We'll be celebrating our 1,500th issue in style with some very special 1,500 themed content plus all of the regular features that make Auto Express Britain's best-selling weekly car magazine. But there is more to a good supermini than standing out in a crowd. It needs to remain practical enough for family life and decent to drive. Admittedly, the Micra lacks the overall polish that makes the latest Seat Ibiza and Ford Fiesta both stand out performers. But the little Nissan goes about its business quietly and with minimal fuss, with only fidgety ride at low speeds providing a real grumbling point. Although I suspect sticking with 16in wheels rather the optional 17s fitted to our car would cure that issue. Check antifreeze After three decades of consistent excellence and 20 consecutive years on our 10Best Cars list, the Honda Accord is brand new this year. When something you love changes, it’s natural to be a little nervous: Would we miss that trusty V-6? What if Honda nixed our cherished manual transmission? But we had no cause for fear. The new Accord is once again the best mid-size family sedan on the market. The model lineup is lighter this year, the coupe variant having gone to that Great Showroom in the Sky, and there are three shiny new engines, a trio of satisfying transmissions (yes, the manual is still among them), and a bold exterior design to usher in a new era of greatness for this most established sedan. There’s also a thoroughly updated infotainment system—an elegant and intuitive answer to our plaintive cries—as well as a comprehensive list of standard safety gear. The Accord’s hallmarks remain graceful handling, a spacious interior, and reasonable pricing, and after all these years, it’s still earning our love and admiration. Miller and the other Whiz Kids stewarded Ford back to profitability after the war, reorganizing the company along some 15 profit centers, each with professional and semiautonomous management. The operating structure, with a focus on cost controls, forecasting and planning, eventually allowed Ford to become a publicly held company for the first time, on Jan. 17, 1956. Theft of materials was common. The company paid suppliers by check rather than wire transfer. Grip levels are impressive, with the 1LE’s peak 0.98 g on the skidpad being significantly better than the 0.91 g we recorded in the standard V-6 coupe, if some way short of the huge 1.05 g that the V-8 SS 1LE managed on its fatter tires. It’s worth mentioning that our test car also showed evidence of a hard life during its 6500 miles, suffering noticeably more understeer when turning right than left; a factory-fresh car or brand-new rubber might have done even better. But the V-6 Camaro is 215 pounds lighter than the V-8 car, and although it can’t produce the same ultimate adhesion, it feels very agile when attacking a series of corners. In the dry, on-road traction is pretty much absolute, with only the hardest use causing the rear to squirm. In the wet, grip levels are much more limited on these summer-spec tires—the 1LE felt positively skittish, especially when asked to deal with standing water. He credits its handling with saving his life one dark night when a bumper fell off a semi, forcing him to swerve into an interstate median, blowing out two tires in the process. "Had to obviously get the tires replaced and the car towed in that night. But any other car, there was no way in the world that I would not have hit that bumper."