The 2009 Honda Accord is comfortable, roomy, intelligently engineered and fun to drive. Last year, the Accord was fully redesigned. It gained size and power with no loss of fuel efficiency. Available as a coupe or sedan, few rivals even come close to matching its appeal or all-around value.
The 2009 Honda Accord continues to lead a pack of frenzied competitors in the family car fight for supremacy. It meets or exceeds all the markers automotive reviewers look for. In addition, it retains a sterling reputation for reliability built over eight generations of Accords. Still marketed as a midsize sedan and coupe, the EPA actually classifies it as a "large car," and it shows in the roomy cabin, which offers more room and comfort in the backseat than any rival does. The Accord is one of the few family sedans that is available in a coupe body style. The Accord Coupe is a very sporty ride indeed, especially with the available V6 and a great six-speed stick shift that’s not available on the sedan models. Like all Hondas, the Accord reflects solid workmanship, and its interior materials are a cut above those of its closest rival.
The 2009 Honda Accord Sedan comes in LX, LX-P, EX and EX-L trim levels. The LX Sedan features standard 16-inch wheels, keyless entry, full power accessories, cruise control, a tilt-telescoping steering column, illuminated steering wheel-mounted audio and cruise controls and a six-speaker AM/FM/CD audio system. The LX-P Sedan adds 16-inch alloy wheels, auto up/down front windows and an eight-way power driver’s seat.
Upgrading to the EX trim adds 17-inch wheels and a moonroof plus the in-dash six-CD changer. The EX-L trim level adds leather-trimmed front seats, auto-on headlights, dual-zone automatic climate control, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, heated front seats and satellite radio. The EX-L Sedan adds the premium stereo system. There is but one Accord option, a voice-activated, Bluetooth-enabled navigation system available on EX-L models.
The 2009 Honda Accord offers three engine choices. The LX and LX-P Sedans use a 2.4-liter four-cylinder with 177 hp and 161 lb/ft of torque. A performance-tuned version of the 2.4-liter with 190 hp is found in EX Sedans. A five-speed manual is standard with the four-cylinder engines, and a five-speed automatic is optional. A 3.5-liter V6 with 271 hp and 254 lb/ft of torque is available for EX models. Sedans with the V6 use a five-speed automatic. "The sweet spot for the Accord is the 190 hp four-cylinder. It sounds good, drives well and returns the same EPA-rated 31 mpg highway as the base engine," advised Car and Driver.
The 2009 Accords are fuel-efficient cars. Four-cylinder models with automatic transmissions achieve 21 mpg city/30 mpg highway. Equipped with the manual transmission, those numbers rise to 22/31. The six-cylinder Accord gets 19 mpg city/29 mpg highway.
All Accords come standard with antilock disc brakes, stability and traction controls, front side airbags and full-length side-curtain airbags. In government crash tests, the Accord Sedan received a perfect five stars for front passenger protection in frontal and side impacts. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety gave the Accord its top rating of "Good" for both frontal offset and side-impact crash protection.
The 2009 Honda Accord has a high quality cabin installed to a high standard. In terms of comfort and amenities, few rivals compare favorably. The optional navigation system responds to voice commands, is perfectly located high on the center stack and is equipped with a user-friendly, multi-purpose control. The midsize Accord offers full-size roominess, especially in the backseat. "Interior styling is clearly an evolution, but with far more flair. The dash sweeps up and away for an expansive feel. Trim is bolder and brighter, dipping for an artistic center stack that still features large controls and a display screen," said Motor Week.
Test drives show that the Accord has managed to keep its excellent handling in a significantly larger package. Reviewers praise Accord’s “nicely weighted” and “extraordinarily communicative” steering. In particular, the Accord Coupe gets even higher marks for handling with seemingly no compromise in ride quality.
With a base price of $20,905 (MSRP excludes delivery charge), the 2009 Honda Accord is also something of a bargain. It’s rare to find a car this good for so little. We urge you to take an Accord out for a spin and see for yourself why Accord has been at the top of its segment for so long.
