Honda Accord Tourer Review

Honda Accord Review

Introduction

It was way back in 2003 that we last tested a Honda Accord Tourer and we really enjoyed the car and couldn't wait to test the new version.

Honda Accord Tourer prices start at £21,120 and rise to £31,145 for the Honda Accord Tourer 2.2 i-DTEC ADAS Type-S. There are five trim levels starting with the ES, ES GT, EX, EX GT and now a Type-S model. You have a choice of three engines: 2.0l i-VTEC & 2.4l i-VTEC petrol and the 2.2l i-DTEC diesel.

Until recently there was not an automatic option for diesel buyers, but from January 2009 Honda has solved this problem with their own 5-speed automatic unit.

We drove the Honda Accord Tourer 2.2 i-DTEC ES GT Automatic with the Advanced Navigation pack, which was priced £26,470 OTR at the time of testing.

How It Drove Performance

We drove the 2.2 i-DTEC ES GT Automatic which is fitted with a 2199 cc diesel i-DTEC engine coupled to a 5-speed automatic gearbox.

The i-DTEC diesel engine produces 150PS at 4000rpm and torque of 350Nm at 2000rpm which is enough to propel the automatic diesel Honda Accord Tourer from 0-62 mph in 10.4 seconds and then on to a top speed of 126 mph.

We found the engine a little lacking in the power department but it is smooth and refined so few people will care that it is diesel.

Honda have developed their own 5-speed automatic gearbox - we were expecting an extra ratio - but it does offer very smooth gear changes and you can change manually via the paddle shift system on the rear of the steering wheel - otherwise the gearbox is a straight shift. The automatic gearbox does not seem to tap much power and is nearly as quick as the manual car, 0.8 of a second's difference from 0-62 mph.

We averaged touring 28.8 mpg which increased to 35 mpg on 'A' roads and to 43 mpg on the motorway. Honda quotes a combined fuel consumption figure of 42.8mpg which seems plausible under test conditions.

How It Drove - Ride/Handling

The ride is very good, coping well with pitted road surfaces and fast 'B' roads. When pushed harder, there was a little more body roll than we would have liked but otherwise the Honda Accord Tourer feels very natural and relaxed to drive.

The ride affects the handling and we found that it is more of a motorway cruiser than a 'B' road sports car. If pushed too hard the Honda Accord Tourer is not particularly rewarding but there is plenty of grip and it won't disappoint. The electronic power steering can feel a little lifeless but overall we enjoyed driving the Honda Accord Tourer as the ride always feels relaxed and is very good at soaking up the miles.

Honda Accord Tourer