more about this model
To understand where the 2008 Honda Accord coupe comes from, we find it instructive to paraphrase the seminal art-house cinema classic and consummate guy movie, When Harry Met Sally:
Harry: With what did you have this great drive?
Sally: I'm not going to tell you that.
Harry: Fine, don't tell me.
Sally: The Accord coupe.
Harry: Accord coupe? Honda Accord coupe? No, no, you did not have a great drive with a Honda Accord coupe.
Sally: I did, too.
Harry: No, you didn't. An Accord coupe can do your income taxes. If you need a root canal, Accord coupe is your car...but humpin' and pumpin' is not Accord coupe's strong suit.
We transcribe, bastardize and shorten this quote not to smack down the Accord coupe specifically. Nothing in the Accord coupe's segment has been much for humpin' and pumpin', as it were. In fact, they've all been a little staid appearing and/or driving. From the blob-tastic Toyota Solara to the Pontiac G6 coupe to the Chevrolet Monte Carlo, the Accord coupe's competition has been as stolid as a guy named Sheldon.
But a coupe version of the Nissan Altima has just arrived on the market, and suddenly humpin' and pumpin' needs to be on every coupe's standard list of equipment. Honda saw the sea change coming and has properly equipped the new Accord coupe.
There's No Business Like...
When it goes on sale on September 20, the Accord coupe will look nearly identical to the Honda Accord Coupe Concept that shocked and awed the world at this year's Detroit auto show in January.
It's a genuine attention-grabber, in a sporty kind of way — something no previous version of the Accord coupe could be accused of. (There was that version back in the '90s with the triangular taillamps, but that was more just weird than anything else.) Have a gander at a current Honda Accord sedan and tell us it doesn't say, politely, "I'm an excellent all-around vehicle with industry-leading resale value."
With its sharply rising beltline, trim canopy roof and strangely tapered schnoz with turn signals that protrude like cysts, the '08 model also qualifies as weird. But look at the profile and you notice the BMW-style Hoffmeister kink of the C-pillar, and the superfast rear glass and taut rear section that calls to mind the potent Infiniti G37 coupe. Only the large front overhang hints that this sportster is based on a front-drive family sedan that carries its engine near the tip of its nose.
My, What a Large...Everything You Have
The other thing you'll notice upon your first real-world glance of the '08 Accord coupe is that it looks really big. Part of that impression is an illusion perpetrated by the taller, longer nose of the new model. "Presence," as Honda would describe it.
But the Accord coupe is larger than the model it replaces. Its wheelbase and overall length grow by about 3 inches. It's wider by an inch and a half and taller by half an inch. Even the wheels get bigger — the standard rims for V6-powered coupes are huge-for-Honda 18-inchers. (Four-cylinder models come with 17-inch wheels.)
There's more room inside, too. The passenger cabin grows by 5 cubic feet of space, with about an inch of additional legroom for the backseat passengers. And also like virtually all new cars, the Accord coupe weighs more than the car it replaces, specifically about 250 pounds more. The only thing to get smaller is the trunk, which loses 1 cubic foot.
For comparison, the Nissan Altima coupe is nearly identical in size and weight to the previous Accord coupe. The Toyota Solara is nearly identical in size and weight to the new Accord coupe.
Like the new sedan, the coupe rides on a double-wishbone front suspension, familiar from previous Accords and a newly designed multilink rear suspension, tuned to be slightly stiffer than the sedan. In our brief drive on smooth roads around Cape Cod, Massachusetts, the coupe felt plenty compliant. But we'll reserve judgment until we get the car on roads of our choosing.
The body is well controlled, but the Accord coupe, which carries more than 60 percent of its weight over its front axle, is still not a vehicle that will urge you to push it. It's more lively than it is lusty.
For fear of being rear-ended by vacationing East Coasters, we never got a chance to bury the brake pedal, but in casual driving, the coupe's brakes drew no attention to themselves. And that's generally a good thing. The coupe's steering is like that of basically all other Hondas, alert and linear of response.
Honda Accord CL Type-S?
The 268-horsepower V6 coupe we drove came with a six-speed manual (a five-speed automatic is also available) and felt almost exactly like the discontinued Acura CL Type-S coupe. Possibly this is because the CL was an Accord-based attempt at a sport coupe with almost as much power as this new Accord and sharing a six-speed manual and clutch mechanism that feels exactly the same.
