Honda Accord Euro (August 2008)

Euro's rising currency

Wheels Magazine
July, 2008

Yes, closed, the smell wafting from the open window of the drive-in fast-food place could just as well be Japan as Austria. Slices of deep-fried pork are, after all, common to the cuisine of both countries. Eyes open, it's definitely schnitzel-land outside. Equally certain is that the car I'm in is a product of the country where tonkatsu is eaten.

It's hard to pinpoint exactly what it is about Honda's second-generation Accord Euro that makes it unmistakably Japanese. Is it the impressive quality of the interior's materials and assembly? Or the logical and user-friendly layout of the instrument panel? Could it be something more subtle, such as the surfacing style used by the designers to add some visual interest to the car's exterior? Perhaps it's something to do with the treatment of details such as the front and rear lamp clusters? Could it simply be the smell of the car, which isn't totally overwhelmed by the fryer fragrance escaping the Schnitzel drive-in? Whatever it is, exactly, that gives the Accord Euro its flavour, Honda believes the revised recipe will satisfy appetites everywhere.

This car will compete in all the major markets. In North America it will be sold by Honda's upmarket division as the Acura TSX (to distinguish it from the bigger, designed-for-the-USA Honda Accord). In Europe (where the big Accord isn't offered) and Asia (the big Accord is sold in Japan, but is known as the Honda Inspire) it will be plain Honda Accord. Only in Australia (and New Zealand) will it be known as the Honda Accord Euro. The addition of ‘Euro' to the badge is made necessary because here the smaller Accord is sold alongside the big US-style Accord, both of them wearing Honda badges. Confusing, isn't it?

Despite its name, the new Accord Euro, like its predecessor, is manufactured in Japan. Equally confusing is that for the Australian market the US-style Accord is made in Thailand.

Still, it does make sense to launch the car in Austria. Europe as a whole is a massive market and the new Accord Euro is Honda's best-selling model. If it's to succeed, it needs to succeed here. In Austria, as in neighbouring Germany, people fly along autobahns at speeds that would be go-to-jail stuff in Australia. They also like to drive swiftly on narrow and winding roads through landscapes that are pure Sound of Music. And they want comfort on the rough, cobbled streets of ancient town centres. Making a car work well in such diverse conditions is unquestionably a challenge.

Despite Europe being a tight-fit driving environment - inner cities and country backroads especially - Honda chose to significantly enlarge the new Accord Euro.

It's 80mm wider, and 50mm longer on a wheelbase stretched by 35mm. With the all-new body structure, Honda's engineers aimed for increased body stiffness with the objective of improving safety, NVH (noise, vibration, harshness) levels, and handling.

Bolted to the all-new body are fairly sophisticated suspensions. At the front, as before, there are double A-arms, while down the back is a brand-new multi-link design. The biggest changes have been made to the steering. A fuel-saving electric-assist system has replaced the hydraulic set-up of the previous Accord Euro.

For Europe, and other markets, the new Accord Euro rolls out a suite of new (for Honda) active-safety technologies. Under the banner of ADAS (Active Driving Assist System) are ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control), LKAS (Lane Keeping Assist System) and CMBS (Collision Mitigation Brake System). This technically advanced set of technologies (see sidebar top right) is offered as an option in Europe, but won't be fitted to Australia-bound cars. Honda says extensive studies are required to fine-tune the systems before they're released to market, and cannot say when Australia's turn will come. They should hurry...

Only the powertrain of the second-gen Accord Euro is not new. Its 2.4-litre in-line four is an updated, uprated version of the engine seen in the 2003 first-gen model. Honda also uses reduced-power variants of the 2.4-litre in other models, including CR-V, Odyssey and the four-cylinder VTi version of the big, Thai-made Accord. So the engine is one of the company's most important and versatile.

Interestingly, Honda reserves the most athletic version for the Accord Euro. For the new model, it has thoroughly overhauled the cylinder head. Compression is up (from a high 10.5:1 to an even higher 11.0:1), inlet and exhaust valve diameters are increased, new cams deliver revised valve timing, and exhaust system back-pressure has been reduced. It's a pretty thorough factory tuning job on an already able engine.

The work yields increased maximum outputs of 147kW and 233Nm, up 7kW and 10Nm on the previous model. As before, the customer has a choice of six-speed manual or five-speed automatic transmissions. Both are outstanding, but 90 percent of Accord Euro customers apparently ignore the charms of the quick, light and precise manual and go for the smart- and smooth-shifting auto.

Fuel consumption in the Australian Government's official test is slightly reduced. Credit here is obviously due to the work on the engine, especially the efficiency-boosting increase in compression.

But the increase in power isn't enough to compensate in full for the increase in weight.

While Honda claims the body structure weighs the same as the previous model, despite increases in size and strength, the car as a whole is heavier than before. Depending on transmission and model grade, the increases range from around 90 to 140kg, or six to 10 percent. These are enough to slightly reduce the power-to-weight ratio of each variant in the new line-up.

Sure enough, during the European launch drive program, the five-speed auto in which I spent most time felt a little more languid when accelerating from rest than I remember on the previous model. Once rolling, however, the car felt familiar. The engine is smooth, quiet, and capable. The automatic transmission is equally smooth. It does a great job left in 'D', but the new model is equipped with steering wheel-mounted manual shift buttons for those who want to select gears themselves.

Most notable change of all is the great leap forward in refinement. The new Accord Euro is impressively quiet. Even at autobahn speeds there's little to be heard from the engine, wind noise is subdued and very little hiss and thump from the tyres makes it to occupants' ears.

The new electric steering system is its glaring dynamic deficiency. At high speed it feels like there's a strange, electric notch in the steering rack at the straight-ahead position. While a little more natural at lower speeds on winding roads, its weighting is awfully inconsistent. Honda promises it will look at improving the steering before full production commences.

Despite this, the Honda's handling and ride are a cut above average. The car responds very sweetly to the flawed steering, and adopts a nicely balanced, mildly understeery attitude when pushed through corners. This core competence isn't at the expense of ride. The new Accord Euro's low-speed ride is especially good, and over cobbles, it verges on serene.

While it's always dangerous to assume that what works in Europe will work equally well in Australia, the new Accord Euro does seem to possess most of the basic attributes required for success here. Prices will rise, but only by a little (our guess is that the basic Accord Euro with six-speed manual will be $35,000 and the top Luxury-spec with auto around $45,000), so value shouldn't be a problem. Especially considering the extra money buys a slightly larger and much more refined car, with a spacious, nicely crafted interior and seemingly sound (reserving judgement on the steering) dynamics.

As in the kitchen, it's not only the ingredients that make the result. The skill of the cook counts for a lot, too. With the new Accord Euro, Honda has served up another creation that seems certain to preserve the company's reputation for being more haute cuisine than fast food.

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