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The handsome new Accord aims to be king of the premium castle

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It was interesting to meet the eighth incarnation of Honda's popular Accord having driven its predecessor the current model Accord Sport GT recently.

Honda ostensibly produced the Sport to appeal to Accord customers who wanted a more purposeful look without the inherent costs associated with high performance.

But it looks to me just as much a test to gauge reaction to the design of the new Accord.

And it seems a success - the new car bears a close resemblance to the outgoing Sport which is itself a very fine-looking car.

The new Accord is intended to take on premium cars like Audi's A4 and BMW's 3-series.

And in terms of presence and looks it's succeeded.

Muscular and stylish, it's probably the best- looking of the bunch, particularly the Tourer.

Honda is gradually changing its mindset and says that because in this day and age there are few bad' cars, it's the ownership and driving experience that needs to be concentrated on, particularly if it is to appeal to commercial drivers. (Honda is the fastest-growing manufacturer in the corporate sector and wants to remain so.) To this end, the new Accord is bristling with technology, from adaptive cruise control and a lane change warning system to a collision mitigation braking system and, astonishingly, climate control that, via the satnav, recognises where the sun is and channels the cooling towards that part of the car.

Honda's Accord Tourer is particularly striking

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The steering wheel bristles with no less than 16 buttons (plus the horn) and there's a sense of sitting in a cockpit rather than a cabin. Which is a good thing because Honda says that with this car it has focused on the driver environment' and intends it to have best-in-class driver dynamics.

The company says much of this E-Sector technology is appearing in a D-Sector car for the first time, adding value to the list price.

It would certainly be hard not to find a comfortable driving position, with electric seat adjustment and an adjustable wheel, and there's no doubt that Honda is serious when it says that the driving experience is the priority with the new car.

The Accord has benefited from a new rear suspension set-up to provide a sportier feel to the car, which has firmed up the ride a little but helps provide an involving drive.

The two-litre petrol unit I drove develops a respectable 156ps at 6,300rpm and provides decent performance with very good economy of 39.2mpg combined. 0-60 time is just over nine seconds with top speed at 131mph. The extra 45 horses that the 2.4 supplies will liven things up a bit, but at an obvious cost to fuel economy and emissions.

But cruising was an exceptional experience. This is a very quiet car. Heading out of Vienna on the A4 towards Budapest, an easy 85mph allowed relaxed conversation with little engine or road noise and remarkably little wind interference either. Well done Honda - high-mileage motorway demons are going to enjoy the Accord experience.

The smallest petrol unit pulls well without sounding strained, except when revving highly, as you'd expect.

Honda's well-proven and reliable 2.2 diesel has been improved if that were possible - my only gripe at the previous version was the noticeable turbo lag, but that has largely been eradicated, meaning the new i-DTEC is difficult to fault, with 150ps on tap giving an excellent 50.4mpg overall.

Coupled with this, the new engine already surpasses the more stringent Euro 5 emissions regulations which don't come into force until 2011.

The Accord has been sold in one form or another for 30 years in Great Britain but this is the first time Honda has specifically targeted buyers who like the image of BMW's M-Sport and Audi's S-Line but who don't want fearsome performance.

There will no doubt be an R-Type but it will be a niche rather than a fleet seller.

Prices start at £19,260 for the well-specced base petrol model, rising to £27,960 for the top diesel Tourer with all the gizmos.

It's all summed up rather neatly by senior Honda man Katsumi Horikawa, who said: "One objective was to bring the quality and refinement of the sector above down one sector, and we've achieved that.

"If customers have a car that is worth more than the money they paid for it, it gives me great satisfaction."

And the customer no doubt!

8:25am Saturday 7th June 2008

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