of your office whose first name you hardly remember, the one who isn't

really brilliant at anything but who succeeds because he can do absolutely

everything quite well.

That same kind of versatility is responsible for the Accord's incredible

success. The Accord has redefined the family sedan by offering a near-perfect

combination of performance and comfort. It's durable, and it's really good

at everything. It's big enough to haul the kids to school without everyone

feeling cramped, but small enough for commuting and parking convenience.

On weekends, the Accord is like your favorite traveling clothes; it

goes anywhere. The trunk is big enough to hold all the soccer or skating

gear. It's quiet and comfortable enough on the freeway to make a long weekend

trip enjoyable, and stylish enough for even a formal evening on the town.

Every part of the car has been repeatedly refined through five major

redesigns, the most recent in 1994. Refined is the key word here; the development

of the Accord has definitely been evolutionary rather than revolutionary.

But even though 1997 will be the last model year for this generation, there

are still several notable improvements.

The result of Honda's continuing efforts is a thoroughly refined mid-size

entry that has been one of the top two selling cars in the U.S. since 1989,

and has been repeatedly praised in quality studies and car enthusiast magazines.

the ordinary. Pleasant but forgettable, this is not a car that will stand

out in a crowd. When the car was redesigned in '94, Honda executives acknowledged

that they had been conservative, perhaps too conservative, in updating

the Accord's appearance. As newer rivals like the Chrysler Cirrus and Dodge

Stratus have been introduced over the past three years, the Accord has

definitely come to look a little dated.

Still, it is a well-proportioned and graceful car. The Accord's wraparound

headlights and slightly raked roofline give it a modern enough look to

save it from dowdiness.

The Accord comes in three different body styles--sedan, coupe and wagon--and

as many as three different price ranges--the basic DX, the LX and top-of-the-line

EX.

While a good argument can be made that the Accord offers exceptional

value, no one would argue that it's cheap. Prices including destination

charges begin at $15,495 for a DX with a four-cylinder engine and go all

the way up to $25,495 for a V6-equipped EX.

The most popular Accords are LX models with a four-cylinder engine,

air conditioning, AM/FM/cassette radio, automatic transmission, power locks

and windows, that are typically about $20,000, which pretty much describes

our LX tester.

is subdued but inviting.

Seeing out of the Accord is easy in all directions, although the rear

window seemed a little small to us. The outside rearview mirrors are large

enough to give a good view of what's coming up behind you. From the driver's

seat you immediately notice that the instrument panel is classic Honda.

Easy to read, white-on-black temperature and fuel gauges flank a larger

tachometer and speedometer. Two large rotary switches just to the right

control the interior fan and temperature, and the air-conditioning control

buttons are large and accessible.

Two buttons for the cruise control are comfortably positioned on the

steering wheel, and the radio has knobs and buttons that are also easy

to use while driving. None of that could be simpler or more convenient.

Two small drawbacks come to mind, though. First, the horn buttons are

too small and located on the edges of the wheel, rather than a handier

center-punch arrangement. And the cupholders, two plastic indentations

tastefully covered by a door, are marginal--awkward to reach, and too close

to the elbows.

The rest of the interior is nicely done. The fabrics and plastics are

pleasing to the eye and the touch, with excellent finishing throughout.

As for safety, all Accords come with a driver and passenger side air bag,

but antilock brakes aren't available on DX models and cost $850 extra on

LX models.

Seating comfort is well suited for long drives. Bottom cushions are

deep enough to support your legs and back cushions are thick and firm enough

to support your back. The seats don't have big torso bolsters to keep you

from sliding side-to-side in sharp corners, but that's not surprising in

a car that doesn't have a lot of sporty pretensions.

Both the front and back seats provide plenty of room: four good-sized

adults can be comfortable in this car. While the back isn't as spacious

as that of the Cirrus or Stratus, headroom and leg room are still more

than adequate.

The back seat folds down to expand the trunk. You can also fold down

the rear seat's center arm rest and open a small pass-through door to the

trunk that will let long things like skis fit inside the car.

You can get three kids in the back seat, no problem, as long as they

aren't tormenting each other. (It could happen.) And the roof is high enough

to let you lift a little one into a car seat without killing your back.

cam 16-valve four-cylinder engine that is about as good as they come.

The 130 horsepower won't take your breathe away. When you step on the

gas it will say "Sure, OK," not "Yeah! Let's go!" Honda's

philosophy has always been to provide enough to just get the job done.

The result is polite power.

It's, smooth, though, and amazingly quiet, producing little vibration

from idle to freeway speeds. It's economical too, getting nearly 30 miles

per gallon in our road test over city streets and freeways.

The upscale EX comes with a standard 145-horsepower four-cylinder engine.

A 170-horsepower 2.7-liter V6 is available as a $2660 option on both LX

and EX models, and it will provide a quicker getaway from stoplights and

fast pickup as you come out of a sharp turn. For most Accord buyers, though,

these things aren't high priorities.

The 1997 model air conditioning system has been improved for faster

cooling. More insulation has been added to successfully reduce engine and

road noise, and the redesigned automatic transmission is supposed to shift

more smoothly.

A five-speed manual transmission is standard on all sedans with four-cylinder

engines. A four-speed automatic is an $800 option or standard if you take

the optional V6 engine. Although the redesigned automatic is supposed to

shift more smoothly, we didn't notice much difference. It seemed to force

the 2.2-liter engine in our test car to rev higher before upshifting, creating

a little extra noise in the process.

Aside from that very small complaint, we found the Accord effortless

to drive and superbly comfortable. The Accord's double wishbone suspension

is as sophisticated as any of its competitors. As a result, the Accord

is quick and responsive to the wheel. It feels downright nimble as you

maneuver into a tight parking space and you feel only a modest amount of

body roll on corners.

Compared with a car like the Ford Contour, the Accord's suspension gives

a somewhat softer ride, though you can still feel all the bigger potholes.

The tradeoff is that it won't consume a winding mountain road quite as

quickly.

not be extremely exciting, but it is supremely sensible. Everything about

it is designed to make getting where you're going easier and more pleasurable.

Life holds enough minor hassles. The Accord's ease and reliability are

what have endeared it to millions of American drivers.