By Jim Meachen and Ted Biederman

Last year Honda officials became alarmed with declining sales of the Accord. It was particularly upsetting because the Accord has for years been one of the top-selling cars in the U.S.

And for years the Accord sedan and coupe have been acknowledged by J.D.
Power and Associates and by Consumer Reports magazine as one of the best mid-sized brands sold in America.

The Accord had racked up annual sales of 380,000 or more for nearly a decade. It was the best selling car in America in 2001, a title that has belonged to the Toyota Camry since 2002. The last year Accord sold more than 400,000 — 409,242 to be exact — was in 2003.

A 10 percent drop from ’03 — the first year of the current iteration — to sales of 369,000 in 2005 had alarm bells ringing. Honda figured some mid-generation changes were in order. This is the fourth year of Honda’s normal five-year product cycle.

The most noticeable difference from ’05 to ’06 is in the rear end where the taillight treatment has undergone extensive cosmetic surgery.

The taillights stretch across the trunk in the 2003-2005 Accords giving the rear of the car a tucked in look. The new treatment features more traditional triangular lights that don’t intrude into the trunk. And the center brake light is large and integrated into the trunk lid. The new arrangement gives the Honda a more substantial appearance, although now it looks like every other mid-sized sedan on the road from the rear view.

The front bumper and grille have also been tweaked and the interior has been freshened with a slightly restyled instrument panel, a new steering wheel design and some new seat fabrics.

But the biggest and most exciting change of all probably won’t resonate with many Accord buyers. For a few, including most automotive journalists, it is a big deal because for the first time the Accord V-6 sedan gets a 6-speed manual shifter.

Those people, who have complained about the lack of excitement in the Accord, should take a test drive. This combination puts real excitement in the family hauler. The V-6 has gained four horsepower for 2006 to 244 and the slick-shifting short-throw shifter works in wonderful harmony with the engine.

This sedan has enthusiasm not previously found in an Accord four-door, or in many mid-sized family sedans, for that matter. In a comparison test, Car and Driver magazine tested the Accord from 0 to 60 in 5.9 seconds, and 14.5 seconds at 98 miles per hour in the quarter mile.

Does this put the Accord in sports sedan territory? Perhaps a qualified yes is in order. While straight-ahead performance — with a smack of front-wheel-drive torque steer — is exemplary, there’s a bit too much body roll in aggressive cornering to place the Honda squarely in the sports sedan category.

But let’s not be too harsh on Honda’s attempt to put driving fun into the family sedan equation. It answers the call quite adequately for a price coming in at under 30 grand. Best of all we enjoyed a week of high-powered driving – in a stealth mode.

Important in this age of rising fuel prices is gas mileage, and the Accord V-6 manual delivers the goods rated at 21 in city driving and 30 miles per gallon on the highway. Of course heavy-footed starts from the stoplight, as satisfying as they might be, will severely affect your mileage.

Also important, especially in vehicles that haul precious cargo, is safety. And Honda has exceptional standard safety with its “Safety for Everyone” program. All Accords get front and front side airbags, side-curtain airbags and antilock brakes. All V-6 models get Vehicle Stability Assist. And Honda has earned a perfect five-star score in the government’s frontal-impact protection tests and four stars for side impact protection.

Once behind the wheel, you will enjoy probably the most ergonomically designed dashboard and switchgear layout in the business. Everything is well marked, controls are intuitive and the pieces fit together so well it’s a pleasurable experience to simply take a look around your well-made interior every so often.

The dashboard falls away from the driver and the large sweep of windshield offers a panoramic view out. Visibility is good all around.

A large, rubber-lined bin in the center under the dash will hold a multitude of stuff including a cell phone, small purse and CD boxes. Immeasurably practical - it’s a near-perfect design.

The optional navigation system is among the best in the business. As navigation systems go in 2006, it is nearly flawless in map detail and ease of operation. Our only objection is that with navigation, too many controls used every time you crank up the car including the stereo system are imbedded in the screen. In a perfect world, we would like to see all climate and stereo controls independent of the navigation screen.

As always the Accord comes in several flavors and in the price range of most families with the Value Package. For $18,225 you get a responsive 2.4-Liter 166-horsepower 4-cylinder with such standard features as air conditioning, power windows and locks, CD stereo, keyless entry and cruise control. Add the automatic and the price edges up to $19,025.

Other trim levels are LX, LX Special Edition, EX and Hybrid.

The V-6 starts at $25,100 in the LX trim level.

But for us the big story for 2006 is the combination of four doors, a healthy V-6 engine and a wonderful six-speed manual transmission in the EX trim level for $29,300.

And as with all Accords you can count on great build quality, solid reliability and exceptional resale value.