2010 Honda Accord Coupe Road Test and Review
A long time ago, automakers found out that the easiest way to make a car look sporty was to make it a coupe. Now the Honda Accord Sedan is known for a lot of good reasons (reliable, great value, spacious, etc.), but one thing it isn't, is sporty. Enter the current Honda Accord Coupe which is probably the best-looking iteration of a Honda Accord since the car was first introduced in 1976. While there are plenty of trade-offs associated with buying any two-door car, Honda dropped off its 2010 Honda Accord Coupe for a week to show us that this car is both sensible and stylish.Â
While the Honda Accord Sedan has a plethora of competitors including the Toyota Camry, Ford Fusion and Hyundai Sonata, rivals to the Accord Coupe are dwindling in numbers and include a variety of cars like the Ford Mustang, Hyundai Genesis Coupe and the Nissan Altima Coupe. A base Honda Accord Coupe has a starting price of $22,555 (a $1,500 premium over the Accord Sedan), but the model I drove was the EX-L with Navigation trim which increased the starting price up to $28,880. The 2010 Honda Accord Coupe Automatic EX-L with Navigation may be a mouthful to say, but this top-of-the-line trim level comes fully loaded adding only the destination charge to its $29,630 as-tested price).
For pricing information, see our Pricing page.
2010 Honda Accord Coupe Exterior
Although the Accord Coupe shares most of its basic styling with the sedan, Honda did more than just chop off the rear doors and call it a day. This may have been the case with past Accord Coupe models, but the latest generation coupe only shares its wheel design and exterior door mirrors with its sedan counterpart. While the Accord Sedan appears very angular and boxy, the Accord Coupe has a distinctive look that is noticeably rounder. Up front, the major changes include narrower headlights and different creases in the hood which help to make the car's rounded fenders more pronounced for a more aggressive look. The coupe's roofline is probably its most defining feature, and it is accented by the upswept beltline and the short decklid. This EX-L Coupe is about as sporty as one could envision a Honda Accord being, and the only ways to tell the EX-L apart from the sportier EX-L V-6 are the single-outlet exhaust and the 17-inch wheels (the V-6 adds dual exhaust and 18-inch wheels). The test car Honda sent us was finished in Polished Metal Metallic paint which helped to give the car's stylish lines even more definition.
For trim information, see our Trim page.
2010 Honda Accord Coupe Interior
Like its trim level suggests, the EX-L with Navigation comes standard with Honda's navigation system and offers a cabin that is as luxurious as an Accord gets. The large size of the Honda Accord gives the coupe a spacious interior including plenty of legroom for the rear occupants, but one of the downfalls of the coupe's sleek roofline is rather poor rear headroom. The EX-L trim level adds plenty of luxury, but it also takes away precious inches of headroom for front and rear occupants with its standard moonroof; front passengers get 37.4 inches of headroom while the rear passengers have 35.1 inches (both are about two inches less than the Accord Sedan EX-L). Between the layout and the quality of leather used throughout the cabin, the Accord EX-L could just as easily be an Acura model, but one of the more stylish elements inside the Accord Coupe is the metallic-looking accents that add color to the door panels, instrument panel and shifter bezel.
Aside from the rear headroom issue, the rest of the cabin is practically flawless with an attractive design that delivers plenty of luxury and cabin tech such as the Bluetooth and dual-zone automatic climate control that are standard on the EX-L. The large navigation display screen is clear and easy to use with the big multi-function control knob lower in the center stack. One nice part about the Accord's instrumentation is the fact that the there is a separate display for HVAC and radio functions to eliminate clutter for the navigation display. Moving further down the center stack, the six-disc, in-dash CD changer separates the main controls and buttons from a serious of useful cubbyholes. All of the storage compartments and power outlets are covered giving the instrument panel and center stack a very clean look. Inside the sizeable center console storage compartment, the Accord also gets an extra power outlet as well as an auxiliary jack - the Accord does not offer a USB port.
For additional photos, see our Photos page.
2010 Honda Accord Coupe Performance & Handling
Despite growing in size, the Honda Accord does stay true to its roots by coming standard with a fuel-efficient 190-horsepower, 2.4-liter DOHC inline-four, and this test car powered the front wheels through the optional five-speed automatic transmission. Like other i-VTEC engines in Honda's arsenal, this 2.4-liter delivers its peak horsepower at a screaming 7,000 rpm with a pretty tall torque peak, too (162 lb-ft at 4,400 rpm). Even with its high-revving nature, this engine still returns decent EPA fuel economy estimates for the 2010 Honda Accord Coupe which are rated at 21 miles per gallon in the city and 31 mpg on the highway.
The base engine focuses on maximizing fuel economy, but those looking for a little pep under the hood to match the car's sporty, two-door design, check out the optional 271-horsepower, 3.5-liter V-6 which is also the only model in the 2010 Accord family to offer the added sportiness of a six-speed manual transmission. With just 190 horsepower on tap, the Accord Coupe still manages to feel pretty sporty thanks to a curb weight that has been kept relatively low (3,327 pounds) and larger front and rear stabilizer bars for improved handling. Now don't expect the Accord Coupe to handle like the dearly departed Honda S2000, but then again, it isn't meant to. Designed more as a first-time-buyer or small-family car, the Accord Coupe would be a great choice to meet a wide variety of driving needs including daily commutes and road trips.
For Specification information, see our Specifications page.
2010 Honda Accord Coupe Safety
Like just about all other aspects of the Accord Coupe, the safety ratings are among the tops in its class. The two-door Accord almost got a quintet of five-star ratings from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), but a four-star side driver rating broke up the bid for perfection. Similarly, it appears that only an 'Acceptable'? rating for roof strength prevented the Accord from getting the top safety rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) - all other categories received 'Good'? ratings - although the IIHS doesn't give separate results for the Accord Coupe and Accord Sedan. Standard safety features for all 2010 Accord Coupe models include six airbags, active front seat head restraints, electronic brake distribution (EBD) with brake assist, four-wheel anti-lock brake system, tire pressure monitoring system, Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA) with traction control and daytime running lights.
To compare the Honda Accord, visit our Comparison page.
Summary
As competitors like the Toyota Camry Solara and Chevrolet Monte Carlo have bowed out in recent years, Honda decided to stay in the mid-size coupe market with a two-door version of its eight-generation Honda Accord. The Honda Accord is a popular choice among new car buyers thanks to its fuel-efficient powertrain and spacious interior, but the 2010 Honda Accord Coupe EX-L with Navigation gives buyers another reason to check it out with its stylish exterior design and luxurious interior.
To get a quote from a dealer in your area, visit our Quotes page.
Honda provided the vehicle this road test review.
Select photos by Jeffrey N. Ross