2005 Honda Accord Sedan New Car Buyer's Guide

What's New for the 2005 Honda Accord?
In an effort to improve safety, front-side impact and front-side curtain airbags are now standard on every 2005 Honda Accord. Honda also sprinkles additional seasoning on the Accord with illuminated steering wheel controls, fresh wheel cover and alloy wheel designs, and a new coinbox debuting this year. Additionally, sedans get a new taillight design and the Coupe may now be equipped with an engine that meets Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle (PZEV) standards. Mid-year, Honda added a Special Edition Coupe and a Value Package Sedan to the lineup. The Accord Coupe SE adds alloy wheels, a decklid spoiler, and painted side sills to the LX model. V6 versions also get a power sunroof. The Accord Sedan VP includes air conditioning on a bare-bones DX, and is priced at just $17,995.

Advantages of the 2005 Honda Accord:

• Impeccable build quality
• Extraordinarily comfortable front seats
• Luxury-caliber interior materials
• Impressive acceleration from V6 engine
• Simple navigation system with voice activation
• Spunky PZEV four-cylinder models
• Deserved reputation for reliability
• Proven ability to hold value over time

Objections to the 2005 Honda Accord:

• No stability control option
• Trunk smaller than Altima and Camry
• Muddled secondary function control placement for stereo and climate systems
• No auto-down feature for front passenger
• No one-touch open and close for the power sunroof
• Can’t use headlights during the daytime and still read the electronic gauge cluster

Editor's Advice:
Hands down, the 2005 Honda Accord is our favorite midsize car. Honda initially tried to market the Accord as a sport sedan, but it isn't a terribly good dance partner for the two-lane two-step. Choose the Accord coupe with the six-speed manual for the enthusiast feel, but the floaty suspension doesn't handle the curves like its S2000 cousin. Rather, the Honda Accord is our pick for a comfortable daily driver, the kind of car that most people want most of the time. Never have we been so impressed with a family sedan's combination of performance, comfort, luxury, quality and value. We'd buy the Accord EX with its 160-horsepower, 2.4-liter four-cylinder, but it's easy to become addicted to the acceleration provided by the available 240-horsepower, 3.0-liter V6. Add a leather interior, XM satellite radio and one of the simplest voice-activated navigation systems on the market today, and the price of a fully loaded Honda Accord EX V6 remains comfortably below the $30,000 threshold. Not bad for a roomy, powerful, reliable, luxurious car that makes you feel like you spent far more than you did.