Cars like the Honda Accord have an important position in the automotive landscape. They’re durable workhorses designed to haul families around for many years. If you’re an enthusiast, you might get a dash of spice with a more powerful engine, but that’s about it. For a short time from 2006 to 2007, Honda produced an enthusiast special of its Accord sedan. This is a four-door with a 3.0-liter V6 making 244 HP and 211 lb-ft torque sent through a manual transmission. It was a performance sedan for the family person.
Last time on Holy Grails, reader John B illustrated that the Mitsubishi Galant came in more than one exciting flavor. If you wanted rally-bred performance, you could buy a Galant VR-4, which made 195 HP and 203 lb-ft torque from its 2.0-liter four, or 237 horses and 224 lb-ft torque in other markets. It was a street version of a rally car that borrowed some tech from the racer such as four-wheel drive, four-wheel steering, independent suspension, four-wheel ABS, and an electronically controlled suspension system. If you cared more about style, you could pick up the Galant AMG, which sported tuning and styling from AMG (yes, that AMG), netting you a 168 HP screamer with an 8,000 RPM redline.
Today’s grail continues down the path of a sedan for an enthusiast. However, this one is low-key, so much so that it’s a car that’s rarely written about or celebrated – often overshadowed by its coupe sibling. It doesn’t have any big tuning house names behind it or rallying heritage; instead, it’s a regular car in a configuration rarely sold.
There is something to be said about having a reliable daily driver. Having a fun, chaotic enthusiast car is great, right up until it isn’t. For some people, that’s when you need that car to get you to work, or for that car to survive what should be an easy road trip. The pain of owning an unreliable car is one I know all too well. In fact, when I go on road trips, I choose which car I take based on the chance it may not make it. Lately, the BMW 530xi wagon that I bought from the Bishop has been my go-to daily driver. Yep, a mid-aughts BMW is pretty much the most reliable car I own right now. Even my diesel Volkswagens have been finding annoying ways to let me down.
For countless car buyers, the idea of a practical car that just works is alluring. A Honda Accord is a common car, one that easily gets lost in the sea of black, gray, other gray, silver, and white traffic. Can you even remember when was the last time you’ve taken note of an Accord? They’re everywhere, yet invisible. You could rob a bank and if you use an Accord as a getaway car, the police would probably get a description like “gray sedan.” There’s nothing wrong with that! I’m sure the average Accord will be running long after my BMWs bite the dust.
With that in mind, choosing a practical, reliable car doesn’t have to mean getting something that will put you to sleep. For much of the Honda Accord sedan’s existence, you could get the car with a V6 engine or a manual transmission, but not both together. So, for the practical enthusiast buyer, you had to choose between power or the fun of rowing your own gears. Then, briefly, Honda changed that.
Achieving An “Accord” With People
The Honda Accord has enjoyed a long life of 47 years of production and eleven generations. Today, the Accord is among a shrinking number of sedans that haven’t been replaced by crossovers. It’s easy to see why Honda continues to invest in the Accord. Save for a sales dip during the pandemic, Honda has been able to move a couple hundred thousand Accords a year. The Accord didn’t always have this staying power. In fact, the Accord didn’t even start off as a sedan.
As Honda writes, the first Accord launched in 1976 as a three-door hatchback. The sedan wouldn’t show up until 1979. The 1976 Accord CVCC was just 13.5 feet long and was powered by a 1.6-liter CVCC four making 68 HP. Honda notes that while 68 ponies aren’t many to have in the stable, the late 1970s were also a time when you could find V8s making just 140 horses. If you’ve ever wondered about the Accord name, Honda says it does have a meaning:
The name Accord was derived from Honda’s unremitting effort to achieve “accord” between people, society, and the automobile through advanced technology.
