Just inside the guard gate, the world renowned 17-Mile Drive in Carmel, Calif., begins with a primarily downhill and often winding two-lane road to Pebble Beach Golf Links. The tree-lined route features lavish, oceanfront homes and a predominately forest-like setting along California's central coast.

It's a perfect several-mile locale for drivers who like to shift through gears. And it's not-so-surprisingly pleasant while doing so in the 2005 Honda Accord.

With its V6, six-speed m ...
Author: James Raia
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If there are any reservations among consumers about the overall worthiness of hybrid vehicles, the 2005 Honda Accord has done its part to end the apprehension.

The Accord hybrid — which joined the Civic and Insight hybrid models this year — is a high-performance, fuel-efficient, well-designed and spacious addition to the more than two-dozen available configurations of the exceedingly popular Accord.

The hybrid shares all of the upside attributes of the gas engine Accord. But it al ...
Author: James Raia
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Several years ago, a friend loaned us a front-porch bench. It's iron and wood, heavy and awkward to carry. On a recent weekend, it was time to return the bench. Its owner, once a neighbor, now lives nearly 100 miles away.

With remarkable ease, my wife reconfigured the back seat arrangement of the new-look and more spacious 2005 Honda CR-V, and the cargo area opened into a flat and cavernous compartment. The bench is five- feet long, but with a little twist here and a turn there it fit l ...
Author: James Raia
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