The Honda Accord is entering the fifth year of its current model cycle. An all-new one is just over the horizon. Meanwhile, Toyota has just launched an all-new Camry for 2002, while Nissan has introduced an all-new and much larger Altima. And there's no shortage of competition from other automakers that compete fiercely for buyers of mid-size sedans. The volumes are high so a lot is at stake here.

In spite of all this, we feel the 2002 Honda Accord is the best mid-size sedan available today. Simply put, it does everything well.

The interior is roomy and comfortable, the chassis is responsive and well damped, the brakes are excellent, and both of its VTEC engines (a 3.0-liter V6 and a 2.3-liter four-cylinder) are incredibly smooth. It is remarkably easy to drive and every aspect of it is user friendly.

Honda sold 414,718 Accords during calendar year 2001, making it number one in passenger-car sales, and it has been one of America's best-selling cars for the past 10 years.

Not much has changed with the Accord since last year. For 2002, Honda has added a new SE trim level that adds popular features to the value-oriented LX.

Another thing that hasn't changed is its quality, durability, and reliability. J.D. Power and Associates ranks the Accord's mechanical quality and body and interior quality as 'better than most.' An entire generation has grown up with Hondas, and 26 years of Accords have proven it to be a safe choice, a car that a family can buy and more or less forget, turning their attention to the other concerns of a daily life. We feel the Accord offers a bit more driving excitement than the Camry or the Taurus and a higher quality interior than the Altima.

Honda designed the Accord Coupe to have its own identity as distinct from the Accord Sedan. Only the coupe's headlights and door handles are shared with the sedan. It was enhanced last year by a more aggressive look to the bumpers, a body-colored front grille, and new alloy wheel designs. The Coupe is a handsome car, and a good choice for busy executives who want a car that is both sporty and practical.

Handling on bumpy roads is incredibly good. A series of big bumps in the middle of a corner taken at speed hardly affects the Accord's direction at all. The suspension damps out the bumps and keeps the tires planted on the road. This handling balance is a benefit of the Accord's strong chassis and double-wishbone front and rear suspensions. At the handling limit, it tends toward understeer like all front-drive cars; the front tires lose grip before the rear tires. The Michelin tires on our test car were quiet, and their ride quality flawless. The Accord EX V-6 feels light on its feet. It offers sharp transient response (quickly turning left, then right, then left again).

The Accord has excellent brakes.

In cruise mode, the 3.0-liter V6 engine just purrs along, barely audible. It's so smooth and so quiet that sometimes a glance at the tachometer is required to confirm that it's running. Stomp on the throttle and it growls with the authority of a free-breathing cylinder head. This engine delivers lots of power for merging into traffic or entertaining its driver. Its single-overhead-cam V6 is equipped with Honda's VTEC (Variable valve Timing and valve lift Electronic Control) system and tuned to deliver optimum torque over a broad rev range.

While the V6 provides lots of gusto, most people order the 2.3-liter VTEC four-cylinder engine. It's smooth, powerful and efficient, generating 150 horsepower at 5700 rpm. An Accord equipped with this engine is a great package that deserves consideration by anyone shopping for a roomy mid-size car that excels in quality, durability, reliability, smoothness, ride quality, practicality and fuel efficiency.

All Accords sold nationwide meet or exceed California's Low Emissions Vehicle (LEV) standard, regardless of engine. One model, sold exclusively in California, meets the demanding Super Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle (SULEV) standard, the most stringent in the world. SULEV represents an 86 percent reduction in hydrocarbons over LEV; the California Air Resources Board says a SULEV engine emits only 2.3 pounds of ozone-forming hydrocarbons during 100,000 miles of driving, about the same as spilling a quart of gasoline.

Leather interiors are available in light tones that are warm and inviting, really nice. The instrument panel features a two-tone finish with big gauges that are highly legible. Features associated with luxury cars abound, particularly on the high-level models. Sun visors offer sliding extensions. A HomeLink remote control system can be programmed to open garage doors, turn on house lights and turn off security systems. The air conditioning system, designed to quickly cool the car down after getting in on a hot day, uses an air filtration system to keep pollen out and reduce diesel fumes from buses and trucks.

Our EX-V6 came with a superb 6-disc in-dash AM/FM/CD stereo. It sounded great. And the controls are a paragon of excellent design with big buttons that are easy to identify and use. This one does not require any reading of the owner's manual nor does it require taking your eyes off the road for long periods of time. Switching among six CDs, changing songs, scanning stations is all easy to do.