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The in-house theme to the new design, an engineering and marketing goal, was "emotion." Without losing any of the practicality that has sold millions of Accords, Honda wanted people to buy the new Accord, because it moved their spirits as well as their bodies.

Honda stylists attempted to give the Accord the profile of a cheetah. This isn't easy to repeat without raised eyebrows; however its truth may be mostly a measure of what it means to be a mid-size sedan nowadays. And although no one is going to look at the Accord and say, "Yikes, that looks just like a cheetah!" with a little imagination (and suggestion) you can suspend disbelief.

Although the styling is totally redesigned, the changes are gentle enough that no one will be shocked. The Sedan and Coupe share no sheetmetal whatsoever, although their faces do look alike. They feature a sharpened nose and angular headlamps, reminiscent of an Acura RSX. The corners and sides of both bodies are carefully sculpted with a combination of concave and convex angles, in an attempt to achieve a muscular and agile look, with subtle and unique three-dimensional window glass, also intended to reduce wind noise.

There's been a vast and impressive amount of attention to detail in this redesign, with more new parts than in any of the previous five redesigns. For example, the aerodynamically efficient sideview mirrors are one of the results of the wind tunnel testing.

The drag coefficient is 0.30, a big jump compared to 0.33 in 2002. The length of 189.5 inches is only 0.1 inch longer than the '02 Accord, but the wheelbase has been increased by one inch and width by 1.2 inches. The bottom of the rear bumper has been lowered by one inch, and the sculpted wheelwells have a smaller gap around the tires. The roof has been raised by 0.4 inch, but the car looks lower, thanks in part to a sleeker A pillar. The new roof allows more headroom: 0.4 inch more in the front, 0.8 inch in the rear.

Cheetahs aside, the Coupe is a completely different beast. Its flanks and rear deck are much more shapely, flowing naturally and gracefully from the roofline. Its dimensions are virtually identical to the '02 Coupe, but the high beltline, sweeping door lines, sleek roofline, and smooth rear fenders give it strikingly good looks, especially in red. It yields a very aerodynamic 0.29 drag coefficient (0.32 last year) and makes even the upscale Acura CL look dated.

Under the skin, the new unibody is 27 percent stiffer in torsional rigidity, which Honda boasts makes it stiffer than the BMW 3-Series, Audi A4 and A6, and even the Mercedes-Benz S-Class. The doors are built using a new and unique method, invented for the Accord that makes them lighter and much stronger than before. You can clearly hear the quality in the sound when you close them. And feel it in the extremely light touch to open the trunk.

A new front subframe, with hydroformed elements (a state-of-the-art method to create complex shapes from high-strength steel), is designed to reduce noise and vibration from the engine and front suspension. It's also designed to slide back a few inches under the passenger compartment in a head-on crash, which better dissipates forces.

There's also a sophisticated new engine mounting system, designed not only to reduce vibration and tighten handling, but to complement the subframe's crash behavior. Honda engineers are particularly proud of the fact that the 2003 Honda Accord with side airbags is expected to achieve the industry's five-star crash rating in front, rear, and side collisions, along with only the more expensive Volvo S60 and Lexus IS300.

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The mission was an interior designer's dream. A whole new shell meant a clean sheet of paper for the interior, and designers were encouraged to utilize every known advancement in ergonomics, comfort, convenience, and materials.

"I will sell you this car based on the seat alone!" boasted Charlie Baker, the project leader for the new Honda Accord. But which car? The Sedan and Coupe seats are different, with the Coupe's bolstering providing a more secure fit at the torso, and a lower seating position. If our decision were based on the seat alone, we'd buy the Coupe. Especially in leather, much nicer than the velour, which curiously felt smoother in black-and-gray than brown-and-beige. That was probably in our head. But it definitely looked classier in black.

We did not get enough seat time in any of the models we drove to evaluate comfort after long hours in the saddle, which is the true test of a seat, but we can say that even the Sedan seat has a certain one-with-the-car feel.

The Sedan seat, for the masses, has been widened by 1.7 inches and its backrest made taller. The cushion, springs, and new urethane padding are all intended to reduce vibration. The vertical travel in the manual LX seat, with lever operation, has been increased by 1.5 inches, a nice touch for women. The steering-wheel has been angled more toward the driver and raised almost an inch. It tilts as before, and now telescopes as well, by 1.5 inches.

The space below the steering-wheel and instrument panel was enlarged, and the foot room increased. But in the rear, the new front seats seem to have a mixed effect; there's slightly more knee clearance, but overall leg room has been reduced by 1.1 inches to 36.8 inches. That's 1 inch less than the 2002 Toyota Camry, but 0.4 more than the Nissan Altima and 1.5 inches more than the Volkswagen Passat.

Compared to these cars, the Honda Accord Sedan's trunk comes up small, with a volume of 14 cubic feet, although the flat floor will make it very easy to load things. The Camry has 17 cubic feet, Altima 16, and Passat 15. Now you can see the cheetah profile, in those numbers. The Coupe looks more like a cheetah. Its trunk holds 13 cubic feet.

The excellent, clear analog instrumentation is also all new, with large faces and LED illumination, another feature previously found only in higher-priced cars. There's dual-zone climate control on some EX models. The switchgear, primarily three big dials located in the center of the dash, is simple, if not particularly attractive. However the faux carbonfiber trim on one of the models we drove looked nice, while the brushed aluminum on other models wasn't bad either.

The simple big switchgear is a result of the successful search for efficient use of space, with the audio, climate and optional navigation systems integrated into a single unit. The freed space leads to exceptional cabin storage, including a good glovebox, big center console, bin under the audio system that will hold 12 CDs, and door pockets deep and wide enough for a purse.

All three sound systems are upgraded, featuring stuff like two-band compression and five-point parametric equalization, which sounds nice, pun intended. The Premium system includes a six-disc in-dash CD changer, having a 180-watt amplifier with four twin-neodymium speakers with polypropylene cone woofers and soft dome tweeters, which sounds even better. But here's the real-world test: We took the Honda Accord Coupe EX V6 six-speed on a flat-out blast through the Malibu hills, engine revving to redline, windows wide open, CD celebrating Bob Marley, and even with the exterior noise, max volume on the sound system wasn't necessary for the full effect.

The attention to detail shows in every corner: coinholders, cellphone cord hooks, grab handles over every door, console lights, power outlets, sunglass holders, sliding armrests for different-sized arms, convenient and versatile access to the trunk from the rear seat, a remote entry that opens or closes all four windows, and last but definitely not least, a total of eight cupholders, a couple of them big enough to hold a liter-sized water bottle but, with four-spring prongs, secure enough to grip a paper coffee cup. But if you could distill this attention down to one example, it would be the solid, pleasurable, and unique sound of the turn-signal click.

Oh, we almost forgot about the performance of the interior. In three words: smooth, firm, quiet (when we wanted it to be). Interior mission accomplished.