Honda Accord (From South West Farmer)

Honda Accord

4:23pm Thursday 12th November 2009

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Overall

rating: 4 stars

The new Accord has been designed as part of Honda's relentless push towards the premium market. It's aiming this new car towards buyers of the BMW 3-series and Volkswagen Passat in a bid to establish the Honda name as a more upmarket brand. The Accord certainly looks the part now. It sits on a completely new platform and is wider by 75mm and also lower. Both the saloon and tourer have an identical wheelbase, meaning the saloon is 35mm longer than its predecessor, whereas the tourer is some 15mm shorter. The new Accord is more muscular looking than the previous car and its use of chrome and sleek profile give it more presence on the road. Inside it certainly feels more of a quality product, with a classy dashboard featuring controls that appear to wrap around the driver, giving the car a more driver-focussed ambience. The front seats are enormous, and although very comfortable, they do limit the amount of rear leg room. As a result, the rear isn't the most spacious for a car in this segment. The tourer also suffers from the same problem, but adds one of its own. The new tourer holds just 406 litres with the seats up, whereas the previous model held over 600 litres. Even with the seats down you notice the reduction in carrying capacity.

However, what has been lost in space is gained in the driving experience. The Accord builds on the agility of its predecessor, with excellent poise and confidence through corners. The steering feels pleasantly chunkier and although the ride is softer than most rivals, it doesn't compromise the handling. There are three engines to choose from; 2.0-litre i-VTEC and 2.4 i-VTEC petrol engines and a new 2.2-litre i-DTEC diesel unit. The new i-DTEC diesel is impressively quiet and refined, offering a good combination of performance and economy. Its 148bhp propels the car to 62mph in 9.6 seconds and onto a top speed of 131mph, whilst fuel economy is over 50mpg for the saloon and just shy of 48mpg for the tourer. The best of the petrols is the 2.0-litre i-VTEC unit, which feels quick - despite only slightly topping the diesel for performance - and emits a satisfying growl under acceleration. There are four trim levels: ES, ES GT, EX and the range-topping EX GT which is available on the 2.2-litre diesel only. All trim levels come well equipped and GT spec has been specifically targeted towards Audi S-Line and BMW M-Sport trimmed cars with a GT body styling kit. One of the best pieces of tech on this car is a new Collision Mitigation Braking system (CMBS). This uses a grille-based laser to detect whether a collision is imminent. It then goes through a process to alert the driver including visual and audible warnings and even tugging the driver's seatbelt. If there is still no reaction the car tightens the seatbelts and applies the brakes hard in preparation for the inevitable. However, all of the systems can be overridden to allow the drive to remain in control.

The biggest snag with the new Accord is that it's more expensive than the previous car, especially in the case of the diesel which has risen by some £1,800 (although the level of equipment offered makes it fair value). Overall the Accord is a step in the "premium direction" for Honda and certainly meets the standards for design and build quality. Whether it's enough to draw in the BMW/Audi/VW crowd is another matter.

What's to like

1. Muscular good looks
2. Excellent to drive
3. Dash and cockpit feel more driver-focussed

What's not to like

1. Lack of rear leg room
2. Boot of the Tourer is small
3. Expensive compared to previous car

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