Honda also credits the 1976 Accord with giving Honda its necessary first step toward becoming a full-line car manufacturer. The automaker also claims that the Accord carved out a new segment, one that combined economy, value, and a sporty style with performance. In 1976, the Accord set you back $3,995, or $21,852 in today’s money. That got you an aluminum cylinder head, a five-speed manual transmission, front-wheel-drive and standard equipment including an AM/FM radio, a rear window with a defroster, wiper, washer, plus a remote hatch release. A more luxurious LX model came in 1978 and in 1981, the Accord Special Edition sported leather seats and alloy wheels.
The first Accord set Honda on a path of success. The second-generation Accord was launched later in 1981 and Honda says it was notable for being among the first Japanese passenger cars to be assembled in America. Third-generation Accords got a racecar-inspired double wishbone suspension design while the fourth-generation was notable for the introduction of a wagon body to join the sedan and a coupe.
The next milestone noted by Honda came in the Accord’s fifth generation, which launched in 1994. In 1995, Honda added a 2.7-liter V6 making 170 horsepower and 165 lb-ft torque. Meanwhile, the car’s four-cylinder got Variable Valve Timing and Lift Electronic Control (VTEC) for the first time.
Sounds great, right? Well, you couldn’t pair the V6 and a manual transmission together with the sedan. This continued into the sixth generation, which launched in 1998. Honda didn’t offer a manual transmission for any V6 version of the Accord. So, you were left choosing either more power, rowing your own gears, or forcing it to work out through a swap.
Accord, But More
That brings us to the seventh-generation Honda Accord of 2003. This new Accord boasted new modern styling inside and out. Meanwhile, the engines offered a good bump in power. A 2002 Accord had either a 2.3-liter four making 135 HP and 145 lb-ft torque or a 3.0-liter V6 making 200 HP and 195 lb-ft torque. In 2003, the four-cylinder option got kicked up to 2.4-liters, 160 HP, and 161 lb-ft torque while the 3.0-liter V6 earned 240 HP and 212 lb-ft torque.
You got that with a curb weight of roughly 3,300 pounds, similar to the outgoing model. For a review, I will pull up a video from the charming John Davis of MotorWeek:Â
Davis summarizes his review at the beginning by saying:
For many families in the hunt for reliable transportation, the search often begins and ends with a Honda Accord. But besides being reliable this best-selling nameplate delivers the features and finesse of cars costing thousands more. So what could the all-new seventh-generation Accord sedan and coupe possible do for an encore? Well, the answer is simple: More!
Davis went on to say that while the seventh-generation Accord looks smaller than its predecessor, it’s not. Styling did a lot of the slimming down. Designers apparently used the posture of a crouched cheetah for inspiration. The result was a tighter, younger, more organic, and muscular visual.
Six-speed models got wheels from the Acura TL Type-S with new center caps. Highlight features include an optional moonroof, dual-zone climate control, leather heated seats, a satellite navigation system, and side-curtain airbags. 
From MotorWeek‘s review, it seemed the Accord was a solid vehicle. Sure, it may not have been typical enthusiast fare, but it did the job it was built to do with flying colors. Still, you couldn’t get it with a V6 and a manual. Well, not at first.
The Grail
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In 2006, the Accord got its mid-cycle facelift, which updated the vehicle’s visuals and the engines got mild updates, too. The four-cylinder now made 166 HP and 160 lb-ft torque while the V6 got 244 HP and 211 lb-ft torque. Then Honda did something unexpected, starting in 2006, you were able to pair that V6 with a six-speed manual transmission and have that as a sedan. That sounds like an enthusiast special to me. Reader and Honda faithful Matt Pence gave me three nominations in one email:
I’m a Honda nerd, and my HG nominations show it. First off is a CR-Z 6MT, of which I got bad photos, attached. HPD supercharger kits were available. Second is the 1st generation Insight and Civic Hybrid, when equipped with a 5MT. Third, the 2006 and 2007 Accord sedan V6 6MT, the only time Honda equipped the Accord 4 door V6 with a manual.
I love these picks! I’d love to own a first-generation Insight. It’s one of those cars where the entire model could be considered a grail.
