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2007 Honda Accord Sedan EX-L V-6 6MT Road Test

Remember the movie Men in Black? Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith teamedup to become a formidable force in intergalactic justice. Of course, keeping the universe in order requires a vehicle that's up to the task, and theirs, quite frankly, kicked some serious butt. Although it looked just like any other law enforcement type Ford LTD, appearances are thoroughly deceiving. Never mind that the car had a full array of never heard of weaponry or that it was capable of flight; it had some serious speed. The only clue to the unfathomable performance available was the sound of a turbine when the car was shut down. Enthusiasts know these sorts of cars as Q ships, astonishingly quick vehicles that fly below the public radar. The best part about having a car like this is watching the look on the other guy's face as you embarrass him during the stoplight grand prix, or

We hope Honda will continue to offer this particular package on the next Accord - V6 and 6MT. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

when the road gets twisty. The 2007 Honda Accord Sedan EX-L V-6 6MT we recently tested, fell into this category.

Although it was painted a striking shade of metallic blue and had the former TL Type S wheels, our unassuming sedan didn't create much commotion in everyday traffic. If we could have chosen, we would have requested colors found on the Government Issue palette, something in a white or that particularly inconspicuous shade of dark sand. Accompanied with more restrained alloy wheels, such

More simplicity - instruments are easy to read. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

a car would be sure to invisibly blend into the automotive tapestry on our roads.

One feature that made our Accord different from any other V6 sedan is that it was equipped with Honda's familiar six-speed manual transmission. Of course, by familiar, we mean outstanding. Anyone who has ever stirred the gears of a Hondagearbox knows exactly what we're talking about. Perhaps this was a gift for Accord buyers, as this generation is going to be driving off into the sunset shortly. If you want to shift your own gears in the midsize class, your choices are limited. The only other reasonably priced, reasonably powerful, manually-equipped

It's hard to believe that this SOHC, 3.0-liter creates all this power. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

four-door sedans available are the Nissan Altima and Mazda6, both with V6s, and the Subaru Legacy 2.5 GT Limited with a stick and AWD. There's always the Mazdaspeed6 and the Subaru Legacy 2.5 GT spec.B, although they have turbocharged four-cylinder engines and are a little manic to boot. We honestly hope buyers will take note of the manual model and purchase every last one of them in order to send a message to Honda that the next generation Accord must have a manual box too. With the take rate probably not much greater than a half percent, it would be a shame to lose this combination. Its cars like this that allow car enthusiast daddies and mommies to take the family out, yet still stir the cogs all on their own.So refined, it could've been an Acura. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press) />
With all of these sporting pretensions in mind, it's easy to forget that we're discussing a midsize family sedan. Does the Accord live up to its categorization? You bet. Stepping inside and I entered a cockpit that seemed as though it was designed just for me. Everything falls to the hand intuitively; we wouldn't be surprised if most drivers never consulted the owners manual as its controls are so easy to operate. The dashboard is illuminated with a sharp backlighting scheme, and instruments are as easily read in glaring sunshine as they are at night. Our own managing editor pointed out that the three-tiered center stack looks a lot like a Mach 3 razor. After we stopped laughing, we realized that he might be onto something. With the faux carbon fiber trim that accented our tester's interior, the “mach” effect

Three blades for a closer shave? Nah, just a decent stereo system and digital climate control. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

is further compounded. The premium audio system certainly lived up to its name, supplying clean and robust sound even up to un-family sedan like volumes.

The thing we love about the Accord is that it's a great place to be for digesting large amounts of asphalt. Although some of our staffers felt the front seat cushions were a bit flat, and a bit too stiff, they never left anyone feeling fatigued after long stints behind the wheel. The same could be said for the rear passengers, who were treated to generous accommodations of their own. All this is leather lined bliss, with noise levels that are reduced to a distant hush. The engine disappears into the background and impacts are heard rather than felt. This is one serene cruiser that will willingly swallow a weekend's worth of family detritus, and its docility means one less thing to worry about when underway.

Trustworthy

It's a very simple, but well-built interior that doesn't distract. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

and dependable it may be, but the Accord proudly wears its “H” badge on its grille and trunk lid, a symbol that has decades of racing glory behind it. If you're wondering whether this unassuming Accord sedan hasany of this pedigree built into it, rest assured that it does. Start out by disarming the stability control and slotting the mechanical feeling shifter into first gear, then bring up the revs and release the clutch. The front tires might slip a bit from the rush of power, but when they hook up you're off, and surprisingly, without the drama of torque steer we've come to know from the TL. The engine that was a pussycat when cruising starts to snarl like a tiger. You begin to think that perhaps Honda has fudged output, displacement, and camshaft count, but lo and behold a glance under the hood reveals a 3.0-liter SOHC V6 making 244 horsepower and 211 lb-ft of torque. It's so punchy, so lively and so zingy, all with only one camshaft. Like all of its stable mates, the Accord is capable of exemplary

Right away, this is what your eyes will hone in on when you climb aboard. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

fuel mileage when you're not surging towards the rev limiter. And as just mentioned torque steer is nicely subdued,although under power in the lower gears the steering imparts a slight writhing behavior. Suspension is typical Honda, which means the Accord moved with a fluidity that belies its midsize mission, those same double wishbone suspenders allow you to drive the car quite hard, and it won't back down. We wish the tires were a little better than the slippery Michelin HX MXM4 all seasons (read: garbage), which gave up long before the chassis did during spirited driving.

Other than the OEM rubber we have additional gripes with the Accord, but they are few and minor. There are some features available on competitive models that can't be had with the Accord, which would have enhanced the overall experience. For instance, why aren't automatic headlamps or HIDs available? And what about an MP3 CD player? Or how about that auxiliary input that's standard on the Fit and the Civic? And the manual tranny on our tester felt as if someone had replaced the transmissionfluid with ninety

It's fast but you'd never, ever think so. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

weight gear oil. Sure, it moved through its gates the way many Honda gearboxes have done before it, very well, only this one didn't like to be hustled. This was combined with a dogged refusal to make smooth heel and toe downshifts. Really concentrate when it comes time to shift, and don't rush it; you'll be all right. In all honesty, from an enthusiast's standpoint, you won't even miss the aforementioned toys, but rather you'll start to hear sounds, such as the velvety V6 as it switched to its aggressive cam profile, the weighted “click-click” between gearshifts and perhaps occasionally the noise an inflated ego makes when it comes crashing to the ground after it has just been embarrassed by a family of four in a simple Accord.

After our time with the unassuming four-door had expired, there were some long faces among our staffers. The Accord's combination of versatility, comfort and stealth had found its way into our hearts and some of us wondered aloud why Honda is keeping this gem such a secret. Had they not had one on their press fleet, we'd have never known about it. Consider this our way of getting the word out on Accord Sedan EX-L V-6 6MT, a certified Q ship.

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