Honda Accord V6 vs Toyota Camry 2.4

To add a sense of occasion to what would have been a boring 150km dash from Bombay to Pune, Sameer pointed out that the Accord's three-litre V6 is a (distant) relative of the V6 used in the legendary NSX. And as we all know, the late, great Ayrton Senna himself had played a part in the development of the NSX. Now I don't know if Sameer was kidding, but the NSX bit made me feel important and powerful. Indeed, stomp on the right pedal and that V6 just lets go of all inhibitions, screaming in a manner reminiscent of Honda's supercar. Hear closely enough, and you can almost hear Senna whispering through the growl. Ah, well!

When the then-new Accord was launched, I was a kid in knickers, and I had driven all of three cars in my life. I drooled over its sharp, muscular styling, to the extent of trying to convince my parents that I wanted to marry one when I was old enough to get into a nuptial knot. Many years later (and now much wiser about the choice of a spouse), I have the opportunity to get intimate with the biggest-hearted Accord.

The Accord does most things right. It rides well, it handles well. There is a copious reserve of power in that V6. The interiors are delicious. The exterior (save for the conservative rear styling) is razor-sharp cool. The Accord will remain fashionable for a long, long time to come.

My only gripe is with the auto 'box. Make no mistake, there's nothing wrong with it. The problem is me: I am just not an auto person. My left foot can't accept that it has nothing to do but rest on the dead pedal. My mind can't help but make my left hand move swiftly towards the gear-lever, only to be met with disappointment - efficient its functioning may be. What hurts the most, however, is that pricking feeling that a 200+km/h indulgence on the expressway invariably brings with it. As the speedo needle rushes to meet the magic 200km/h mark, the fuel-gauge needle races down to 'E' with equal ferocity. Damn the fuel prices!

The Accord, after the breezy drive on the expressway, seemed to be 'Da Car', as hip-hop stars would say. Pedigree, styling and driving prowess - the Accord's got it all, and some more. All was fine with the world...till I set my eyes on the new Camry, and figured that Toyota has an ace up its sleeve.

The new Camry is flabbergastingly, jaw-fracturingly handsome. It is just rippling with muscles in its tiniest detail. I wish I could go to the Toyota designers and make them carve my fat that way. The proportions are brilliant, the stance is aggressive and the car just looks like it will swallow the Accord without as much as breaking a burp. For Toyota, the Camry is a gigantic leap from what the Camry stood for. It is nothing like the old one - suddenly, almost instantaneously, it is mean, exciting and thoroughly, thoroughly desirable.

I have driven too few cars in my life to discern the difference between a hundred and sixty horses, and two hundred and twenty. To me, both cars go with a plush urgency that their massive power outputs, well-crafted interiors and rather stratospheric prices warrant.

Make no mistake, the Accord is not a dated product. But next to the Camry, the Accord just feels and looks decidedly jaded and past-generation. The Camry is clearly a generation ahead - check the ultra-cool, futuristic two-layer (if I can call it that) instrumentation, the neat centre console design, and the overall look, feel and attention to detail. Just when I had convinced myself that motoring evolution would halt at the Accord, Toyota has served a meaty surprise.

The Camry has its flaws, but I must confess I can't see any. I am too blown away to make an 'objective, unbiased' observation. The real road test is elsewhere, and I have a chance to be shamelessly biased and unabashedly subjective. The Camry might not make too much sense at the price it commands, but heck, I am not supposed to be writing sense this time round. I love the Camry. And we will stop at that!