Anyway, Car and Driver felt the Accord V6 + 6MT was an enthusiast special, too. In 2006, the magazine held a thrilling shootout between five sedans, all of them with some sporting characteristics and manual transmissions. Even better, all of the sedans were from regular brands! The shootout was a competition between the Acura TSX, Honda Accord, Mazdaspeed 6, Pontiac G6, and Volkswagen Jetta. I completely forgot that you could buy a Pontiac G6 with a manual transmission.
Anyway, the Honda in the test, an Accord EX V6 with a six-speed manual, finished in second place behind the Volkswagen Jetta GLI but ahead of the Acura TSX, Mazdaspeed 6, and Pontiac G6 GTP. Scoring higher than Honda’s own luxury brand and Mazda is a pretty high mark. Here’s what Car and Driver had to say:
We consider the Accord to be the best family sedan in the business, hands down. But until now, we’ve never thought of it as a sports sedan. Competent, yes. Reasonably entertaining to drive, sure–as family sedans go. But how would it go versus four-doors aimed at a slightly higher performance standard?
There was some head shaking among the test crew when the list of combatants was revealed. After all, the only elements separating this Accord from others with V-6 engines are that six-speed manual and the patches of imitation carbon-fiber trim in the cabin. This Accord gets the same 17-inch wheels as the Accord coupe, but all the V-6 Accords get new 17-inchers, wearing rather wimpy 215/50 Michelin Pilot HX MXM4 all-season tires. Similarly, this Accord has revised suspension bushings, but that, too, is something it shares with the other V-6 Accords.
Could it keep pace with the other players? Oh, yeah. Although those tires held the Honda back in the braking and skidpad exercises, the power of that superb V-6—upgraded by four horsepower for ’06—dragged it into a third-place tie with the handy little Jetta in the lane change, and it was second only to the more potent Mazdaspeed 6 in acceleration runs. It was the only car besides the Mazda to crack the six-second mark in 0-to-60 sprints–5.9 seconds–and it did so without audible drama. THE VERDICT: An unsuspected tiger in a business suit.
Not bad for a car that at the time, had won a spot on Car and Driver‘s 10Best Cars list for 20 of the 24 years the publication had been running it. The magazine’s testers even rated it higher for comfort than the Acura that finished behind it. I haven’t really found any explanation for why Honda tossed the manual transmission in as an option, but by those accounts, it turned a mere fine family car into perhaps a bit of a sleeper.
Finding One
I could not find published production numbers for the manual variant, but it was sold for just 2006 and 2007, a tiny fraction of Accord production. Enthusiasts estimate that the manuals made up a sliver of total production. Some online searches show that just one sold on Cars & Bids and zero at Bring a Trailer. I found one for sale with a ton of miles and some mods for $5,495. You can find a few of these Accords on Facebook if you look hard enough.
After 2007, your only way to get a V6 and manual in your Accord was to buy a coupe and even that wouldn’t last. Honda killed the coupe in 2017, the V6 didn’t make it to 2018, and the manual transmission option limped on to 2020.
Today, your only transmission choice is some form of CVT. If you could find one, it sounds like you’re getting one of the coolest Accords ever built. This is a sedan that hits 60 mph in under 6 seconds while blending in with the rest of the world. It’s a sedan that will take you from sea to shining sea, take your kids to school, and a car that could probably outlive you.
(Images: Honda, unless otherwise noted.)
Love it! Great article Mercedes!
Had a new 03 Accord 6MT Coupe. had one of the best interiors of any car I’ve had, and the seats were good for 10 hr days without breaking your back. Still trying to figure out why I traded it for a X-Runner – Oh yeah, I thought I needed a truck, but still wanted handling. That lasted 1.5 years.
I’m not impartial, but in the long run I suspect history will consider the 2018-20 2.0T (252/273) 6M as more of a grail. I’ve driven both and the turbo feels a lot faster, even if it’s only ahead by .5s or so 0-60. Fat torque curves are where it’s at.
