Customers have always faced a tradeoff between practicality and sportiness when opting for a coupe, however can the all new 2013 Honda Accord Coupe offer them the best of both worlds? Apart from the redesigned headlight cluster, taillight cluster and new bumpers, the 2013 Accord Coupe receives 5 extra horsepower and a 6 speed transmission as opposed to a 5 speed in previous models.
From the exterior, there is no denying that the 2013 Coupe is much better looking than the previous model. The LED daytime running lights combined with the new honeycomb grille and prominent chrome inserts give the new Accord Coupe an elegant yet sporty stance. As for the rear end, the redesigned taillights, exhaust tips and bumper ensure the Coupe is not mistaken for its bigger brother the saloon.
Interior
Thankfully, the improvements don’t just end there and are carried to the interior as well. Our test car was equipped with a two tone beige and black leather interior. After taking a seat in the extremely soft and well cushioned seats, you’ll notice the dashboard has undergone a major change as well, for the better in my opinion. Keeping up with tradition, Honda offers dual screens in the Accord Coupe as well, a small touch screen to perform actions such as adjusting the radio and a larger screen that is used to view the navigation and vehicle information. Although getting into the rear seats can be a little tricky, there is no doubt that the Accord Coupe can accommodate 4 adults without any issues. Rear passengers benefit from cup holders and a lot of storage cubbies to hold items such as magazines, music players etc. The Accord Coupe also offers 400 litres of trunk capacity, the exact same amount you’d get in larger vehicles such the Accord Saloon.
In terms of features, the Accord Coupe is a slight let down. Though it offers numerous ways for music lovers to listen to their favorite tunes and a reverse camera that offers 3 different angles, that’s about where the great features end. The Accord Coupe comes equipped with a camera under the passenger side mirror which switches on when moving into the right lane and relays these images on the large screen in the vehicle. This virtually eliminates your blind spot and allows you to change lanes more confidently. However, this feature is only installed on the passenger side and not on the driver’s side. The same applies to the side mirror tilting down when reverse is engaged in order to see the parking lines clearly, a feature that is only installed on the passenger side mirror. It feels almost like Honda has forgotten to install these features to the other half of the vehicle as well.
Drive
As for the drive, the 6 cylinder, 276 horsepower and 339 Nm of torque engine surely packs a punch. The acceleration either from a standstill or once already moving is impressive and even better when using the paddle shifters. 0-100 km acceleration is around 6.5 seconds. The exhaust is louder than I had anticipated and provides a pleasantly deep growl, just what you want from a sports car. For times when you want to save a little fuel, you can press the green ECON button and this would in turn smoothen out the throttle response and result in poorer acceleration but improved fuel economy. On the other hand, I did find the steering too light for a sports car since it didn’t give me the confidence to throw the car into corners at high speeds. Also, since the average fuel meter resets every time the car is switched off, don’t be amazed if you see outrageous figures such as 41.8 litres / 100km for your average fuel economy.
Verdict
All in all, the Accord Coupe is a good car that is easy to drive and offers sportiness combined with practicality. However, with a price tag of AED 135,000 you may want to check out the less pricey Nissan Altima Coupe or the world of American muscle cars available in a similar price bracket.
