Honda Accord Euro 2008 Review

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A measure of the car's success is the 45,000 units sold in Australia since its introduction.

The second-generation Euro arrives not only bigger but, on first impressions, better. It's also cheaper and better equipped. Little wonder Honda Australia expects its sales of the car to swell to beyond 10,000 units per year.

What it isn't is revolutionary. This car is very much an evolution of the existing model. If you liked the last Euro, the chances are, you'll love this one.

Honda's engineers and product planners are nothing if not consistent -- consistently good. The new Accord arrives with a better finished interior and an even more refined mechanical package, but in growing it's now at the limit of its four-cylinder petrol powerplant's performance envelope. The yet-to-be-confirmed turbodiesel model could end up being the best of breed yet...

PRICE AND EQUIPMENT
We tested the new Euro at its international launch in May (more here). Rather than regurgitate everything, when the local launch follows so closely on the global unveil, we'll concentrate on the local drive impression and pricing.

The local pricing is, in fact, a big part of the new Euro's appeal. At the time of the international launch, Honda suggested the car would arrive Down Under with a higher price than the model it replaces -- in fact, the range was tipped to start at $34,990. Yet at the local unveil of the car in the Adelaide Hills, the Big H revealed a line-up that kicks off at $32,990 for the base model, manual Euro. This is $1000 less than the car it replaces.

But wait, in true steak knife tradition -- there's more. In addition to holding the $1000 discount across the model line-up, Honda claims the real value of the car has, in fact, improved up to $3500. The three-tier model line-up features between $2000 and $3500 worth of extra equipment depending on the model, it says.

The base model Euro arrives well-equipped for its $32,990 pricetag. Featuring 17-inch alloys and suede-like cloth trim, standard features include: dual-zone climate control, leather multi-function tilt and telescopic steering wheel, six airbags including curtains, active head restraints, antilock brakes, stability control, cruise control, full electrics, height-adjustable halogen headlamps, six-disc 10-speaker audio system, auto-dipping passenger side door mirror (for reversing) and iPod prep.

The rear seat is a 60:40 splitfold and the spare is mounted on a full-size alloy.

A six-speed manual gearbox is standard across the range with the five-speed paddle-shift multi-mode auto variants costing $2000 more at all three trim levels.

Honda says in all, around $2000 of extra equipment has been fitted over the first generation entry-level Euro. This doesn't factor in any extra value for the car's increase in size, nor interior material upgrades.

About the only grating omissions on the standard Euro are auto wipers and headlamps. These are, however, addressed at the next step up the range -- the Euro Luxury. Sure to be the volume seller locally, the Euro Luxury is aimed four square at the likes of the Audi A4 and BMW 3 Series in Europe. Here, Honda is not quite as ambitious.

It's priced from $39,990 ($41,990 auto) and represents a significant upgrade in specification -- over both the outgoing Luxury and new base models.

In addition to adding perforated leather seat trim and a sunroof, the Euro Luxury gets heated electrically-adjustable front seats (driver and passenger, memory for driver), auto-dimming mirrors, those rain sensing wipers and auto headlamps, upgraded interior trim, front and rear park sensors, fog lights and 18-inch alloys.

With the larger wheels, the spare reverts to a space-saver.

Honda claims the Luxury's added equipment (over the outgoing model) is worth around $3000. This is upped to $3500 of added value for the $42,990 Euro Luxury Navi ($44,990 auto) top-line variant which adds satnav and a reversing camera to the Luxo's spec.

MECHANICAL
We detailed most of the mechanical changes in our international launch review. Suffice it to say, the new Euro arrives with an updated, if familiar mechanical package -- front-wheel drive, MacPherson strut front-end, independent multilink rear suspension, all-wheel discs and so on.

Featuring sharper yet evolutionary styling, the car is longer and wider, and rides on a longer wheelbase than the first gen Euro (see more below). The new car also boasts a 65mm increase in track front and rear.

The revised 2.4-litre DOHC four-cylinder petrol engine is 8kW/11Nm up on the outgoing model, delivering 148kW at 7000rpm and peak torque of 234Nm at 4400rpm. The changes are again evolutionary, and frankly the four is on the edge of its abilities, given the car's increase in size and extra 60kg of mass. Honda would do well to explore a low-blow torque-focussed turbo installation on this petrol four.