It’s a bigger car, and that’s probably part of it as well, since it’s impressive to hustle mass the way it does.
My wife’s car is the 2018 2.0T with the MT. Just a great sedan. Only thing that’s weird about it is the size – it feels even larger than it is.
In 2017, when I heard Honda was killing the Accord coupe, I found and bought one of the six(!) new examples in California equipped with a V6 and six-speed. It’s no canyon-carver, but as a sleeper hooning machine, it works great. I’m sure a four-door version is just as fun.
In 2006 I had an 03 Mustang GT that was falling apart already, and an hour plus commute each way to college. I remember reading that Car and Driver shootout and falling in love with the 06 Accord.
I really wanted the V6 6 Speed but it was out of reach. I ended up with a 4cylinder 5 Speed LX Special Edition. Served me well through college, grad school, and a move to Texas. Probably my best all around automotive purchase in terms of fun to drive, comfort, passenger space, and MPG.
I’m fairly sure one of my neighbors has a V6 6 Speed sedan, as the telltale of these was the V6 badge was shaded red on the trunk.
Honda Insight owner here, we are a cult lol there are so many mods and things you can do, there are two options:
1) You have a beast of a car, basically a sleeper thanks to a K-Swap
2) Or you are a chill driver getting +60mpg with everything stock
For the IMA battery, someone built a li-ion battery available to purchase, its a nice upgrade since you bump the power and the “assist” feels more like a boost. They are talking to start with solid-state batteries when they become more available. What other hybrid have such a strong community? This car needs its own article
Would read the heck out of that article
There are dozens of us. Sup!
Old roommate of mine traded in his Prelude SH for a V6 MT Accord back in 2006-ish. I was really surprised, because that Prelude was awesome, but man, that Accord was way more fun than it had any right to be.
When Honda killed the Prelude they decided the Accord coupe needed to make up for it, so it got a bit more sport injected into it. I think once they did the MT for the V6 coupe they said what the hell lets throw it in the sedan.
In 2013 I was looking to replace my ’01 EX-L 5MT sedan, and found a red ’06 V6/6MT sedan at a dealer right next to where I worked. Having had a 5MT Maxima before my ’01, finding a V6/manual at all was a pleasant surprise. The engine felt great, but for this specific one, something felt off between the condition and Carfax, and IIRC the miles (while OK for the year) had me wondering how quickly I’d get up to the 100k mark and thus the timing belt service as I was starting to drive much more on my commute.
I ended up finding a cleaner, lower mile ’07 EX-L I4/5MT in silver for about the same price, which I should have kept much longer than I did but got a bit bored with it. I do wonder if I would have stuck it out longer if I had sought out another V6/6MT, or a TSX 6MT. Or the red ’11 Civic Si w/ nav that I found right after…
Also minor correction, IIRC 03-05 6MT coupes were a unique wheel while the 06-07 wheels were borrowed from some years of the prior-gen Type-S CL and TL.
Speaking of, the 2003 CL Type-S would be another holy grail: one model year only, early ’02 intro so it predated the ’03 Accord coupe with the 6MT as the first time Honda paired the V6/manual since the Legend. And – the CL had a LSD which the Accord didn’t.
Did the TL have LSD too?
Not in the 2nd gen shared with the CL as it didn’t offer the manual, but it did add one for 3rd gen ’04-08 with the 6MT. I don’t believe the 4th gen did, as that gen added the SH-AWD option and any manuals were equipped as such.
This jogged a distant memory of my time as a salesman at a Mazda dealership in the late 80s, when the first 929s and MPVs came out. Both were RWD, and both had an optional 5-speed manual transmission available. I saw (and drove) exactly one each of those cars in my time there (doubling our allotment of two 323GTXs, both of which I sold).
