Honda Accord

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11 Apr, 2011 12:27pm Jack Carfrae

Makeover aims to give Accord a big lift

Verdict

Huge competition in the four-door sector means the Accord has its work cut out stealing sales from the Ford Mondeo and Vauxhall Insignia. Reduced CO2 levels are a step in the right direction and it’s sporty to drive – but there are still cleaner and more established rivals on the market. If the ride was more comfortable and Honda offered smaller, more efficient diesels and a lower-capacity petrol turbo, it could have the clout to make its way to the top of the saloon class.

Blink and you’ll miss it, but the Honda Accord has been overhauled! The Japanese firm has revised its long-standing four-door model with some subtle styling changes and a cleaner range of engines.

Exterior upgrades include clear headlamps and indicators, a consistent red finish for the tail-lights, chrome detailing above the rear number plate and three new colour schemes. Buyers who opt for ES or ES-GT spec also get specially designed 17-inch alloy wheels.

Video: watch CarBuyer's video review of the Honda Accord

But the big news concerns the Accord’s CO2 emissions, which are lower thanks to a series of aerodynamic tweaks and low- friction engine components. Saloon models fitted with the 2.0-litre i-VTEC petrol engine in manual guise and all 2.2-litre i-DTEC saloons now put out less than 160g/km, which is good news for business users in particular.

Honda has also altered the suspension to improve refinement, yet the ride is still unnecessarily firm on rutted UK roads. The steering would benefit from slightly more feedback but it’s responsive enough, while the short, sharp gearchange is a joy to use. Grip is plentiful, too, so the Honda has a sportier edge than most rival saloons.

The 2.2-litre i-DTEC engine requires encouragement from low revs, but as soon as the turbo comes on song there’s a huge amount of torque available, and refinement is good at motorway speeds. Inside, the only new additions are darker dashboard plastics with silver door handles and a matching handbrake lever. The interior is spacious, although some of the materials do seem a little cheap.

With a starting price of £21,695, the basic Accord is considerably more expensive than rivals, yet it comes with larger engines and more kit.

It’s not quite a class leader, but low emissions, powerful and frugal engines and a top reliability record make the Honda a worthy contender.

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Submitted by toycollector on Tue, 2011-04-12 13:46.

Why do the Japanese produce cars of such quality and reliability, yet their design is so outstandingly dull.
Toyota are the biggest culprits.
They all need to bring a sense of style to the models.

Submitted by bmcgimpsey on Tue, 2011-04-12 17:04.

As title.

Submitted by bmcgimpsey on Tue, 2011-04-12 17:04.

As title.

Submitted by nickbsmooth on Thu, 2011-04-14 22:22.

i like the Accord but this is a bit steep at £26k thats premium brand money.I would rather buy a 318d SE for £26k its about the same power and performance but more economical is RWD and has better residuals.

Submitted by nickbsmooth on Thu, 2011-04-14 22:22.

Submitted by beecee on Fri, 2011-04-15 01:48.

I've run many cars in 40 years of driving and I was a 40k miles a year man and yes they’re all getting better by the day. The 'thing' about the Accord and I have one is that they may seem boring but it's boringly good. Mine has done 125k and feels like it’s just run in. So if you can live without the Bimmer/Audi/Alfa (I've had them all) just buy a preregistered/low mileage model and you'll never regret it!

Submitted by beecee on Fri, 2011-04-15 01:50.

Submitted by FloatingVoter on Sat, 2011-04-16 15:00.

If you're going to spend this amount on a new car it needs to tug your heart strings. Otherwise you're paying well over the odds for what is simply a consumer product to get you from A to B.

I've little doubt this is a competent car. Hondas usually are.

But my heart strings remain untugged.

Submitted by JMDonald on Mon, 2011-04-18 22:59.

I ran a 2007 Accord Executive 2.2 diesel for a year, it had leather power seats, satnav, electric sunroof etc yet it only cost about £22k. How come this new one is less well equipped but costs 4 grand more?