The Accord shines in the performance department. The Honda out-accelerated the Mazda, stopped shorter, had a higher lateral acceleration, and had a faster figure-8 (and at higher g's). It did all of that on 18" Eagle LS2s instead of the Mazda's stickier W-rated 19" Dunlops. Put Honda's chassis on the Mazda's rubber and the differences would likely have been greater.
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In sheer numbers, the Honda proved to be a sports car in sedan clothing. With a 0-60-mph run in 7.5 seconds and a stop from the same speed in just 115 feet, the Accord and its 189-hp, 2.4-liter I-4 led at the test track. While we're not typically enamored with CVT transmissions, the shift paddles on the Honda, along with programming that mimics a conventional auto fairly well, made all the difference. "Even with the CVT, the Accord had a very peppy ride," said Detroit editor Scott Burgess. "It was quick off the line, and the CVT was hardly noticeable."
The 6 is a fine car. So is the Accord. Both excel in delivering lots of smiles/mile.