First Drive
Honda Accord 2.2 i-DTEC EX GT
Test date Thursday, April 10, 2008
Price as tested £24,910
What is it?
It’s the new Honda Accord, and one word, more than any other, sums up Honda’s approach to the development of this car: refinement.
Honda has ‘refined’ every significant facet of this car, it claims, in the same way that you might a blended wine, keeping all the desirable bits and tweaking the not-so-desirables. And as a result, it’s going to charge more money for it.
When it goes on sale in June, this new version of Honda’s 30-year-old family hack will represent a significant move upmarket for the brand. The car is better-looking, better-handling, better quality and better equipped, says Honda. Of course, that means it will be more expensive, too.
What’s it like?
The Accord’s debut at the 2008 Geneva show warned us not to expect too much of a visual makeover. It’s on the inside that the change is more obvious, especially on the high-spec EX-GT model that we tested. The cabin gets soft-touch plastics of several textures and shades, half-leather seats, a dished leather-bound steering wheel; it all looks and feels well-finished and classy – pretty much on a par with a mid-spec Lexus or Audi.
What lets the Accord down is the design and layout of its fascia. Audi, BMW and Mercedes have begun consolidating ventilation, audio, satellite navigation and trip computer controls into control interfaces like iDrive and MMI, removing extraneous buttons from the dash. The Accord is far more old-fashioned, with a profusion of buttons of different shapes and sizes on the centre console, which is confusing and unbefitting of a modern executive saloon’s cabin.
Elsewhere, the Accord’s cabin is spot on. The new car’s driving position is perfect; low and cocoon-like, with pedals that are perfectly positioned and a steering wheel with ample reach and rake adjustment.
Fire the Japanese firm’s new i-DTEC 2.2-litre turbodiesel engine into life and it settles into an idle that’s better-insulated than the last model’s i-CTDi motor was.
Honda made several changes to its 2.2-litre i-CTDI diesel engine, which first appeared in the last Accord, to turn it into this new i-DTEC unit. They comprised a new multipoint diesel injection system, a more efficient exhaust gas recirculation system for the turbo, and a particulate trap.
The results are reduced NOx emission, which have been reduced by 15 per cent, while particulates have come down by around 80 per cent. There is also 10bhp more than the old i-CTDI unit, and 7lb ft of additional torque, which is spread over a much wider rpm range, as was evident on our test drive. It pulled from low revs with much less lag, and was much happier to rev beyond 3000rpm.
The light, accurate gearchange is very similar to the one that Civic owners have already grown used to. The steering is excellent too, weighty but fast-paced, making the car feel genuinely agile.
But is the rest of the Accord’s driving experience good enough to rank alongside BMW, Mercedes’ and Audi’s finest? Well, yes and no. A new rear axle chassis setup has done wonders for this car dynamically; it rides better than an Audi A4, and responds as keenly to steering inputs as a 3-series.
It’s also more technologically advanced than anything of its size in the European premium segment. For less than an averagely-equipped A4, you can fit your new Accord with Honda’s Advanced Driver Assistance System, which includes adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping assistance and a crash warning and mitigation system (which wakes the driver up to potential and imminent accidents).
Even the climate control system is can work out where the sun should be using data from the sat nav, and will route cool air into the warmer part of the cabin.
Should I buy one?
If you want a genuine premium-brand ownership experience, probably not. Even after Honda’s revisions, the diesel Accord is not quite as mechanically refined as a 2.0 TDI Audi A4 or Mercedes C200 CDI.
It’s not quite as frugal or as low on CO2 either. Honda dealers probably aren’t quite as impressive as Lexus’, and even the best chassis developer in the world couldn’t turn a front-driven Accord into a match for a BMW.
No – the new Accord may be a lot of things: better appointed and upholstered, sportier-looking and driving, and stacked to the nines with specification. But sorry Honda; it isn’t quite good enough to be a good reason to chop in your 320d.
But on first impressions it feels worthy of its price supplement over the outgoing model, and more than up to taking the fight to other ‘semi-premium’ manufacturers like Volvo and Saab.
Matt Saunders
First drive data
How much?
- Price as tested £24,910
- Price as tested £21,060
How fast?
- 0-62 mph no data
- Max speed no data
How big?
How thirsty?
- Combined 50.4 mpg
- CO2 emissions 148 g/km
Engine
- Layout 4 , 2199 cc
- Max power 148 bhp at 4000 rpm
- Max torque 258 lb ft at 2000 rpm
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