Honda Does One Better

Illawarra Mercury

Saturday October 25, 2008

BRENT DAVISON

The car maker's Accord Euro might not qualify for the luxury car tax but, BRENT DAVISON says, slipping under the taxman's radar is a bonus.

Perhaps the first thing that gets me about Honda's Accord Euro is that it is vastly different to the regular Accord, a car built to entice American buyers into Honda's likeable family.

Euro is markedly smaller on the outside, fractionally more compact on the inside and has a teensy bit less boot room. Take it for a drive and it is firmer in the ride, sharper in the steering, dramatically better in the handling.

Dare I say it is like comparing a European car to an American one?

I like to think of Honda's sports sedan as the thinking man's BMW 3-Series. Only cheaper.

Sure, the Bimmer is rear-wheel-drive and the Honda is a front hooker but most would be hard-pressed to know which end is doing the driving unless they were pushing high into the stratosphere, such is the development done on the Accord's undercarriage.

And when it comes to pricing the Accord, between $32,990 and $42,990 depending on specification, romps in ahead of the German car by between $18,000 and $16,000. And no luxury car tax.

The most noticeable thing between this latest Accord Euro and its predecessor is the sophistication that has gone into the development.

The previous car was comfortable but the transmitted road noise became tiresome on a long drive and the suspension, while tenacious in cornering situations, gave a ride quality that was less than satisfactory at best, jarringly uncomfortable at worst.

Not in the new guy - the ride is, as the car's name suggests, very Euro and what that means is a ride that is firm but not uncomfortably so and steering that is sharp without being nervy in normal situations.

Push it over a track that is far less compromising than your average freeway and the Euro will just hunker down and deal with it.

The electrically-assisted rack and pinion steering tightens up and the springs and dampers respond in sympathy but even then, as they work to make the car as firm as they can, they do not take anything from the ride quality.

It just goes to show there is a lot to be said for and done with a well-sorted independent double wishbone arrangement.

To aid this happy arrangement Honda livened-up the "old" 2354cc (let's just call it 2.4, shall we?), inline four-cylinder engine by giving it bigger valves, a higher compression ratio and a more efficient exhaust system while at the same time revising the variable valve timing system.

Unfortunately, the car gained weight (between 125 and 135kg depending on the model) which sort of negates some of the liveliness.

Mind you, the six-speed manual in our test car helped overcome any perceived problems and snicking the six-shifter through its very close (and extremely accurate) gate soon pushed away any lingering doubts over perceived performance shortcomings.

No worries over the fact the 2.4-litre does its best work high in the rev range either because that very sweet VTEC engine has plenty of power and torque on hand to operate as a real lazy boy around town and will even do it without bumbling about in the lowest ratios of the cog box.

Euro by name and Euro in its on-road manners it might be but the interior layout, particularly the dash and instruments, still smack of downtown Tokyo.

Regardless, the main control area works very nicely from the multi-purpose steering wheel (with cruise control and some audio function controls on the spokes and only a thumb stretch away from operation) to the big, clear instruments.

The gear lever is just a half-reach away on the left and the switches for mirror adjustment and window operation a similar distance away on the right.

The rest? Well, the centre stack for the audio unit and airconditioning controls is just a bit too busy and even after time has been spent learning it there is still some hesitation when it comes to using it.

A good audio unit, by the way, and made better with the simple inclusion of an auxiliary jack.

As for the rest of the interior, we have to give full marks for the front seats which are both supportive and comfortable (sometimes those two can be at odds. Just drive a low-end Mercedes) and have plenty of adjustment.

The rear seat? Still a tight fit for any 85th percentile adult and fitting three real people across it might be possible but not really practical. No problems for the kids fitting in though.

Overall, Honda has done a nice job of reworking an already-good car.

True, it is bigger and heavier and not quite as easy to manipulate as the old one but it has plenty to trade with its more grown-up feel and finesse in its chassis dynamics.

It is also exceptionally good value for money when compared to most of its major rivals (only Mazda's 6 and Subaru's Liberty can compete dollar-for-dollar) and what it might lose in some refinement to them it more than makes up for in the purchase price.

Nice one, Honda.

NUTS & BOLTS

PRICE $39,990.

DIMENSIONS

Length: 4740mm.

Width: 1840mm.

Height: 1440mm.

Weight: 1570kg.

MECHANICAL Fuel-injected, 2354cc, inline, four-cylinder with double overhead camshafts, four valves per cylinder, variable valve timing and drive-by-wire throttle. 148kW at 7000rpm, 234Nm at 4300rpm. Six-speed manual.

CHASSIS Front, transverse engine, front-wheel-drive, electrically-assisted rack and pinion steering, power-assisted four-wheel disc brakes with antilock, electronic brakeforce distribution, emergency brake assist, 18x8-inch alloy wheels. 235/45R18 tyres.

SUSPENSION: Independent double wishbones, telescopic dampers, coil springs and stabiliser bars front and rear.

FUEL TYPE/CAPACITY 95RON/65 litres.

FUEL ECONOMY 8.9l/100km (ADR81/01 combined average).

MAIN RIVALS Citroen C5, Mazda6, Peugeot 407, Subaru Liberty, Volkswagen Passat.

© 2008 Illawarra Mercury

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