European Honda Accord 2009. Test drive
05-14-2008, 01:27 PM
#1
Three Wheelin'
Thread Starter
European Honda Accord 2009. Test drive
Honda Accord 2.2 i-DTEC EX GT
Test date 14 May 2008 Price as tested £24,910
For: Outstanding refinement, excellent ride quality, construction quality
Against: Poor room in the rear and boot, messy ergonomics, limited performance
The Accord has been a Honda staple for more than three decades. Launched in 1976 and arriving in the UK a year later, it is now in its eighth generation and remains as much a stalwart of the Honda line-up as the Civic. In that time it has been seen with two, three, four and five doors (not to mention a much-missed Type R). Honda hopes to sell around 10,000 new Accords a year once the estate version comes on stream in September.
The outgoing car might be five years old, but even by modern standards that’s a short model cycle, and the car has aged so well that not even the market has shown any sign of losing patience with it. Indeed, 2007 was one of its best sales years ever.
But replaced it has been – not with the subtly facelifted model its maker could so easily have got away with, but, with typical Honda thoroughness, an entirely new car.
As seems the way of all flesh these days, it’s bigger in almost every significant dimension (although the old car was an inconsequential 5mm taller). It’s heavier too, though model for model the weight gain has been restricted to a few dozen kilos.
As before, there are 2.0-litre and 2.4-litre petrol engines which have been mildly modified, but most sales will head in the direction of the 2.2-litre diesel. It’s superficially similar to the outgoing oil-burner but, Honda’s engineers assure us, has received such comprehensive attention that it deserves to be thought of as new.
While this Accord may be all new, the philosophy behind it is anything but. Its design is determinedly evolutionary; a fact that is testament to the clarity of the vision for the outgoing generation of Accord.
Whether it has been successful in this regard is down to personal choice. But for what it’s worth, while we admire the fact that the Accord looks more grown up and expensive, we also lament slightly and subjectively that a lot of the cleanness of the original has been lost.
As before, the Accord comes in two shapes – this saloon and an estate (still called Tourer), which arrives in September – but no longer will they sit on two different wheelbases. While this means the Tourer no longer looks like a flying coffin, so also can you expect its carrying capacity to be somewhat abbreviated.
Under the skin, the Accord could not hope for a more pukka specification, with double wishbone front suspension and a multi-link rear end ensuring a vice-like control over both axles.
It goes without saying that all the electronic primary safety systems you might expect on a car such as this are included, but if you want another level of defence against other drivers and your own frailties, the ADAS system can be specified for a further £1150.
Just about good enough’ sums up the new Accord’s performance.\
The new engine produces 148bhp – up 10bhp from the old Accord – yet retains its commendably smooth running. And while overall weight has risen, it’s not by enough to blow a big hole in what was already fairly leisurely acceleration. Honda’s own numbers suggest an increase in 0-62mph time from 9.6 to 9.8sec, while we achieved a corresponding 9.5sec to 60mph in testing.
Of more importance is the quietness of the engine at a steady cruise and the fact that it has the nicest transmission in the class, even taking the German quality brands into account. Six speeds are standard and come with a change quality that is light yet deliciously precise.
Refinement levels are exceptional for this class of car, with wind, road and engine noise kept to a bare minimum.
It’s always more difficult to make a front-wheel-drive car ride and handle properly, because not only do the front wheels need to drive and steer, but they also carry a disproportionate amount of the car’s weight. Yet in this class, the only similarly configured car to reach standards as high as those set by the Accord is the Ford Mondeo.
Indeed, Honda would like you to believe the Accord’s chassis compares favourably to that of the BMW 3-series; while it’s not a contention we’d support ourselves, when you consider ride and handling as a whole, nor is it quite the implausible flight of fancy it might at first seem. Certainly the Honda’s ride quality reaches far beyond that of any Accord we can recall and probably any Honda, Legend included.
Yet instead of falling over in the corners as you might expect from one with such an accommodating ride, the Accord feels precise and assured all the way from turn-in to exit. What it lacks, and where the BMW (or a Mercedes C-class) scores so highly, is a degree of driver interaction that distinguishes a merely good-handling car from a real driving machine.