This is to say: not entirely fantastic. The small-knobbed six-speed shifter is a little notchy and the clutch take-up is abrupt, making an Accord coupe with this powertrain difficult to drive smoothly.
We have no complaints about the power, though, despite the fact that Honda is narrowly outgunned by the 270-hp Altima coupe. But this engine — a 3.5-liter in place of last year's 3.0 — is far smoother than Nissan's vaunted VQ-Series V6. The V6 in the manual-transmission Accord coupes makes do without the cylinder deactivation system of other '08 Accords and consequently gets three fewer miles per gallon on the highway.
The base engine is a 190-hp 2.4-liter inline-4. In typical Honda fashion this motor, which spins out 34 more hp than the engine it replaces, provides more than adequate refinement and power — based on our sampling of the motor in an Accord sedan.
Still an Accord
Honda says it focused on making the interior of the coupe (and the sedan) a more luxurious place than in the previous generation of the car. OK.
The truth is, the Accord feels as it always has, like a very high-quality midsize, midprice vehicle — a segment that gets larger and more luxurious with each generation. We question whether ditching the well-liked touchscreen navigation system in favor of an iDrive-like control knob is really progress. And the array of more than 30 buttons that surround the control knob is intimidating.
And the Accord has a high level of standard gear and a full complement of safety equipment. All Accord coupes get side curtain and front-side airbags, active front head restraints and electronic stability control. All but the cheapest LX-S trim line get a 270-watt stereo with an auxiliary input and speed-sensitive volume control. Coupes powered by the V6 come standard with leather seats, power sunroof and dual-zone automatic climate control system.
The '08 coupe will see a modest price increase from last year's model. A base-level LX will set you back about $22,000 and an EX-L V6 with the six-speed and navigation system will start around $30,500.
Man, You're So Competitive!
So, all right: The Accord coupe is still not the car for serious humpin' and pumpin', but it's a little closer than before. At least the coupe now makes a case for itself with sporting — even daring — styling. And it is quick. The Altima coupe we tested recently, with the V6 and CVT, ran zero to 60 mph in 6.4 seconds. We expect the Accord V6 with the automatic will be a little off that pace considering it weighs about 300 pounds more.
But front-drive coupes aren't dedicated drag racers and a run in the mid-6s is plenty quick enough. Besides, being smooth, handsome and dependable leaves a better lasting impression than just being a quickie.
Now if we can just figure out what to do with this stupid, wagon-wheel, Roy Rogers garage-sale coffee table.
Edmunds attended a manufacturer-sponsored event, to which selected members of the press were invited, to facilitate this report.
Used 2008 Honda Accord listings and inventory:
Shop Edmunds' used car, SUV, and truck listings of over 6 million pre-owned vehicles to find a cheap used and certified pre-owned (CPO) 2008 Honda Accords for sale near Ashburn VA. There are currently 2,438 used and CPO 2008 Accords listed for sale in your area, with list prices as low as 2,492 and mileage as low as 40,000. Simply research the type of used car, SUV, or truck you're interested in and then select a vehicle from our massive database to find cheap pre-owned vehicles for sale near you. Once you have identified a used vehicle you're interested in, check the Carfax and Autocheck vehicle history reports, read dealer reviews, and find out what other owners paid for the used 2008 Honda Accord. Then select Edmunds' special offers, perks, deals, and incentives to contact the dealer of your choice and save up to 300 on a used or CPO 2008 Accord available from one of 2,632 dealerships in your area.
What's a good price on a used 2008 Honda Accord ?
Save up to $300 on one of 106 used 2008 Honda Accords for sale at dealerships within 25 miles of Ashburn, Virginia with prices as low as $6786 as of Apr 23, 2018, based on data from 18 dealers and 85 consumer-driven dealer ratings ranging from 1 to 5 out of 5 stars.
Price comparisons for used 2008 Honda Accord trim styles:
The used 2008 Honda Accord EX V-6 is priced around $12999 with average odometer reading of 88130 miles.
The used 2008 Honda Accord EX-L V-6 is priced around $9477 with average odometer reading of 115273 miles.
The used 2008 Honda Accord EX is priced around $9098 with average odometer reading of 97047 miles.
The used 2008 Honda Accord LX is priced around $7736 with average odometer reading of 100653 miles.
