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Accord is big in comfort and price

Wednesday, 06 May 2009

HONDA do, I think, give appropriate names to their cars. I wrote recently about the Jazz, which was a fun model, then you have the family Civic and the massive Accord, which I was testing last week. The word 'accord' means 'agreement' and I must admit that I had a very agreeable and relaxing week in this motor, which falls into the large family saloon category. But after the recent budget there is no 'accord' in the country right now and with all the cutbacks and no scrappage scheme for our hard-pressed car sales people, it's going to be difficult to find e32,500, which is the price of the lowest priced model in the Accord range. Honda has been building the Accord since 1976 and there have been many different models for different continents. It was the first Japanese car to be built in the US in 1982 and the current model is the eight generation. Nearly all manufacturers claim that their new models are longer and wider than the model they replaced. This is also true of the Accord which is also lower than the last model, to give it a sleek, sporty look. Make no mistake about it, this is huge, comfortable motor with very attractive headlamps. An experienced mechanic told me the front reminded him of a Cadillac. The first thing you notice when you sit is the way your back and shoulders fits snugly into the driver's seat. I don't think I have ever experienced anything as comfortable. Then there is that sporty-looking steering wheel to grab on to with various slave controls. However, I found the main control panel on the dash a bit confusing. There are decent sized buttons for the volume and to select radio stations, but there was something about it that I didn't really like, just not user friendly enough. I have certainly seen better designs for the radio/heating controls, like any Audi or Ford for example. But a quick reference guide can be found in the glove compartment and it's very handy as it saves you having to read through the manual. The silver touch on the pedals added to the charm of the car and you also get a silver-plated foot-rest. The USB/iPod connector is located near the handbrake which makes it easily accessible for front or back seat passengers. The boot is large, but not very deep and has no spare wheel, just a repair kit. I drove a 2.0 petrol model which was fine, but I'm told that the new diesel engines are even better. Those of us who have experience of driving should know when to change gears. In case you forget to change gear in the Accord you a green light in the middle of the rev counter prompting you to go up or down a gear as required. Not really necessary, but a nice touch. As I said earlier prices start at e32,500 for the basic 2.0 model and go up to e40,425 for the top of the range 2.0 i-VTEC Executive Automatic. Often when I am struggling to write a few words on a new motor I take a walk to the window and view the latest model sitting in the driveway to try and get some inspiration. I did it again last week and I must admit I would love to leave the Accord sit there for more than a week! Overall, a very impressive motor, but the price is unlikely to be attractive to young first-time buyers. But if you have been driving around in an old banger for years and suddenly come into money, treat yourself.