Honda Accord     Every year our assembled jurors approach the test driving of our nominees expecting that competitors will finally catch up with the Accord and knock it off our list. But for the fifteenth year, the Accord garnered the votes to comfortably remain a solid 10Best selection.     By any rational standard, the Accord delivers on all the reasonable expectations for a family sedan. With either a four- or six- cylinder engine, the Accord is swift and efficient. It offers plenty of space for passengers and luggage. It provides a comfortable and controlled ride. And the various Accord models come well equipped with very competitive prices.     All these rational virtues aside, however, we never fail to be impressed by the silky smoothness and eerie silence of the Accord's operation. We adore the precise feel of its controls and switches. And we derive immense satisfaction from the unflappable competence displayed by the Accord when we hammer it on a challenging road.     By delivering so much more than anyone expects, the Accord has become a perennial bestseller, as well as a 10Best fixture. Vehicle Type: front-engine, front-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 2- or 4-door sedan Base Price: $15,840-$25,540 Engine Type: SOHC 16-valve 2.3-liter 4-in-line, SOHC 24-valve 3.0-liter V-6 Power (SAE net)..................................135-200 bhp Transmissions.....................................5-speed manual, 4-speed auto Wheelbase..........................................105.1-106.9 in Length................................................186.6-189.4 in Curb weight.........................................3000-3350 lb EPA fuel economy, city driving...............20-25 mpg

Honda S2000     Droves of baby boomers whose nests have been recently emptied have been ditching their minivans and SUVs in favor of cute convertibles. Some of them, aware of Honda's reputation for building such excellent all-around cars as the Accord, might assume the S2000 is the perfect antidote to their years of ferrying the neighborhood kids around. That would be a big mistake.     Although tractable in everyday traffic, the S2000 is wasted on summer evening jaunts to the local A&W. The S2000 is a unique and seductive tool for speed. No other street car on the planet has a redline as lofty as the 8900 rpm on the S2000's tach, and when the needle swings beyond six grand, the small Honda rockets forward as its pistons frenetically churn, fed by the VTEC-liberated intake system.     This thrust is harnessed by a sophisticated suspension and unusually rigid chassis to produce tenacious and tolerant handling that makes even the ham handed and -footed drivers feel like F1 ace Michael Schumacher. Throw in powerful brakes, and you have a machine that feels absolutely at home on a racetrack.     Although the S2000 tolerates the crawl and dawdle of modern gridlock, consigning one of these high-revving rockets to such a mundane existence is a motoring misdemeanor of the grossest kind. Vehicle Type: front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 2-passenger, 2-door roadster Base price: $32,740 Engine type: DOHC 16-valve 2.0-liter 4-in-line Power (SAE net)....................................................240 bhp @ 8300 rpm Transmission.........................................................6-speed manual Wheelbase.............................................................94.5 in Length...................................................................162.2 Curb weight............................................................2800 lb EPA fuel economy, city driving..................................20 mpg

Articles written by Csaba Csere of Car and Driver. Honda Addict does not take credit for these articles.