My daily driver from 2010 to 2018 was a 2006 Honda Accord LX sedan with the four cylinder and 5-speed. I found it to be perfectly adequate, if a little boring. Soul-less is a good way to put it. Supremely reliable vehicle, as it needed nothing more than regular maintenance items and a set of tires in the approx 53K miles I put on it. Only having a manual in it made driving any fun at all since you could rev it when you needed to. I recall the owner’s manual spelling out the differences between the 4 and 6 cylinder equipped models, but never gave it much thought at the time. Probably because I’ve always preferred 4 cylinders.
I have a buddy that daily-drives a 2006 Accord V6 6-spd.
And he never misses an opportunity to remind people.
Not exactly holy grail, but there was also the relatively rare V6 Hybrid Accord from that generation. I owned a 2007 example one of those. I have always loved the power delivery of Honda V6s. That thing was such a sleeper. It’s probably the most complete car I’ve had. The balance of power and relative efficiency with the mild hybrid system. Good sized fuel tank and the cylinder deactivation eco mode meant it just ate up highway miles. Could go well over 400 miles before the fuel light went on when doing road trips. Great back seat and even a fairly good trunk despite sharing space with the batteries.
Alas, it died a horrible death last year in an accident (not my fault) that put it too costly to justify repairing.
Did your VCM ever cause the oil consumption issues? Our van had that and my parents ran it low for long enough we had to get the whole damn engine replaced. Replacement engine still chugging along, though. It consumes about a quart every 1000 miles on the 160k mile engine (van at 220k now).
I never had an issue with oil consumption in the 4ish years I had it.
I owned a 2006 V6 6MT Accord 4 door. It was redondo red with a grey leather interior. It was absolutely fantastic. That engine was smooth like a turbine, and pulled hard in 3rd. The stick was fantastic. I loved that car, and racked up the miles. Traded it in after putting 150K on it (250 total).
Had a friend with one of these, and after I drove it, I legit went on the hunt for one. Unfortunately, I lived in the rust belt at the time, and it was long enough after these were new, so all that were for sale had rust issues. The manual wasn’t the most communicative transmission I had driven, but the movement was smooth and clear, so you didn’t need a lot of feedback to shift smoothly (unlike the manual in the Jeep I had at the time, which was agrarian by comparison). Where the car was let down was suspension and tires, but those are pretty easy fixes (assuming you didn’t live in the rust belt and have to worry about the rear shock mounts corroding into oblivion). I still wish I could have found one worth owning.
I also completely forgot to mention that another friend had a Mazdaspeed6 at the same time, and they lined them up one day to see which was quicker. The Speed6 won the day, but it was closer than any of us expected. The Accord got off the line nearly as well as the AWD Speed6, though whether that was the cars or the drivers was a debate never resolved (I still maintain it was driver skill, or lack thereof). I loved that Mazdaspeed6, but it spent nearly two years of it’s three year warranty period at the dealer for all kinds of problems, which is why that Accord had my eye – similar performance, but in a vehicle that doesn’t require being best friends with a tow truck driver.
2018-2020 Accord Sports came with Type R drivetrains (manual, K20 turbo). Hard to find but can be had for cheaper than a Type R.
To be fair, the Accord 2.0T has slightly less power (250 hp vs 300)
Honda should’ve used that 250 hp 2.0T on the Si and Integra, too.
Yeah, it’s some similar variant after further searching. I’m not an expert on the nuances of Honda engines/transmissions but they seem to use the same (or at least strong) manuals by engine type from researching CR-V drivetrain swaps for drag racing.
But also someone please correct me if I’m wrong.
Those cars are ridiculously underpowered but people don’t seem to care. SIs are still going for more than asking and manual Integras are scarcer than Hen’s teeth. Honda has that particular market by the balls and isn’t letting go.
They also should have used the decent DCT they developed for the ILX in the Integra but they went with a CVT instead so they could put the manual behind a paywall.
There are an inordinate amount of cars that are cheaper than a Type R. The prices on those things are ridiculously out of hand. New ones in my area are selling for $60,000+ and last gen ones are going for like 10-20% over their original MSRP used. I get that it’s a great car but I think the hype around it has just gotten absurd at this point and that the JDM fanboys need to have a couple Xanax or something…
“2002 Accord had either a 2.3-liter four making 135 HP and 145 lb-ft torque or a 3.0-liter V6 making 200 HP and 195 lb-ft torque.”
