2010 Honda Accord Sedan - Tweets

The current-generation Accord, which was introduced for 2008, finally gets a beautiful interior worthy of taking on the best in its class.

To match that, the Accord grows a little more refined without steering away from the sporty driving feel it’s always had relative to others in its class.

The Passat remains a solid competitor with its 2.0T four-cylinder engine, but spotty reliability and somewhat higher running costs lessen the appeal.

And of course the best-selling Camry is one of its top rivals; the Camry is competitive with the Accord in most respects, but its ride is more comfort-oriented and less sporty, and the quality of the interior materials is disappointing relative to the competition.

Perhaps the closest competitor to the Accord is the Altima, which provides a similar mix of sporty road manners and well-controlled ride quality, plus good styling inside and out.

The Ford Fusion competes with the sportier side of the Accord; it’s been greatly improved for 2010, thanks to a refined new base engine.

And as with the Honda, you can get the Fusion with a manual transmission.

However, the Fusion is a bit smaller.

Another top rival is the Chevrolet Malibu, which has a beautiful interior and comfortable ride but doesn’t feel quite as nimble.

Versus the Honda Accord Coupe, the only serious rival is the Nissan Altima Coupe.

Compared to the Honda, the Nissan feels a little bit sportier but also quite a bit less refined, as well as more cramped inside.