2003 Honda Accord

Part of the fun in a job like mine is watching automakers develop new models for two very different, but equally difficult, categories: the struggling vehicles that have nowhere to go but up and the supersellers that are so successful, designers are petrified of messing with a good thing.

The first group is liable to do anything (including, but not limited to, making significant improvements) to try and stay afloat, while the second group is faced with the challenge of how to make their star better without sacrificing costs and customers.

Honda finds itself in this second predicament with the venerable Honda Accord. The calendar says it’s beyond time for the Accord to shed its old wardrobe, especially since rival Toyota Camry has been strutting around in its lovely new duds for some time now and the ultra-sexy Nissan Altima is knocking ’em dead from coast to coast.

Finally, 2003 gives us a brand new Accord and not a moment too soon. Was Honda’s creative department up to the task? Will this new sedan scare all those millions of Accord devotees or attract a few hundred thousand new customers? Or is it same old song, next verse?

The Good News
Honda took what was heralded by many as the perfect mid-sized sedan in terms of reliability and overall driving satisfaction and made it more better. Poor grammar, I know, but that’s precisely what happened. This new Accord is prettier, more powerful, safer, roomier, easier on fuel and emissions, quieter, tighter on fit and finish and better equipped, all for a base price that hovers right around its predecessor’s.

What more could we want? Well, more on that later.

My test vehicle was a 2.4-liter 4-cylinder EX model, representing the lesser of two engines offered but with a higher level of extras. Honda sticks with their traditional three trim levels: the DX, LX and EX in ascending order.

But both the 2.4-liter 4-cylinder and the 3.0-liter V6 get more horses, in my case a 7 percent improvement over the previous small engine. This inline 4 produces160 horses, while the new V6’s 240 horses equal 20 percent more power.

Optional with the 4-cylinder is a new 5-speed manual transmission, which I was delighted (and surprised) to have. There is also a new 5-speed automatic, replacing the old 4-speed auto.

Even equipped with this most basic powertrain, I found this new Accord exhibits plenty of spunk with typically smooth delivery. It sports a re-engineered four-wheel double wishbone suspension and benefits from much tinkering to reduce levels of noise and harshness. As if these were a real problem before.

It is also stiffer than the previous Accord, contributing to better handling and ride, and the steering reveals a new weighted feeling I particularly liked.

Safetywise, antilock brakes have become standard equipment on all Accord models this year. Side airbags are now standard on top-level trim models (optional on mid-level), and side curtain head protection is available, but only on the EX V6 sedan.

Aesthetically, the Accord’s styling takes a few more risks than before. Given all the good-looking competition, it hardly had a choice.

This car is only a tenth of an inch longer than the ’02 Accord, but the wheelbase has been stretched an inch to give the profile a more forward thrust. According to Honda, its inspiration was the cheetah. I think that’s stretching things a bit – or, more accurately, not enough. However, this sedan’s sleeker lines, more aggressive profile and narrower lamps certainly bring the Accord into the 21st Century, not to mention improving aerodynamics and wind noise.

Honda did make the ’03 Accord wider by a little more than an inch, creating an interior that expands ever so slightly in several dimensions. But better seats for everyone, bolder instrumentation and an impressive list of gizmos as options (depending on the model, of course) hint at a level of sophistication heretofore left to Acura. You can even get a voice-activated satellite/navigation system. Need I say more?

The Bad News
Despite using lightning-fast jungle cats as design inspiration and much talk of setting out to match the driving experience of Europe’s revered compact four-doors, Honda still failed to endow this Accord with the one thing it has never had: soul.

Like the student who makes straight As in every subject but can’t relate to any of her classmates, this Accord impresses me as valedictorian without emotion.

Does that matter to the gazillion Accord loyalists who relish supreme competence above all? I doubt it.

But with fun being doled out by the handfuls by most everyone else with whom Honda competes, couldn’t the Accord kick off those sensible shoes just once and kick up its heels? Wouldn’t that be allowed?

Gas mileage
EPA rated at 26 mpg city/34 highway

Price
Manufacturer’s base, $21,600;
Price as tested, $22,060

Is it worth it?
Absolutely. What’s not to like about this new Accord? Without significant price increases, it does everything better than the old Accord, which already had customer satisfaction ratings out the roof. I predict Honda’s sales records will remain on track, and many, many people will like this new Accord for all the right reasons. Unfortunately, however, we didn’t get the chance to really love it.

Beth Stein is a life-long car buff and free-lance journalist living in Nashville. She has reviewed new vehicles in print for 12 years as a weekly columnist for Nashville’s daily newspapers and on television for Road Test Magazine and Motor Trend Television. Currently, her reviews appear nationally on Car And Driver Television.