Ergonomically the new Accord’s interior is no more or less than a mess and a disappointingly backward step from the more cohesive design chosen for the outgoing model. Climb behind the wheel, let your eyes stray towards the indecipherable infestation of controls that dominate the centre console and one thought will appear in your head: “How am I ever going to make sense of it all?”
We’ve often been critics of single controllers, as pioneered by BMW’s much-lambasted iDrive system, but the truth is that even that kind of arrangement works better than this. It’s a shame because the Accord has an excellent driving position, the instruments are attractive and easy to read, and the quality of the dash and upholstery are more than good enough for its positioning.
But there’s another problem here. Given the car’s considerable size, there’s startlingly little room in the back, both for your legs and head. Four adults will think twice before heading off for hundreds of miles. The boot is fairly small too and poorly arranged due to the considerable encroachment of the new rear suspension.
Although this range-topping EX model is lavishly equipped, this is reflected in a price pitched right into the heart of BMW 3-series territory. That’s tough talking, but Honda not only says the pricing is justified but also produces convincing evidence to show that it has the residual value of a BMW. Only time will tell whether Honda is right.
On the road the Accord is as frugal as you’d expect of a shape as aerodynamic as this, powered by a small-capacity diesel engine. Although Honda claims a combined consumption figure of over 50mpg, in reality most owners are likely to achieve something between that and the 38.8mpg we managed during testing.
Still, it comes with impressively low carbon dioxide emissions (and a £120 Band C tax disc) and is already compliant with the forthcoming Euro 5 emissions standard.
It is tempting to think Honda miscalculated in replacing a car as fit and healthy as the old Accord with something that, while new, seems to advance the art to no great extent. Such is the brilliance of hindsight; the truth is, this car was on the drawing board soon after the birth of the last one and few could have predicted then what staying power its forebear would possess.
Yes, it would have been better to let the old Accord live a little longer and spend the time making a new one with more than the ability merely to maintain the class pace, but we’re not going to condemn this Accord for that.
If you want a well built, quiet and refined cruiser, there is much here that commends the Accord. Yet it stills struggles to lift itself clear of the pack. It’s a more than competent all-rounder, but in this market and from this manufacturer, we were hoping for rather more even than that.
Test date 14 May 2008 Price as tested £24,910
For: Outstanding refinement, excellent ride quality, construction quality
Against: Poor room in the rear and boot, messy ergonomics, limited performance
The Accord has been a Honda staple for more than three decades. Launched in 1976 and arriving in the UK a year later, it is now in its eighth generation and remains as much a stalwart of the Honda line-up as the Civic. In that time it has been seen with two, three, four and five doors (not to mention a much-missed Type R). Honda hopes to sell around 10,000 new Accords a year once the estate version comes on stream in September.
The outgoing car might be five years old, but even by modern standards that’s a short model cycle, and the car has aged so well that not even the market has shown any sign of losing patience with it. Indeed, 2007 was one of its best sales years ever.
But replaced it has been – not with the subtly facelifted model its maker could so easily have got away with, but, with typical Honda thoroughness, an entirely new car.
As seems the way of all flesh these days, it’s bigger in almost every significant dimension (although the old car was an inconsequential 5mm taller). It’s heavier too, though model for model the weight gain has been restricted to a few dozen kilos.
As before, there are 2.0-litre and 2.4-litre petrol engines which have been mildly modified, but most sales will head in the direction of the 2.2-litre diesel. It’s superficially similar to the outgoing oil-burner but, Honda’s engineers assure us, has received such comprehensive attention that it deserves to be thought of as new.
While this Accord may be all new, the philosophy behind it is anything but. Its design is determinedly evolutionary; a fact that is testament to the clarity of the vision for the outgoing generation of Accord.
Whether it has been successful in this regard is down to personal choice. But for what it’s worth, while we admire the fact that the Accord looks more grown up and expensive, we also lament slightly and subjectively that a lot of the cleanness of the original has been lost.
As before, the Accord comes in two shapes – this saloon and an estate (still called Tourer), which arrives in September – but no longer will they sit on two different wheelbases. While this means the Tourer no longer looks like a flying coffin, so also can you expect its carrying capacity to be somewhat abbreviated.
