Honda Accord A Premium Alternative To Mainstream Saloons
Honda Accord A Premium Alternative To Mainstream Saloons
The Honda Accord is built superbly and its interior is up market too. These two things combined can challenge the likes of BMW 3 series and Audi A4 in the upper executive class. It is an excellent cruiser thanks to its subtle design. The Accord is refined and comfortable as well. It is available either as a saloon or estate. The Honda Accord has a smart style but it doesnt stand out from the crowd and it doesnt attract like the radical looking Honda Civic. The badge appeal of BMW and Audi cannot be matched by Accord but it looks more up market than its rivals such as Ford Mondeo and Vauxhall Insignia. The interior is excellent with high build quality.
There is not that much of a choice when it comes to engines for the Accord. Only two petrols and one diesel are available. There is smooth 2.0 litre VTEC petrol which churns out 154bhp while the 2.4 litre is brisk and offers 198bhp. The best engine is the 2.2 litre diesel which offers 148bhp and is ultra quiet. The Accord has been awarded five-star Euro NCAP rating and that adds to Hondas reliability. Accord is at the top of the list when it comes to safety, thanks to Hondas own testing facility. It has six airbags, ESP and anti-whiplash headrests as standard.
Honda Accord is not available as a hatchback which makes it less practical then its rivals. There is a narrow opening for the boot so taking out large items and putting them in can be difficult. The boot space stands at 467litres which is a lot less than its rivals. The rear seats split and fold to make room for longer items. There is good amount of headroom but the rear passenger footwall is quite tight and it lags behind Toyota Avensis or Skoda Superb. The four model lines are well equipped as features like cruise control and air-con fitted as standard.
Accord also comes in a GT spec which gives sporty extras such a bigger wheels, aerodynamic body kit, leather trimmed steering wheel and alloy gear knob. Honda doesnt offer stop-start technology yet which makes this Accord far behind its main rivals in emissions and economy. The diesel is the most practical as it returns just over 50mpg and has emissions of 138g/km. The 2.0litre VTEC petrol churns out over 40mpg and 159g/km with a manual gearbox. However the bigger petrols and automatic variants are not economical and eco friendly.