SEMA: 2008 Honda Accord Coupe HFP

Albeit less impressive than the Accord Coupe HF-S Concept that we showed you yesterday (click here), the Accord Coupe HFP is a nicely customized vehicle that’s sporty but not flashy. It is equipped with dealer-installed Honda Factory Performance (hence the name “HFP”) components including a sports suspension package, 19-in. alloy wheels in 245/40R-19 rubber and a full aerodynamic body kit (front, sides and rear).

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by Alex Kramer

Introduction

Ten years ago I wouldn’t have considered buying any car that wasn’t small, sleek, and sporty. If you couldn’t throw it around a cloverleaf at 50+ miles an hour with a grin plastered to your face, I wasn’t interested. Nowadays, I look for more mundane, practical features when car shopping, such as cargo space, air bags, fuel economy, etc. But every now and then I wish I could throw practicality out the window and buy a car just because it’s fun. Enter the Scion tC. Can Scion satisfy with this hip and sporty little coupe?

Pros:

• Understated yet attractive styling
• Peppy engine and slick shifter
• Solid suspension and smooth ride
• Toyota build quality
• Great value

Cons:

• All-season tires loose traction way too quickly
• Diminutive rear seat and trunk
• Overall style is bit too conservative

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First Impressions: 2007 Toyota Scion tC

by Scott Mosher

I’ve been driving an SUV for so long; I forgot how much fun a small car can be! I was asked to help give a review of the Toyota Scion tC. It was a bit of a change going from a 4WD Jeep Grand Cherokee with a bike rack on the back to a small, sporty get-you-there-looking-cool kind of car.

Pros:

• Small, very maneuverable with a tight turn radius
• Interior very clean looking
• Exterior has clean lines, looks very “aerodynamic”
• Shifting/transmission is smooth
• Sound from the sound system is well balanced throughout the car
• When the car is unlocked, trunk is unlocked automatically. No “Pop the trunk, please.”

Cons:

• Small cargo space
• Very little headroom in the back seats
• Rear headrests block a good amount of the rear view
• Driving position was either too close to the wheel and knees hitting the steering wheel or too far back to comfortably reach the pedals and steering wheel

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by Kurt Gensheimer

Blings:

• Gutsy 4-cylinder VVTi motor
• 30MPG on the highway
• Nausea-free styling
• Standard features list scrolls longer than Kerouac’s On the Road manuscript
• Aftermarket accessories brochure thicker than War and Peace
• Lexus-like qualities with a sub-Toyota MSRP

Dings:

• Lots of highway noise from tires and engine
• Portly and unsettled in the twisties
• Bulbous shifter
• Rear seat headroom fit for someone with no head
• What’s with the “R” instead of “E” on the gas gauge?

Ruling: For the money, this little Toy…er…Scion is a no-brainer.

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