Under the skin, the Accord could not hope for a more pukka specification, with double wishbone front suspension and a multi-link rear end ensuring a vice-like control over both axles.
It goes without saying that all the electronic primary safety systems you might expect on a car such as this are included, but if you want another level of defence against other drivers and your own frailties, the ADAS system can be specified for a further £1150.
Just about good enough’ sums up the new Accord’s performance.\
The new engine produces 148bhp – up 10bhp from the old Accord – yet retains its commendably smooth running. And while overall weight has risen, it’s not by enough to blow a big hole in what was already fairly leisurely acceleration. Honda’s own numbers suggest an increase in 0-62mph time from 9.6 to 9.8sec, while we achieved a corresponding 9.5sec to 60mph in testing.
Of more importance is the quietness of the engine at a steady cruise and the fact that it has the nicest transmission in the class, even taking the German quality brands into account. Six speeds are standard and come with a change quality that is light yet deliciously precise.
Refinement levels are exceptional for this class of car, with wind, road and engine noise kept to a bare minimum.
It’s always more difficult to make a front-wheel-drive car ride and handle properly, because not only do the front wheels need to drive and steer, but they also carry a disproportionate amount of the car’s weight. Yet in this class, the only similarly configured car to reach standards as high as those set by the Accord is the Ford Mondeo.
Indeed, Honda would like you to believe the Accord’s chassis compares favourably to that of the BMW 3-series; while it’s not a contention we’d support ourselves, when you consider ride and handling as a whole, nor is it quite the implausible flight of fancy it might at first seem. Certainly the Honda’s ride quality reaches far beyond that of any Accord we can recall and probably any Honda, Legend included.
Yet instead of falling over in the corners as you might expect from one with such an accommodating ride, the Accord feels precise and assured all the way from turn-in to exit. What it lacks, and where the BMW (or a Mercedes C-class) scores so highly, is a degree of driver interaction that distinguishes a merely good-handling car from a real driving machine.
Ergonomically the new Accord’s interior is no more or less than a mess and a disappointingly backward step from the more cohesive design chosen for the outgoing model. Climb behind the wheel, let your eyes stray towards the indecipherable infestation of controls that dominate the centre console and one thought will appear in your head: “How am I ever going to make sense of it all?”
We’ve often been critics of single controllers, as pioneered by BMW’s much-lambasted iDrive system, but the truth is that even that kind of arrangement works better than this. It’s a shame because the Accord has an excellent driving position, the instruments are attractive and easy to read, and the quality of the dash and upholstery are more than good enough for its positioning.
But there’s another problem here. Given the car’s considerable size, there’s startlingly little room in the back, both for your legs and head. Four adults will think twice before heading off for hundreds of miles. The boot is fairly small too and poorly arranged due to the considerable encroachment of the new rear suspension.
Although this range-topping EX model is lavishly equipped, this is reflected in a price pitched right into the heart of BMW 3-series territory. That’s tough talking, but Honda not only says the pricing is justified but also produces convincing evidence to show that it has the residual value of a BMW. Only time will tell whether Honda is right.
On the road the Accord is as frugal as you’d expect of a shape as aerodynamic as this, powered by a small-capacity diesel engine. Although Honda claims a combined consumption figure of over 50mpg, in reality most owners are likely to achieve something between that and the 38.8mpg we managed during testing.
Still, it comes with impressively low carbon dioxide emissions (and a £120 Band C tax disc) and is already compliant with the forthcoming Euro 5 emissions standard.
It is tempting to think Honda miscalculated in replacing a car as fit and healthy as the old Accord with something that, while new, seems to advance the art to no great extent. Such is the brilliance of hindsight; the truth is, this car was on the drawing board soon after the birth of the last one and few could have predicted then what staying power its forebear would possess.
Yes, it would have been better to let the old Accord live a little longer and spend the time making a new one with more than the ability merely to maintain the class pace, but we’re not going to condemn this Accord for that.
If you want a well built, quiet and refined cruiser, there is much here that commends the Accord. Yet it stills struggles to lift itself clear of the pack. It’s a more than competent all-rounder, but in this market and from this manufacturer, we were hoping for rather more even than that.
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