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By
EWAN KENNEDY
20 November 2006
Honda Accord Euro continues to be one of the benchmark cars in
its class. Something that in hindsight was always going to be easy. That’s
because of the decision to design two different Accord models, one
Accord to suit European tastes, the other to cater for the differing
tastes in the American market.
Note we say ‘differing’ tastes; there are some who say the
Americans have got it all wrong in their cars and that the
Europeans make the only true automobiles. Which is wrong, there's
no reason why both ways can’t be right. Viva la difference, as
the French say.
Australians have a wide variety of ideas on how cars should
behave, so it’s no surprise that ours is one of the few
countries to offer both of Honda's Accord variants
Honda uprated the Accord Euro at the start of this year,
increasing the standard of equipment and adding some extra
options. In particular, buyers of the topline Honda Euro Luxury
(the subject of this week’s road test, can now get satellite
navigation. Best of all, the new system is DVD to give it higher
destination-calculation.
Styling changes see extra chrome in the grille area, including
a bold strip across the middle. Also changed are the shapes of the
front and rear bumpers, and the alloy wheels are to a new design.
Inside, the Accord Euro has a revised trim design, with changes
to the tones in the metallic and wood sections to add a brighter,
sportier theme. On a practical note, there's now a multi-display
trip computer.
There are no mechanical changes to the successful Euro formula.
Thus the Accord continues to be powered by a 2.4-litre
four-cylinder 140kW engine running on premium unleaded petrol.
Four-cylinder engines aren't necessarily the norm in this price
class, but Honda has done a nice job of smoothing it out to almost
six-cylinder standards.
There's a choice between a six-speed manual or five-speed
automatic transmission, our test car came with the latter. The
automatic is a fast changing unit that responds well to the driver’s
needs and is generally in the correct gear when you need it.
The suspension setup, in our opinion one of the best in its
class, remained unchanged. The car turns in nicely, always lets
the driver know what the front wheels are doing and generally
responds to throttle changes with a minimum of fuss.
Comfort in the mid-sized Honda suffers a little on rough roads
more than it does in European cars of this size, but is generally
acceptable in the way in handles bumps.
The seats are well styled, though perhaps a little more support
would be better when you are driving in a spirited manner. Leather
may look and feel nice, but it’s not our favoured material with
it comes to grip in car seats, nor is it a lot of good when the
car has been sitting in the sun for long enough to make the
leather positively fiery in its feel.
This Honda Accord, may not be quite as good as a BMW or
Mercedes in the way it drives and rides, but is a lot closer than
you might expect. And costs far less, to boot.
Fuel consumption in ‘our’ Accord Euro was a reasonable
seven to eight litres per hundred kilometres during gentle country
running and in motorway running. Suburban running with a fair bit
of stop-start operation saw it rise to ten to eleven litres per
hundred.
The interior of the Euro is quite spacious, with cockpit-type
styling for the driver. There’s plenty of rear headroom, but
legroom in the back will sometimes depend on the front occupants
sliding their seats forward to make space for those behind them.
The boot is deep, has plenty of volume and is generally easy to
load, though, as is the way in many modern cars, there’s a long
stretch to get to the front of the boot.
Accord Euro is definitely recommended to those driving
enthusiasts who enjoy a good drive in a precise, stable vehicle
that’s a real pleasure to punt along hard and fast. Yet it can
also be used as a family car and is easy to live with on a daily
commuting basis.
AT A GLANCE
MODEL RANGE
Accord VTi 2.4-litre four-door sedan - $29,990
Accord Euro 2.4-litre four-door sedan - $33,500
Accord V6 3.0-litre four-door sedan - $36,990
Accord Euro Luxury 2.4-litre four-door sedan - $40,500
Accord V6 Luxury 3.0-litre four-door sedan - $44,990
FEATURES
ABS Brakes: Standard on all models
Air Conditioning: Standard on all models
Automatic Transmission: $2000 option on Euro and Euro Luxury,
standard on other models
CD Player: Standard on all models
Central Locking: Standard on all models
Cruise Control: Standard on all models
Driver Airbag: Standard on all models
Passenger Airbag: Standard on all models
Front Side Airbags: Standard on all models
SPECIFICATIONS (Honda Accord Euro Luxury 2.4-litre four-door
sedan)
ENGINE:
Engine Capacity: 2.354 litres
Configuration: Four cylinders in line
Head Design: DOHC, four valves per cylinder
Compression Ratio: 10.5:1
Bore/Stroke: 87.0 x 99.0mm
Maximum Power: 140kW @ 6800rpm
Maximum Torque: 223Nm @ 4500rpm
DRIVELINE:
Driven Wheels: Front
Manual Transmission: Six-speed
Automatic Transmission: Five-speed
Final Drive Ratio: 4.388:1
DIMENSIONS, WEIGHT AND CAPACITIES:
Length: 4665mm
Wheelbase: 2670mm
Width: 1760mm
Height: 1445mm
Turning Circle: 10.8 metres
Kerb Mass: 1395kg
Fuel Tank Capacity: 65 litres
Towing Ability: 500kg (1200kg with braked trailer)
SUSPENSION AND BRAKES:
Front Suspension: Independent, double wishbone, anti-roll bar
Rear Suspension: Five-link double wishbone, anti-roll bar
Front Brakes: Ventilated disc
Rear Brakes: Disc
PERFORMANCE:
0-100 km/h Acceleration: 8.7 secs
Standing 400 Metres: 16.4 secs
FUEL CONSUMPTION:
Fuel Type: Petrol 95RON
Fuel Consumption - Combined Cycle (ADR 81/01): 9.4 L/100km
STANDARD WARRANTY:
Three years/100,000km
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Marque Publishing Company
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