas, then it's party time.

But the 3.0-litre VTEC engine, a product of Formula One engineering, is so muffled that I constantly had to check the tachometer to see what gear I was in. I drove quite a few kilometres in second gear, when I should have been in third or fourth. I'd prefer to have more feedback from under the hood so that shifting is more intuitive.

Now, Accord fans may say they like the quiet and solitude in the cabin, but Honda touts the 2007 as "race-inspired." It seems more like tranquil transport for long distances.

On the other hand, at least the six-speed manual kept me engaged in driving the car. It's been a long time since I drove a car so short on quirks, annoyances and surprises, bad or good.

The six-speed is compliant and obedient, the clutch light, the shifter moves between gears with assurance and settles in place with a satisfying click. It would be an excellent car for someone with tremors about learning to drive a manual.

The interior of my tester was the very definition of basic black. Methinks it could use some cheering up. From the centre console with audio and climate controls, to the generic steering wheel, to the hard plastic storage bins, it struck me as yesterday's design.

Functional yes, but without a smidgen of gaiety. The only beacon of light in the bat-cave interior was the instrument cluster, glowing white, the gleaming numbers reminding me that, yes, I was still lingering too long in second gear.

Climate control was delivered nicely. It was dead easy to achieve a comfy temperature without a fan drying your eyeballs. But odd placement of the radio and HVAC knobs meant turning up the radio when you intended to turn up the A/C. No sign of MP3 CD capability or auxiliary audio inputs; perhaps in 2008?

The power front seats (height and lumbar adjustments on driver side only) were wide-bodied and comfortable – durable companions on long trips. There is good storage in the centre console, under the radio and in the doors.

In the back seat, passengers can spread out without encroachment. It's roomy. The trunk is cavernous, ready for a matched set of Samsonite. But there is no 60/40 split in the back seats for folding and longer cargo; it's all or nothing.

While underway, it is possible to lose yourself in thought – there is nothing particularly penetrating about the ride. Braking ability is just fine, cornering is secure, visibility good from the driver's seat.

Latex Alert! The steering is light and rubbery; race inspired it's not.

The body style, which has been without much mutation since 2003, is stunningly innocuous. My tester was alabaster silver metallic, a colour that hides all signs of where you have been and what you have been up to. A perfect car perhaps for a private investigator.

In August, Honda will unveil the all-new 2008 Accord, a total redesign the company promises will improve fuel economy, looks and performance. They've already nailed the safety and reliability categories: Honda just finished in the top five in the J.D. Power's annual initial quality survey. So the '08 improvements should reel in mid-size shoppers.

In searching to find the soul of the Accord, I paddled down my street to talk to a tuner kind of guy. With a barely recognizable Prelude and Civic on the street, I asked his thoughts on the Honda Accord.

"Reliable," he said. "My grandmother's is like, 20 years old."

Sizing me up, he recommended I buy one.

"Not yet, tuner dude," I thought. I may have just seen a band called the Oblivion Express, but I'm not ready to get on board.

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