The dash is quite overwhelming at first glance. Its ergonomic theory is right, but its styling misses the mark. The buttons are oversized, which should help with ease of use, but there are so many of them it would take weeks to get the whole system memorized. There was an in-dash six-CD changer in the model I drove, which is nice, and the auxilary ports are easy to find and use in the center console (I’m pretty sure that this console is bigger than my college dorm room).

The steering wheel and instrument pod area is clean, simple and easy to read. As I got acquainted with the Accord’s interior, I felt as though it met all my checklist needs, but it didn’t thrill me in any way. It’s kind of like when you and your girlfriends used to discuss the boys in your class — some guys seemed to work well on paper, but no one was interested in them. Once I had this realization about the Accord, I began to get bored with it.

The Accord’s abundant interior space created problems for me. On several occasions, I tried to reach to the backseat to hand my son a tissue or a stick of gum, and this simple action turned into an exercise in frustration. “No, Mom, I can’t reach it. I can’t reach! I can’t reach!” The Accord’s spacious interior made it tough for my short self to make easy contact with my rear passengers. Taller moms (let’s say 5 feet, 6 inches or taller) won’t have any trouble at all, I’m guessing.

During my extended test drive, I noticed that the seats’ black felt-like material collected dust and fuzzies at a rapid rate. I already spend a lot of my time cleaning, and this fabric would add another thing to my to-do list — just what I was hoping for! On the rare occasion that I actually get to give my car the once over, I want it to last. I don’t want to be reminded of the accumulating dust every time I get into my “clean” car.

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