Technically the 6th Gen Accord DX was available with the 135HP Non-VTEC 2.3, while the LX and EX models had the VTEC 2.3 making 150HP from 1998.
For this holy grail, outside of the wheels the easiest way to identify a 6-speed from the automatic versions is the chrome badge on the rear had red V6 vs. black V6.
I haven’t owned an Accord since, but the 1st gen Accord hatchback I owned in the early 80’s (in that exact shade of red but without the fender mirrors) still brings a smile to my face. It was a hoot to drive with a manual transmission and soooo much better than any comparably sized US-built car at the time. But after we were rear-ended while turning left by a stupid teen going 45 mph, it was never the same again
:-(. We traded it in on a brand new 1988 Firebird in light blue, but that’s a story for another day.
A girl I knew in college had one of these. As I recall hers was beige. I only rode in it one time on the way to some outreach thing, but it was quick. Did the whole downshift-pull-on-the-highway thing very nicely. Other than that….it was an Accord. I don’t really, nor have I ever, carried much fondness for Accords, but this one was better than ok.
I had a 2015 Accord Sport with a 6-spd and let me tell you, that was a Holy FAIL. By the 9th gen, the Accord had become too big and soft to handle well, and the Sport was based on the base LX trim with the smaller engine and sparse amenities (for an Accord). I would love to have a time machine so I could go back and grab one of these.
I didn’t have one of these but did have ‘82, ‘89, ‘94 accords as well as an ‘88 integra, which I think was sold as an accord in other markets. They were all such great cars.
I’ve moved on to a combo of bigger family hauler and Miata, but have such a fondness for the accords.
I remember these making some waves with car publications around this time. Thanks to both of you for the trip down memory lane. I’m a little surprised it came in second in the C&D comparison to a GLI but then again those sorts of articles don’t take reliability or ownership costs into account. Im sure a ton of those Jettas didn’t even touch 100k but that a lot of these Accords are still alive and kicking.
Anyway, it’s a shame that sports sedans aren’t really much of a thing anymore until you get to the luxury segment, although I’ll freely admit that despite my love of sleepers I personally don’t think I could get over the stigma of driving an Accord or Camry. There’s technically a TRD Camry on the market right now but it’s a glorified appearance package.
Other than that it’s basically the GLI, SI, and WRX…which should be a hatchback anyway. Oh and the Elantra N of course. So I suppose there are still some around but I feel like this was a way more vibrant segment in the era of this grail. Oh well. I’ll keep saving for my eventual CT4V BW or IS500.
Really? I thought the V6 manual was available in both the preceding and later generations. I didn’t realize it was ever a coupe only option.
Ehhh… idk, the car was such a boat. If you ever want to drive my 1g insight lmk. I love it and am determined to kill it but at almost 300k miles it still works pretty great.
Most of them were that brownish gray color
The Altima and Maxima also had a V6 manual combo back then, and besides the MS6, the regular Mazda6 V6 was also available with a manual, even the wagon!
That’s right, from 2004-2007, you could get a Mazda6 wagon with a V6 and manual. Unfortunately, the wagon was *only* available with the V6. Too bad, because I like 4-cylinder better.
Maybe your next grail can be the manual V6 6 wagon…
Are you sure? I’m pretty sure the wagon was auto-only, which I always thought was tragic (I owned a 2006 Mazda6 HATCH, 4cyl manual)
I’m sure the wagon was available with the manual 🙂
Here is one for sale on Autotrader:
https://www.autotrader.com/marketplace/buy/mazda/mazda6/2004/1YVHP82D745N60128?listingId=684822966
That’s almost worth going to Minnesota for!
I love sleeper cars so much, the more boring/shitty a fast car looks….the more I like it.