Honda Accord is Premium but Expensive to Keep
Honda Accord was first introduced in 1976 and reached UK in 1977, since then it has remained one of the best selling cars of Honda line. It has been aimed at the premium executive class. The latest was launched in 2008 and is eighth generation of the Accord. The new Accord boasts a fine exterior design and a comfortable and an up-market interior. The major rivals are BMW 3 series, Ford Mondeo, Vauxhall Insignia and Audi A4. It is available as a saloon or estate with option of 2.0l and 2.4l petrol engines and a 2.2 i-DTEC diesel.
The latest Accord has an all-new design but itEUR(TM)s far from revolutionary. The new style makes the Accord look more premium than rivals like the Mondeo or Insignia but it looks bald when standing next to an Audi or BMW. Having said that, the Accord has an excellent interior with soft touch plastics and a premium feel. The Accord was given some cosmetic upgrades in 2011 with new headlights, new front and rear bumpers, chrome trim above the number plate, re-profiled cooling ducts and a new sporty grille. The ES and ES-GT trim levels get 17 inch alloys.
Though there are only three engines to choose from, but they return a strong performance. The 154bhp 2.0 litre VTEC petrol feels very smooth, on the other hand the 198bhp 2.4-litre is pretty fast. The best seller is the 2.2-litre diesel which comes with 148bhp and provides the best cost and performance balance. The steering is responsive and precise. The suspension is excellent, delivering comfortable, refined and smooth motorway rides. The control and handling is surprisingly excellent for a front wheel driven car but the ride is not as engaging as an Audi or a BMW 3 series.
Honda Accord enjoys five star Euro NCAP rating. It is also considered as one of the safest cars in the class. All of the Accords come with many standard safety features like six airbags, electronic stability control and anti-whiplash headrests. Honda cars are famous for their reliability and Accord is the same, no specific issues have been reported yet. Honda scored an impressive second in the 2010 JD power survey while the last Accord was admirably ranked 16th in the Auto Express Driver Power Top 100 rankings.
The top blow to the AccordEUR(TM)s practicality is that it is not available in hatchback The boot has a narrow opening and 467 litres of apace which is less than almost all of the AccordEUR(TM)s rivals, the rear seats can be folded to make space for longer items. The passenger enjoy a reasonable amount of headroom but taller passengers might find that the legroom is tight. The main dash boasts many controls. The standard features include air con and cruise control. GT trim level get extras like sporty body kit. large wheels, leather trimmed steering and alloy gearstick knob. Honda Accord isnEUR(TM)t the most efficient car available. The best performer diesel does about 50mpg with 138g/km of carbon emissions. The 2.0 litre VTEC petrol returns 40mpg with 159g/km of CO2 with manual transmission. The bigger petrol engines and the automatic transmission versions are even bigger culprits. Therefore the overall running costs are higher than most of the rivals.
