User Choosers Plump For Honda Accord Tourer

Accord Tourer is enjoying sales success amongst the major fleet market (25+) in a segment fiercely competing for user chooser sales. Year to date Petrol models are outselling key rival Audi by 2:1 (805 vs 372) and the class leading 2.2 common rail i-CTDi diesel has a full order bank that will double existing sales by the end of the year.

Honda launched the Accord Tourer on the back of the saloon and the award winning Cog commercial, taking the fight to the quality marques dominated by the Germans and Scandinavians. But with no recent track record of selling D segment estates and a bold repositioning from the old Accord, many wondered if Honda would pull it off. So given that all the sales are conquests, it’s all the more remarkable that the Tourer is achieving its ambition.

Demand for the car is being driven by user choosers who are looking for an alternative to the usual marques but need a capacious interior and some unique packaging. With 1700 litres of load space, one fold motion rear seats and a sector first remote lifting tailgate as standard, the Tourer certainly delivers.

Lloyds Bank fleet manager, Marcus Puddy, responsible for some 9000 user choosers, explains the recipe for success:

"The Tourer provides an excellent package in terms of quality, engineering space and driveability. The awareness factor of the Honda brand has improved dramatically following the successful Cog advertisement and this is leading to a growing demand for the product."

The Tourer is also gaining respect among the emergency services where reliability and performance are key.

Last month it picked up the award for best estate vehicle of the year for the second consecutive year from Auto Express which gave the following verdict:

"The reason the Accord wins lies as much with the rest of the package as the boot alone. The Tourer benefits from Honda’s predictably excellent build quality (the clunk as you shut the doors is one particular highlight) and the driving environment is as polished and cosseting as the best executive saloons.

"Couple all this with Honda’s excellent engines and a chassis that is more than capable of dealing with whatever heavy loads you throw at it, and you’re left with the best estate car we’ve driven in years, let alone the past 12 months."

To read our in depth road test of the Honda Accord Tourer [ click here ]