Generally speaking, SE stands for special edition. When we think special edition, we think unique, one-of-a-kind, something that makes your neighbors turn green with envy as they pass your driveway. We think, well, special. Can a car that's in the fifth year of its model lifecycle make your friends envious? We think not. Especially if that car is the best-selling car in America, the Honda Accord, and is therefore seen cruising, speeding and, more likely, carpooling, up and down every surface street and freeway not only in Any Town, USA but in Every Town, USA.
With a 2003 replacement Accord on its way, we readily acknowledge Honda's high-volume sales claim to fame with a tip of our collective editorial hats, and we continue to appreciate the Accord for what it does well. Still, perhaps the best reason to consider the Accord SE is to contemplate the price.
The Accord SE is based on the popular LX trim level, but Honda has packaged several features from the upscale EX edition together and hacked $1,500 off the total price, creating a special edition trim for $20,850 plus destination charge. For comparison, the LX comes in at $19,690 while the EX costs $22,300. The additional dollars you'll spend for the EX will add a CD changer, driver seat adjustable lumbar and side airbags for the driver and front passenger.
All in all, the difference between the LX and SE trim levels comes down to a power moonroof, alloy wheels, power height adjustment for the driver seat, combination cassette and CD player, remote trunk release, faux wood cabin accents and floormats, with a price difference of $1,160.
Special or not, the Accord is a fine car, and there are numerous reasons for its immense popularity. It combines a pleasant, comfortable driving experience with just enough feature content to satisfy most consumers, yet also pacifies more enthusiastic drivers who are in need of dependable daily transportation.
While the Accord is available with a more powerful 3.0-liter V6 engine, the SE comes equipped with the 2.3-liter inline four-cylinder engine from the LX and EX instead. You could get more punch from a Nissan Altima or Volkswagen Passat (both offering 170 hp versus 150 hp from the Accord), but for what the Accord is designed to do, we don't feel the extra power is necessary. The four-cylinder engine feels powerful enough to handle the car's mission.
Standard equipment includes a four-speed automatic transmission, with a shifter that feels comfortable in the palm of the hand. Our test SE's tranny exhibited seamless shifts and was perfectly suited to the engine.
Real-world brake-tapping commuter traffic proved the Accord able to respond even if the driver was slow to react. The car inspired confidence whether we left ourselves adequate stopping distance or were forced to panic-brake in morning rush-hour traffic. Our test car's lack of ABS (it's available as an option on the SE) hardly hampered the Accord on the track during brake testing runs. The Accord stopped from 60 to 0 mph in 134 feet, nearly equal to one of its class competitors, the Nissan Altima 2.5 S, which managed to stop just a foot shorter at 133 feet without the aid of optional ABS.
A predictable handler and easy to drive, the Accord provides smooth, linear responses. It feels light and nimble and is agile enough to avoid a shopping mall parking lot incident easily . We found our test car to be a relatively comfortable ride, but did experience an annoying whap, whap, whap to the back of our noggins as our heads bounced off the headrest at Los Angeles freeway speeds of 30 to 40 mph. Hardly a mind-numbing experience, it was just enough to remind us that we were behind the wheel of a moderately priced sedan and not a luxury cruiser.
Inside the cabin, you'll find intuitive, friction-free ergonomics. Drop your hand to the left side of the driver seat, and your fingertips will rest directly on the power seat-height control (an SE feature), with no annoying hunting around. The driver can extend her right hand to the center stack and find two large, easy-to-operate climate control dials and a single super-sized tuning knob for the stereo system. There aren't many mysteries here — the only unusual item to note is the placement of the moonroof button, which, like almost all Honda and Acura models, resides to the left of the steering wheel instead of just above the windshield.
Interior space is adequate. It's easy to climb in and out of the front seat, but more difficult for rear-seat passengers to launch themselves out of the car due to the hips-down, knees-up positioning. However, parents will appreciate the ease with which they can install a child safety seat in the middle of the rear bench. Rear doors that open wide allow even a bulky toddler seat to be wrestled into the back, and a wonderfully flat center section keeps your child's chair from rocking side to side during typical cornering.
There are plenty of nifty storage compartments, including front and rear door bins, a deep glovebox and center console, storage in front of the shifter knob, rear map pockets and four cupholders. One small gripe is the absence of rubber lining in the compartment in front of the shifter, which would prevent items from rolling around noisily.
While a glance inside the trunk might have you nodding your head in appreciation of what appears to be significant volume, the trunk only offers only 14.1 feet of cargo space, while an Altima boasts 15.6 cubic feet and a Camry offers a whopping 16.7 cubes. Luggage-crushing hinges are used instead of struts, and there are no tie-downs or cargo nets to prevent smaller objects from moving freely over the trunk floor. The rear seats fold 60/40 to maximize cargo space but unfortunately don't fold completely flat; a rear seat pass-through is available if your extra-long cargo necessitates additional space.
