For me, it came down to the Accord and the new Mazda 6. The main arguments I had in favor of the Mazda were exterior looks and how it handled the corners in the base models. The LX has 16" wheels, the Mazda 6 Sport has 17" ones. When I compared it to the EX, the difference was negligible for purposes of getting around town. The leather shift knob and steering wheel felt nice, too.
Anyway, I was willing to compromise on those in exchange for better reliability (my goal is to keep this for 15 years, and I'm not ready to trust a Mazda to handle years 10 through 15 the same way a Honda should), the quieter and smoother ride, and more room under the hood. Besides, the Accord isn't bad-looking, it just goes for a classy look while the Mazda goes for a sporty one.