dabuda

i grabbed these from http://www.autoexpress.co.uk as well. notice the carbon fiber interior:

"Honda Accord Tourer Type S

With the growth in MPVs and 'lifestyle' estates, the demand for good old-fashioned load-luggers seems to have fallen by the wayside. Carrying capacity is now less important than fitting extra seats or incorporating a coupé-like back end.

Bringing a dying breed back from extinction is never easy, but Honda is trying with its new Accord Tourer. We got our hands on the first car in the UK to deliver our exclusive verdict on it.

Outside, there's no mistaking the new estate for its sleek four-door stablemate from any angle, except front-on. Instead of going for a swoopy rear, the company has opted for maximum luggage capacity with a boxy rump which makes the Accord look much longer than it really is. It may not be beautiful, but most buyers will put up with that as soon as they open the tailgate.

Even with the rear seats in place, the luggage space is enormous and totally flat. The official capacity is 576 litres - 101 litres more than in VW's Passat and 91 bigger than the Volvo V70's load area. Delve deeper, and the Tourer has even more to offer. Lift the hinged boot floor and you will find yet more storage space - instead of a spare wheel - and there are also cubbyholes behind the wheelarches.

In the estate versus MPV race, versatility is a key argument. And while there are no removable seats in the Accord Tourer, the designers have concentrated their attention on producing one of the most efficient folding mechanisms we have seen on any vehicle.

One catch, rather than the usual combination of latches and levers, controls the entire operation. It couldn't be any easier - press the fastener on the top of the seat and first the headrest folds down automatically, then pull the seatback down and the squab flicks itself up out of the way. The system is so simple it makes rivals' look fiddly.

The final touch to the redesign comes with the tailgate. Press a button when it is open and the heavy door winds itself in electrically, taking the effort out of closing the boot.

So it's practical, but these days that isn't enough. The four-door Accord impressed us with its driver-oriented package and nimble handling, and the Tourer feels just as sharp. Our car had the range-topping 190bhp 2.4-litre petrol engine in sporty Type S trim.

It's a typically revvy powerplant thanks to Honda's VTEC system, but feels well suited to the Tourer. The sprint from 0-60mph is covered in 8.4 seconds, and the top speed is 138mph. Thankfully, the engineers maintained reasonably clean emissions, while fuel consumption is competitive at 29.1mpg. Company car tax bills will still be big, though, thanks to a CO2 output of 230g/km - which places the 2.4-litre Tourer in the 30 per cent bracket for 2003/2004.

But given its sprightly performance, the Honda still represents great value. With a £20,095 price tag, the six-speed Type S Tourer is £1,000 more than the saloon, but the estate range starts at £17,495 for the entry-level 2.0-litre SE. And while our pre-production version is fitted with the wrong wheel design, Type S Tourers will come with 16-inch rims, climate control and a CD player.

Honda sees the respected Passat estate as the main rival to the Accord, and the Japanese load-lugger certainly has the measure of the VW for quality. A range-topping V5 Passat estate will cost you £20,505, but can't match the Accord's handling or pace, and does without the ingenious folding seats.

For anyone who isn't a fan of MPVs, Honda has produced a practical estate that's fun and versatile. The boxy rear won't please everyone, but it's hard to fault the Tourer's spacious interior.
Chris Thorp "

STC

iTrader: (1)

The CF trim is sweet!

TSXsoon

Eeeeeeeeewwwwwwwwww.... the back of the car (hatch) is really horrid ! IMHO