It was one year ago, almost to the day, that Honda unveiled a new direction they’re taking with the popular Accord. They chose a 2-door coupe to showcase the new design (because coupes are always more attractive than their 4-door counterparts,) but the sedan was being redesigned as well. The Accord Coupe Concept unveiled at the 2007 Detroit Auto Show received a lot of positive attention, and it really shows in the final production version - they didn’t change much at all from the concept, only a few details.

We had the chance to test out the new Accord Coupe for a few days, and although the weather was less than ideal, we couldn’t wait to get this thing on the road.

Our model was the EX-L V6, which came in the flagship Belize Blue Pearl paint - the perfect color for this car. The 3.5L i-VTEC V6 boasts a healthy 268 horsepower and 248 ft/lbs of torque, and our model was mated to a 5-speed automatic transmission. You can opt for a 6-speed manual (with no change in cost,) and you’ll gain a High-Performance Intake Manifold, but lose the Variable Cylinder Management System, which is why the automatic actually gets better fuel economy than the manual (19/28 instead of the manual’s 17/25 mpg.) The Variable Cylinder Management (VCM) shuts down up to three cylinders as your driving becomes more conservative. Continue Reading…

Looks like Nissan has a rival on their hands. Just when I was looking at buying an Altima Coupe, Honda releases information on the new 2008 Accord Coupe and Sedan. The coupe is much more attractive than the Sedan; enough so to compete with the Altima Coupe in terms of looks. There have been quite a few spy photos released of the Accord, which look great.

This is my opinion of course, and from what I’ve noticed, either people love it or hate it.

Specs on the 2008 Accord are comparable to the Altima Coupe… Continue Reading…

Here’s the second part of the 2007 Chicago Auto Show Update. Be sure and view Part 1 if you haven’t yet. Continuing on, here is an overview of the Auto Show. Don’t worry, only the coolest cars are listed here, nothing boring In Part 1, I went over some of the major concepts and unveilings that the manufacturers had for us. In Part 2 I would like to continue on, starting with this beautiful concept:

Mazda didn’t do much at this years show, other than showing off the Ryuga Concept at their display.

The Ryuga is really cool looking in person, but it’s really hard to see it’s nice curves in photos. The Ryuga is simply a design concept, meant to show you the direction Mazda is facing in the design of its new vehicles. The Ryuga shows this well with its curvy, nature-inspired lines.

Keep reading for more cars. Continue Reading…

I just received my press pass in the mail today for the Chicago Auto Show! Man, this really snuck up on me. I can’t believe the show is only a few days away! With everything ready to go, there are some more cars that will be there that I’m really excited about, and I would like to share a few with you. Please also see my first post on cool cars that will be there.

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Take a look at the most recent rendering of the upcoming Honda Accord Coupe Concept. Unveiled at the recent Detroit Auto Show, this is a hint at what the next Honda Accord Coupe will look like:

Quite stylish. Honda’s senior vice president in America, John Mendel, said: “The Coupé demonstrates the styling direction for the upcoming, eighth-generation Accord. The car will set a new benchmark for safety, efficiency, performance, refinement and style.” Keep reading…

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Honda’s best Civic yet (that was an oxymoron up until the recent models) has been unveiled, and I have the first released photos. It’s due to be released in March 2007 only in the UK for about £18,000. It’s not any faster than the older Type-R, but it has a lot of upgrades, as you can see. It looks a bit over-the-top, but it’s not really that bad. It’s bigger on all sides, adds 18 inch wheels, and is lowered 15mm.

Honda is keeping the 2.0 liter i-VTEC engine, but power increases slightly to 198 hp. Even so, the 0-62 mph is still 6.6 seconds and the top speed is still 146 due to the increased weight. It gets a new, damper suspension, a drive-by-wire throttle, and keeps the six-speed tranny. There are two Type-R’s offered; the standard model and a more expensive GT model adding cruise control, dual zone air conditioning, automatic lights and wipers, curtain airbags and an optional Voice-activated navigation system. Don’t GT models traditionally add a bigger engine, a better suspension and/or other performance upgrades?

Gallery after the jump…

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