That said, fuel economy has been trimmed to 8.9L/100km for both manual and auto versions. This is down from 9.1L for the outgoing manual and 9.4L for the first-gen auto. Manual models come with a shift indicator light to assist economy, which Honda says can be improved by up to five per cent when following the shift recommendations.

Honda's torquier 2.2-litre i-DTEC turbodiesel engine is still to be confirmed for Australia. The local Honda honchos won't add it to the line-up until they can offer both manual and auto variants.

The petrol engine is matched to a close-ratio six-speed manual gearbox as standard and the optional five-speed auto is a smooth, clever gearbox.

There are steering-wheel-mounted paddles (on all variants) that can be used to manually select a gear at any time. Then, once the box senses a constant state of use or reaches the redline when accelerating, it reverts to auto operation.

There's a sports auto mode that offers more aggressive gear selection. Use the paddles once in sports mode and the box defaults to a fully manual system that will bounce off the rev limiter all day. The box also features 'Grade Logic' to reduce unnecessary shifts and optimise engine braking in hilly terrain.

Honda uses 'defector plate' dampers on the Euro's suspension. In concept these are similar to the so-called 'adaptive' dampers on the latest Mercedes C-Class models and feature separate low and high-speed compression damping circuits which allow Honda to tune the response of the car separately to different sorts of bumps. The result is an excellent compromise of ride and handling, and very good body control in terms of reduced roll in corners and pitch over bumps.

Perhaps the other step forward we should mention at this point is Honda's work on noise attenuation. The latest Euro is a particularly quiet car.

Some of the improvement over the outgoing generation (hardly a noisy car, by the way) is due to the new car's stiffer body structure. In addition, Honda has revised its sound deadening measures (including adding special absorbent carpet underlays), improved insulation within the door pillars, paid attention to the underfloor shape and designed a new, "floating" isolated rear subframe to decrease road noise intrusion.

The driver's and front passenger seats feature a new internal structure designed to reduce the effects of vibration.
PACKAGING
New Euro is (80mm) wider, (5mm) lower and has a (35mm) longer wheelbase than its predecessor. Apart from a more spacious cabin, Honda says the new platform has allowed a (65mm) wider track and lower centre of gravity -- both measures are key to the new model's improvements in handling.

Seating is generously wide front and rear, but the front seats are seriously bulky and thus there's little if any extra legroom in the rear of the new car. We can say this categorically because we moved our crash test dummy (ie: the writer) from new to old Euro and back again a number of times to double check.

With the driver's seat set to suit on both cars, the new Euro had perhaps 3-4mm of extra room ahead of the knees when seated in the rear. Alas, the new car is a touch tighter on foot room under the front seats as well.

The new dash and cockpit feature upgraded materials, beautifully bolted together. There's a surfeit of buttons on the higher spec models and the menu control for the satnav et al requires some familiarisation. That said the controls have a great tactility to them and even feel expensive.

Lexus-style 'floating' backlit gauges add to the ambience, as does the classy perforated leather seat facings on the Lux and Lux-Navi variants. Storage space is reasonable with the requisite number of cubbies and cupholders.

As we noted in our European Euro launch coverage, luggage space is 467 litres, which, though on a par with the outgoing models, is well behind the Mazda's 519 litres. The Honda's 60:40 splitfold rear seat's amenity is also serious restricted by the size of the aperture between cabin and boot.

At this stage the Euro stays sedan only... Honda Australia contends the amenity offered by the attractive Euro-market Euro wagon is already available via its Odyssey and CR-V models. We don't agree -- with the early acceptance of the Benz C-Class Estate and Holden's bold move with Sportwagon, it could be time for Aussie consumers to rediscover the wagon.
SAFETY
Following in the wheel tracks of Civic, Legend, Thai-built Accord 'Seppo' (the US-focussed V6 and VTi) and CR-V, the Euro features Honda's  Advanced Compatibility Engineering (ACE) body structure designed to "deliver significantly enhanced occupant protection in a variety of real-world crash conditions."

Honda expects a five-star Euro NCAP rating for the new Euro and has already gained top gongs for the car in US and Japanese testing. Almost 50 per cent of the new car's structure is fashioned using high-strength steels.

The new Euro is equipped with big antilock disc brakes, stability control -- Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA) in Honda speak -- and Motion Adaptive EPS (electric power steering). This feature combines with the stability control system to prompt and apply corrective steering actions in slippery conditions and even under hard braking.

Honda says Motion Adaptive EPS "detects instability in slippery conditions both during cornering and under braking and automatically initiates steering inputs aimed at assisting the driver to steer in the correct direction.

