This, my friends, is the end times. No, hang on, don’t start painting the giant placards yet. And you there, setting fire to that large pile of money, stop that. Eh? You’re a Maserati owner? Oh. Carry on then.

No, what I mean by end times, is an end for the family sedan, or at least certainly the V6 version of said people-mover. Families buy crossovers these days, plus maybe a hatchback. Maybe they’ll lease an entry-level luxury car, assuming they can wrap their heads around the oxymoronic phrase “entry-level luxury.”

Fewer and fewer folks are turning to the four-door option, and when they do, it’s not about how fast it can go with what’s under the hood, but how far it will take you. Price point is important. Fuel economy, even in these times of cheap oil (which appears to have no affect on consumer gasoline prices: thanks, Illuminati), is paramount. Given that most four-cylinder engines are smoother than they’ve ever been, the average Canadian consumer looks at a V6 like a land-line. I mean, I guess you can make the case for one, but it’s a little outdated, no?

However, there are those for whom the V6-powered, premium-equipped, non-premium-brand car is simply the next logical progression up the ladder. They owned a Civic in college. Another in post-grad. They raised their kids in a dependable Accord. Several of them. Now the offspring are launched and it’s time to buy something nice for a change. An Acura? No thanks, I never did like kalamari.

Thus, the reason Honda produces its top-flight Accord not in a Sport trim, but a Touring one. This is a car for relaxing with, for touring wineries and wearing your sweater draped over your shoulders. It’s made to cruise the country, taking in new sights and reveling in your newfound freedom. Yet happily, it just happens to drive very nicely indeed.

Family Feud: Comparison Test: 2015 Toyota Camry V6 vs 2015 Honda Accord V6

On first glance, the current Accord is not very interesting to look at. That, if you ask me, is just fine. Currently, the fashion among most car designers is to make their cars as interesting as possible – so interesting, perhaps, that it’s like feeling a large splinter of chrome-dipped plastic piercing your eyeball and puncturing your retina.

The Accord has no such hyper-aggressive tendencies. Its single faux pas is the dots of LED accenting – even the CR-V has moved past this stage – but the rest makes up one of the more handsome cars on the market. Here, in Orchid White Pearl, it looks quite elegant. It’s even better in black, if you don’t mind washing your car every three days. Eighteen-inch polished-face alloys complete the package.

Connect with Autos.ca