Introduction
Throughout our evaluations, our test team continually remarked on the quality of workmanship found within this sixth-generation Accord. All exterior panel gaps were uniform, the interior pieces were precision fit and nary a squeak or rattle could be heard. But what we did find – and what has been common throughout the Accord's existence – is that the Accord doesn't have a real "smoking gun," meaning that there's not a single aspect of the vehicle that stands out as fabulous. The interior: great, but not perfect. Powertrain: great, but not perfect. Execution: great, but not perfect ... and the list goes on and on.

Despite this, the Accord's strength is it's consistent greatness, losing to the Passat by mere tenths of a point. But while the Accord has spent its fair share of time at the top of the family sedan mountain, it has some serious competition again in 2000 from Ford and Nissan. But enough about those other vehicles, let's talk about the Honda.

Background and Our Test Vehicle
When Honda introduced the Accord in 1976 (selling a mere 18,643 units), little did they realize that in a mere 14 years they would have a bestseller on their hands, with over 417,000 Accords leaving dealer lots. The Accord has come a long way since then, vastly improved in comfort, safety, design and ride quality. But one aspect has remained paramount throughout the Accord's life: quality.

That essence of quality was reflected in our editors' opinions as the Accord ranked first in build quality during evaluations of our 2000 tester. For 2000, the Accord raises the safety bar with the EX's new standard advanced side-airbag system, which is capable of deactivating the passenger's side airbag if sensors determine that the passenger is too small or out of position.

In our 1998 test, the LX version of the Accord came out on top. For 2000, we invited Honda back, this time with a well-equipped, top-of-the-line EX model.

Exterior Design
Vanilla. That's about the best way to sum up the styling of the 2000 Accord. The Accord is one of the cleanest designs on the road today, but there's nothing really special about it. Last redesigned in 1998, the 2000 model is left unchanged. But, like the timeless design of the Porsche 356 Speedster and DeTomaso Pantera, give the Accord five years to age and it'll look as fresh as it does today.

So why did the Accord rank first in exterior design? Because it is a dull and boring motif that is also as beautiful and as refined as the rest of the vehicle. As far as we're concerned, a family sedan shouldn't be designed on the cutting edge, as it will see a lifespan far greater that the average sports or performance car. Ten years later, the Accord will have weathered the winds of change – something we could never bring ourselves to say about the Impala.

Interior Features, Controls, Materials and Design
Like the five generations before it, the interior of the 2000 Accord is a mix of straightforward styling and excellent functionality. Ergonomically, the Accord falls just shy of perfection with the lack of a telescoping steering wheel. Aside from that very minor gripe, the Accord is a vehicle we would have no qualms about jumping into for a cross-country trip. Although it was barely beaten out by the Passat for interior execution, it was still praised as an excellent package.

Up front, dual leather-lined buckets provide adequate lumbar, lateral and thigh support, but most of us were disappointed with the driver's eight-way power seat with adjustable lumbar – the positioning of the lumbar pad was fit to the mid-back area instead of closer to the bottom of the spine where it's really needed.

In typical Honda fashion, controls are slick black plastic with a positive feel and located within easy reach of the driver, with the exception of the fan speed knob for the climate control – you literally have to stretch across the dash to reach it. We also would like Honda to rethink the design for switching the airflow, which is accomplished by repeatedly depressing a single button. We found ourselves taking our eyes off the road to look at the LCD display to be sure we had activated the defroster and not the floor vents.

Rear passengers will find one of the most comfortable couches in the industry, which has just the right amount of rake, lumbar and thigh support. We wouldn't hesitate to get in the back seat for 200-plus miles, so long as there were only two passengers. Add a third and quarters become uncomfortable.

Materials are first rate and, unlike in the Impala, the leather looks and feels like real animal hide. Try as we might, we couldn't find a seam out of place, an exposed screw head or a rough edge on any plastic trim.

Engine and Transmission
The Accord EX V6 doesn't fall into the vanilla category with regard to the vehicle's powertrain. Motivated by a 200-horsepower, 3.0-liter VTEC V6, the Accord idles smooth as silk, yet provides seamless power delivery throughout the rpm band. Though not as torquey as the Passat or the Saturn, it does pull hard, posting a zero to 60 time of 7.9 seconds – third best in our tests.

Transferring the power to the drive wheels is an electronically controlled, four-speed automatic transmission that seemed to be indecisive at times. Jab the throttle at 45 mph and the tranny hesitates as it shifts to third, then to second and then slams back into third.

Alas, we've found one item that Honda could still refine.

Suspension, Ride and Handling
"Taut," "nimble" and "flaccid" were the most-often heard comments when our editors referred to the handling characteristics of the Accord. With its double wishbone/multilink suspension, the Accord was quite nimble in parking lots and around town. On the highway, the EX's harsh shock valving made the Accord a little too taut for our liking – especially on long drives.

Push the Accord in the twisties and the soft springs become apparent with flaccid body lean and a skitterish rear end – so much so that the Accord finished dead last in the slalom portion of our performance evaluations. We were again reminded that this is Honda's family car, meant to take you from point A to point B in comfort, not to use on the racetrack on the weekends.

Conclusion
While the Accord isn't the spiciest vehicle in our test, it is the most "user friendly." Combine Honda's excellent reputation for reliability and resale value, and it's no wonder the Accord has been a bestseller. Our editors were just as impressed. In fact, the Accord lost to the Passat by just four-tenths of a point – that's how close the competition was. But while Germany's finest may have nudged the Accord from our number-one spot, the Accord outsells the Passat by a factor of nearly 17 to one.

Editors' Comments
Here's the thing about the Accord. The styling will age well. People who buy them do so because they want them – they aren't settling for something else. As such, the cars tend to be better maintained by more conscientious owners. Thus, these well-engineered Accords last a long time. They have great resale value. Accord is a known entity. It's a comfort zone. You're not gonna talk an Accord owner into an Impala on the next time out, and the less time GM spends on refining their vehicles, the more Accord owners there will be. – Christian Wardlaw.

If you can call your significant other the Accord of boyfriends, you'd be pretty well off. This car does everything well. No, it doesn't give you any thrills in terms of driving experience, but neither will it give you a shock with any unpredictability. No, the design isn't avant garde, or anything you might deem gorgeous, but it won't look too dated 12 years from now when you've got 200,000 miles on it and it's still running strong. – Liz Kim

Stereo Evaluation - 2000 Honda Accord