Geneva 2008: Honda Accord

From the outside, the new Accord looks like a bodily beefed-up version of the current car, but Honda says it is all-new and the eighth generation European version of Honda’s 32 year old global medium car.Sales start in June of what Honda wants to be considered a premium D-sector model, rather than a direct competitor in the mainstream Mondeo Class.Ken Keir, Honda’s UK boss, says that he wants the brand to ‘become a alternative to the established premium marques’. Honda Europe also thinks that the recent trend for ‘premium’ products will move from just the product itself, to the buying experience. This means ‘Honda’s dealers must be the best in town and the product must reflect this positioning…’ To this end, much of the work has gone into the interior, which is less airy than is the Honda tradition and rather more cockpit, with a higher windscreen base and a dash architecture that encloses the driver.The quality of the fixtures and fittings are undoubtedly good, but don’t expect to carry wardrobes in the boot of the Tourer because the load space is very narrow between the intrusive suspension towers.