As this is written, I’m looking out of my window at the "Polished Metal" (that’s the name of the gray exterior color) Accord Coupe sitting in the parking lot. Looking down from above on the sculptured hood, pulled back headlights, deep airdam, sloping roof line, and the wide brushed trim around the side window aperture proves without a doubt that this is its best angle as it alleviates the chunkiness inherent in front-drive designs with sporting pretensions. And the Accord Coupe does have those in spades, as highlighted by the aggressive forward-sloping wedge to the body.

The interior is similarly sporty with broad sweeps, angled detail lines, and brushed metal-look trim. Though slightly discordant upon close examination – the shift quadrant for the automatic transmission’s gear selector sits in a small blister above the center console surface, the wave-form instrument panel stands in contrast to the concavity of the door panels, and the navigation screen sits at the end of a large box in the upper surface of said panel – they are easily overlooked. Why? Because the Accord Coupe works on a macro level. This car is of-a-piece in so many ways that – if I worked at a competing automaker – I’d be worried.

The Accord Coupe is a large vehicle with ample room for four cooperating adults. Think about that: A coupe with aggressive wedge form and fast roof line can accommodate adults in the back seat if the front seat passengers are willing to give up an inch or two so the tall folks in the back can slouch a bit. And those rear accommodations aren’t akin to time in the penalty box. The front passengers are cocooned in leather and bright trim with excellent ergonomics and an instrument gauge face that screams "precision!" Only the wide gaps around the sides of the glovebox stand in contrast to the tight fits found elsewhere.

On the road, the Accord Coupe suggests it will overpower with a muscle-bound feel, but the stiffness of the sidewalls on the 18-in. impart minimal harshness. Damping is most of the way there, though the Coupe shows a slight tendency toward mid-travel softness that could have been swapped for a more progressive tuning. Still, impact harshness over sharp bumps is more heard than felt, and the overall impression is of a remarkably tight and solid structure that veers away from typical Asian lightness and toward Germanic strength. It’s only other foible was a willingness to hunt between gears under steady-state conditions at in-town speeds.

As I said, though my time in the Accord Coupe was short, it made me glad that I’m not responsible for any of the vehicles that compete against it. It’s a tough act to follow.