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There's no doubting where Honda's trying to pitch its new Accord - that holy grail of the premium segment. All the talk at the launch event surrounded the 'P' word, and how the car's been benchmarked against BMW's 3-series for driving dynamics and the Audi A4 for interior quality - considered by the firm to be best in the segment for the characteristics.
The corporate sector is spectacularly important for the new Accord, with 70% of sales going to those using business cash, which is why BusinessCar was handed an exclusive chance to try the elegant new Tourer in the UK - via an 800-mile test route across half of Europe from the launch event in Vienna.
We're the only magazine given the chance to drive the car in the UK, and the Tourer will jump from a quarter of Accord sales in the last generation model to 40% this time around. The majority will be the new 2.2-litre i-DTEC engine, a development of the hugely successful i-CTDi diesel used in the last Accord, as well as the Civic and CR-V.
Though emissions figures are almost identical to the last engine, there's a 10PS power increase, but economy is 0.1mpg worse.
Honda also claims increases in refinement, though it's still not as quiet as the premium brands it's looking to steal sales from, especially when accelerating from the lower end of the rev range. Power is good though, with an impressive diesel shove, and refinement improves at speed.
The Accord impresses in some other crucial areas. The Tourer is now a good looking estate, compared to the previous hearse-like boxy load lugger, even if that does come at the expense of a small amount of practicality. It also fills the more muscular wheel arches significantly better than the seemingly underwheeled predecessor. The overall styling, though an evolution, is a decent step forward too.
The interior is another success story, with good quality materials throughout, and touches like the pencil-thin gear lever feeling like a premium product. The complex array of satnav, safety systems and audio controls are also logically laid out, once you've worked out which buttons do what.
Though the ride feels a little more sporty and firm than the last Accord, it's no chore on longer runs, and 800 miles of European motorways only served to prove the car's long-distance ability. Fatigue is slow to sink in thanks to the good seats, decent audio system and virtually no wind noise. Have the stereo set to a normal level and it's as if the outside world's on mute. Around town, the suspension soaks up bumps better than the premium rivals Honda's aiming at, but the rear-wheel drive 3-series has still got it licked through the twisties.
The Accord is an improvement on what was already something of a BusinessCar favourite. The new model moves it up towards the premium brands, even if it's still a small mental jump for buyers used to an Audi or BMW badge. Better claimed RVs will join the styling and interior quality improvements to make it an even more enticing product for drivers willing to consider something that's not German, and the increase from 8500 to 10,000 units shouldn't be a problem.
BusinessCar magazine ©2019
Business Car Magazine © 2020 | Business Car is part of NS Media Group.