"The input is barely noticeable and control of the steering remains with the driver at all times," the accompanying press kit mentions.

"However, this supporting steering torque is enough to assist the driver to act intuitively and the driver's reaction as a result is enough to regain stability or to shorten braking distances allowing control to be maintained."

We drove the Euro in wet slippery conditions on the challenging roads of the Adelaide Hills and didn't detect the system in action. Perhaps that's exactly what Honda intended...

Conventional passive safety equipment includes active front headrests, front seatbelt pre-tensioners and load limiters, dual-stage front and side airbags and full length curtain airbags.

Along with normal impact reactions, Honda says the curtain bags are configured to deploy in some offset frontal collisions to protect occupants' upper bodies from secondary impacts.
COMPETITORS
Not surprisingly, given the added-value claims Honda has made for the new-generation Euro, there are strong sales expectations for the vehicle. Having sold more than 45,000 units since the Euro came Down Under in June 2003, the carmaker now expects to sell around 10,000 Euros per year.

It says its main targets are Mazda's 6, Subaru Liberty (due for replacement in early 2009) and VW's (smaller) Golf-based Jetta sedan.

According to Honda, Ford's Mondeo is not a competitor for the Euro. Honda Australia cites the Mondeo's near-large-car dimensions as the reason, arguing the Accord VTi and V6 are closer matches for the European Ford. We think the dynamics of the Ford will appeal to the same sort of buyer as the Euro.

We'd also count the new Renault Laguna and Citroen C5 as potential Accord Euro targeters.

As noted above, the Euro has been aimed at A4, 3 Series and C-Class buyers in key European markets. We don't see a lot of buyers of new German badged cars deserting the Fatherland for the Euro, but the upper levels of the Japanese-built car could attract a few used Beemer, Audi and Benz buyers.

The car sits flat and both roll and pitch are well controlled even at sporting speeds. Steering, though light on effort and essentially devoid of feel, is predictable and it's easy to be neat and accurate. Push too hard and the car will eventually default to understeer but the levels of effort at which this happens are high. They're very high on dry roads, especially on the 18s.

Turn-in is brisk and at least a match for the Mazda 6. Separating these two will take direct back-to-back testing. The Honda has a wonderfully secure and planted front end and even big sharp edged bumps are negated with aplomb. In this regard it's also a match for the Mondeo.

It's a solid front-end too -- once the roads dried a little and we could put it under more duress, it passed with flying colours with not a hint of rack rattle or kickback.

Partly, however, this is due to the relatively low level of torque the 2.4-litre four pushes through the front wheels.

The engine is smooth and a willing revver, but it really is on the edge of its performance envelope in this larger, newer Euro. In auto form on the freeway back towards Adelaide it struggled to maintain a 110-115km/h cruise in top gear. The autobox kicked back to fourth and then third gear to hold its speed as the freeway ascended the last part of the climb towards the Mt Lofty/Stirling turn-off. And that was two-up with minimal luggage.

On secondary roads you tend to use the paddles to row the autobox along. Better in our opinion to opt for the 'real' manual variant and enjoy the drive. The six-speeder is precise and the clutch effort low. We'd like a touch more 'notch' in the gearbox action, but we're picky.

Indeed, the only blot on the manual drivetrain copybook from the writer's point of view is the emission-related propensity for the engine to hang-up [hold revs] between changes. An owner would get used to it in the long term, but it makes new chums' throttle control during changes seem annoyingly imprecise.

The Luxury model's cabin is a great place to spend time. The seats are cosseting and the perforated leather finish classy. That said, even the base model Euro is inviting.

You sit quite low in the car (Honda confirms the H-point has been lowered) and the dash cowl is quite high. Despite this forward vision is good (you don't need to look around the A-pillars like some cars). To the rear, average or shorter drivers will rely on the park sensors more than in most cars of this size, however.

We've already noted the scant improvements in rear legroom delivered by the new model. In contrast, the extra headroom and width is noticeable. As noted hereabouts, the finish inside and out has taken a step upwards too -- not that there was a lot to complain about in the old car.

One's guessing, but Honda Australia's main problem with the Euro will likely be keeping it in stock.

A decision regarding the local future of the turbodiesel variant could come before Christmas. Given the aptitude of the chassis, the torque-rich syrupy deliver of the oiler could be a very attractive, perhaps class-leading combination.

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