There are no driving, handling or performance advantages for the SE over the LX. While we typically like extra goodies as much as the next guy, when considering the Accord lineup, we say save your cash and get the LX. You may want to use that extra grand toward a down payment on that envy-inspiring sport sedan in the near future.
With a 2003 replacement Accord on its way, we readily acknowledge Honda's high-volume sales claim to fame with a tip of our collective editorial hats, and we continue to appreciate the Accord for what it does well. Still, perhaps the best reason to consider the Accord SE is to contemplate the price.
The Accord SE is based on the popular LX trim level, but Honda has packaged several features from the upscale EX edition together and hacked $1,500 off the total price, creating a special edition trim for $20,850 plus destination charge. For comparison, the LX comes in at $19,690 while the EX costs $22,300. The additional dollars you'll spend for the EX will add a CD changer, driver seat adjustable lumbar and side airbags for the driver and front passenger.
All in all, the difference between the LX and SE trim levels comes down to a power moonroof, alloy wheels, power height adjustment for the driver seat, combination cassette and CD player, remote trunk release, faux wood cabin accents and floormats, with a price difference of $1,160.
Special or not, the Accord is a fine car, and there are numerous reasons for its immense popularity. It combines a pleasant, comfortable driving experience with just enough feature content to satisfy most consumers, yet also pacifies more enthusiastic drivers who are in need of dependable daily transportation.
While the Accord is available with a more powerful 3.0-liter V6 engine, the SE comes equipped with the 2.3-liter inline four-cylinder engine from the LX and EX instead. You could get more punch from a Nissan Altima or Volkswagen Passat (both offering 170 hp versus 150 hp from the Accord), but for what the Accord is designed to do, we don't feel the extra power is necessary. The four-cylinder engine feels powerful enough to handle the car's mission.
Standard equipment includes a four-speed automatic transmission, with a shifter that feels comfortable in the palm of the hand. Our test SE's tranny exhibited seamless shifts and was perfectly suited to the engine.
Real-world brake-tapping commuter traffic proved the Accord able to respond even if the driver was slow to react. The car inspired confidence whether we left ourselves adequate stopping distance or were forced to panic-brake in morning rush-hour traffic. Our test car's lack of ABS (it's available as an option on the SE) hardly hampered the Accord on the track during brake testing runs. The Accord stopped from 60 to 0 mph in 134 feet, nearly equal to one of its class competitors, the Nissan Altima 2.5 S, which managed to stop just a foot shorter at 133 feet without the aid of optional ABS.
A predictable handler and easy to drive, the Accord provides smooth, linear responses. It feels light and nimble and is agile enough to avoid a shopping mall parking lot incident easily . We found our test car to be a relatively comfortable ride, but did experience an annoying whap, whap, whap to the back of our noggins as our heads bounced off the headrest at Los Angeles freeway speeds of 30 to 40 mph. Hardly a mind-numbing experience, it was just enough to remind us that we were behind the wheel of a moderately priced sedan and not a luxury cruiser.
Inside the cabin, you'll find intuitive, friction-free ergonomics. Drop your hand to the left side of the driver seat, and your fingertips will rest directly on the power seat-height control (an SE feature), with no annoying hunting around. The driver can extend her right hand to the center stack and find two large, easy-to-operate climate control dials and a single super-sized tuning knob for the stereo system. There aren't many mysteries here — the only unusual item to note is the placement of the moonroof button, which, like almost all Honda and Acura models, resides to the left of the steering wheel instead of just above the windshield.
Interior space is adequate. It's easy to climb in and out of the front seat, but more difficult for rear-seat passengers to launch themselves out of the car due to the hips-down, knees-up positioning. However, parents will appreciate the ease with which they can install a child safety seat in the middle of the rear bench. Rear doors that open wide allow even a bulky toddler seat to be wrestled into the back, and a wonderfully flat center section keeps your child's chair from rocking side to side during typical cornering.
There are plenty of nifty storage compartments, including front and rear door bins, a deep glovebox and center console, storage in front of the shifter knob, rear map pockets and four cupholders. One small gripe is the absence of rubber lining in the compartment in front of the shifter, which would prevent items from rolling around noisily.
While a glance inside the trunk might have you nodding your head in appreciation of what appears to be significant volume, the trunk only offers only 14.1 feet of cargo space, while an Altima boasts 15.6 cubic feet and a Camry offers a whopping 16.7 cubes. Luggage-crushing hinges are used instead of struts, and there are no tie-downs or cargo nets to prevent smaller objects from moving freely over the trunk floor. The rear seats fold 60/40 to maximize cargo space but unfortunately don't fold completely flat; a rear seat pass-through is available if your extra-long cargo necessitates additional space.
There are no driving, handling or performance advantages for the SE over the LX. While we typically like extra goodies as much as the next guy, when considering the Accord lineup, we say save your cash and get the LX. You may want to use that extra grand toward a down payment on that envy-inspiring sport sedan in the near future.
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