The used 2008 Honda Accord LX-S is priced around $8988 with average odometer reading of 76474 miles.
The used 2008 Honda Accord EX-L is priced around $8232 with average odometer reading of 105925 miles.
Shop with Edmunds for perks and special offers on used cars, trucks, and SUVs near Ashburn, Virginia. Doing so could save you hundreds or thousands of dollars. Edmunds also provides consumer-driven dealership sales and service reviews to help you make informed decisions about what cars to buy and where to buy them.
What options are available on the 2008 Honda Accord?
Available Honda Accord 2008 Submodel Types: Sedan, Coupe, Hybrid
Available Honda Accord 2008 Trims: Sport, Touring, EX-L w/Navi, Touring V-6, SE, Sport Special Edition, EX-L V-6 w/Navigation, EX-L V-6, EX-L, LX, LX-P, EX-L w/Navigation, EX-L w/Navigation and Honda Sensing, Sport w/Honda Sensing, EX, EX V6, EX-L V-6 w/Navigation and Honda Sensing, Hybrid, LX V-6, LX w/Honda Sensing, LX Special Edition, EX w/Honda Sensing, Value Package, LX-S, Special Edition, Special Edition V-6, EX V-6, LX V6
Exterior Colors: Crystal Black Pearl, Modern Steel Metallic, Platinum White Pearl, Lunar Silver Metallic, Obsidian Blue Pearl, White Orchid Pearl, Radiant Red Metallic, Champagne Frost Pearl, Basque Red Pearl II, Still Night Pearl, Kona Coffee Metallic, Hematite Metallic, Graphite Pearl, Satin Silver Metallic, Eternal Blue Pearl, Alabaster Silver Metallic, Bold Beige Metallic, Desert Mist Metallic, Cool Blue Metallic, Nighthawk Black Pearl, Redondo Red Pearl, Sapphire Blue Pearl, Naples Gold Metallic, Polished Metal Metallic, Royal Blue Pearl, Carbon Bronze Pearl, Deep Green Pearl, Taffeta White, Dark Emerald Pearl, Moroccan Red Pearl, Basque Red Pearl, Firepepper Red Pearl, Mystic Green Metallic, Regent Silver Pearl Metallic, Satin Silver, White Diamond Pearl, Bali Blue Pearl, Deep Blue Opal Metallic, San Marino Red, Silver Frost Metallic, Tiger Eye Pearl, Belize Blue Pearl, Black Current Pearl, Celestial Blue Metallic, Dark Cherry Pearl, Flamenco Black Pearl, Flamenco Black Pearl Metallic, Malachite Green Pearl, New Dark Green Pearl Metallic, Noble Green Pearl, Signet Silver Metallic
Interior Colors: Black leather, Black leatherette/cloth, Ivory leather, Gray leather, Ivory, Black, Gray, Gray cloth, Black cloth, Ivory cloth, Black/Ivory leather
Popular Features: USB Inputs, Trip Computer, Back-up camera, Lane Departure Warning, Adaptive Cruise Control, Pre-collision safety system, Upgraded Headlights, Apple Carplay/Android Auto, Keyless Entry/Start, Mobile Internet, Post-collision safety system, Remote Start, Blind Spot Monitoring, Parking sensors, Cooled Seats, Heads up display, Audio and cruise controls on steering wheel, Aux Audio Inputs, Fold Flat Rear Seats, Rear Bench Seats, Stability Control, Tire Pressure Warning, Alarm, Power Driver Seat, Sunroof/Moonroof, Auto Climate Control, Heated seats, Leather Seats, Multi-Zone Climate Control, Bluetooth, Navigation
Engine/Mechanics: 4, 6 cylinders
Transmission: AUTOMATIC, MANUAL
Fuel Types: regular unleaded
Drivetrains: front wheel drive
Used 2008 Honda Accord Overview
The used 2008 Honda Accord is offered in the following submodels: Coupe, Sedan. Available styles include LX-S 2dr Coupe (2.4L 4cyl 5M), LX 4dr Sedan (2.4L 4cyl 5A), and EX-L V-6 2dr Coupe w/Navigation (3.5L 6cyl 6M). Pre-owned Accord models are available with a 0-liter gas engine, with output up to 0 hp, depending on engine type. The used 2008 Accord comes with front wheel drive. Available transmissions include: 5-speed manual, 5-speed automatic, 6-speed manual.
