2005 Honda Accord Coupe: The Weekly Driver ReviewWritten by James Raia
Just inside guard gate, world renowned 17-Mile Drive in Carmel, Calif., begins with a primarily downhill and often winding two-lane road to Pebble Beach Golf Links. The tree-lined route features lavish, oceanfront homes and a predominately forest-like setting along California's central coast.It's a perfect several-mile locale for drivers who like to shift through gears. And it's not-so-surprisingly pleasant while doing so in 2005 Honda Accord. With its V6, six-speed manual transmission offering, exceedingly popular model crosses categories. The Accord is listed as a midsize vehicle and it's often compared to Chevrolet Malibu, Nissan Altima and Toyota Camry. But 24-valve, 3.0-liter, 240-horsepower coupe is just as much sports car as it is anything else. And it provides one more reason why Accord – in its more than 25 varieties – is among most popular and most often best-buy categorized vehicles on road. During my weeklong test drive, I drove Accord Coupe round-trip from Sacramento to Monterey Peninsula. The interstate portion of journey included about 400 miles. I drove aforementioned section of 17-Mile Drive six times round-trip on clear, blue sky days and in heavy rain. It made little difference. In all driving conditions, Accord Coupe performed with confidence. Steering and handling is responsive and poised. Lane changes are smooth. While not as quick as other vehicles categorized as sports cars, Accord Coupe accelerates well and finds its ways through gears more than adequately. Its 17-inch wheels further add to tight road feel. The Accord's ride is also adequately quiet. Like all Hondas, Accord Coupe's interior is designed in a straightforward manner. Gauges and all instrumentation are clean and used simply. The navigation system is likewise efficient and easy to learn.
| | The Popularity of the NHRAWritten by Richard A. Brink
It is Christmas holiday weekend, family is sitting around livingroom discussing how much of a very fine meal we've eaten, when conversation shifts: "You on for drag races this summer?" I asked my brother. "Oh yeah," he answers back. As we reminisce about past years NHRA Nationals and discuss plans and dates for this years race, we wonder why NHRA does not have a bigger following. If you like fast cars, and you have not been to a NHRA Nationals event, you have no idea what your missing. That, we decided, is exactly problem. You have got to see it live to understand why it has following it does. Television is at fault, after-all this sport has many times horsepower of NASCAR, pitts are open to anyone with a ticket, and drivers come out of haulers just to sign autographs on a regular basis. They even give you a free, glossy team photo to get autograph signed on. The problem is none of that comes across on TV. When you watch NASCAR they televise pre-race activities, on-track activities, and post-race activities. They even have a segment called CRANK IT UP, in which anouncers dont say a word for a few laps so you can litterally blow your speakers apart with your surround sound. This helps give you feeling you are at track. You could be watching your first NASCAR event and by end of race come away with feeling you understand it, and more importatly you will feel like you know drivers. I dont want to take anything away from NASCAR; it is a great motorsport and they have done a fine job of marketing to get to this point. But (and it is a big but) there is no feeling in world like two top fuel dragsters coming off line simultaneously; it will shake your soul. Trying to explain this feeling to someone who has never experienced it is futile. Nor can you explain smells of track, smoking tires, rubber dust in air, or way your eyes burn from half-burnt alcohol sprayed from firey pipes. The sound...absolutely deafening.
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