In 28 years of 10Best competition, Honda’s Accord has made the list 24 times. Somewhere in Japan, there are about 200 engineers wringing their hands and asking each other, “Where’d we go wrong in those four losing years?” Maybe that’s why the car is so good.

In ’08, the redesigned Accord sedan vaulted into the EPA’s large-car domain yet retained the taut, square-jawed underpinnings that make it so gratifyingly competent to drive. The automatic transmission never draws attention to itself, body motions are subdued, the cockpit is hushed, the steering discreetly reveals what the front tires are up to, and the 2.4-liter four is not only quick to rev but also offers the idle quality of a six.

But what so reliably sets the Accord apart is its platform—as solid and unyielding as a shotgun barrel.

If the sedan pegs your personal blandness meter, investigate the slick coupe. When fitted with the 271-hp V-6, it becomes an Accord coup. Row through the velvety manual six-speed—barking the front tires something fierce as you shift into second—and 60 mph manifests in 5.6 seconds. It feels peculiar to be nailing apexes and heel-and-toeing in an Accord—it’s like yelling at your mom—but it’s okay to tell friends that this is the spiritual successor to the feisty Prelude.

The V-6 coupe could benefit from less torque steer, a less confusing center stack, and a friendlier sticker—an over-$30K Accord is in Celine Dion territory. She could call hers the Accord Dion.Continued...