Honda Accord 2.2i CTDi Sport Tourer

Author's product rating:   

Road Handling	Good
Comfort	Excellent
Features	Excellent
Looks	Good

Advantages:	Big reliable and responsive
Disadvantages:	Tight on the extras

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

As a company car owner I have played the field a bit with cars and have often been disappointed with Marques once I have driven them. Fords rattle, Rovers fall apart, and Mercedes were cramped and not good for a growing family. So I moved to Honda after Top Gear mentions on their reliability and for the first time I will be returning to the same car for my next one. I love this car!

Firstly, I am always doing projects around the house, and by flipping the back seats down, I can get wardrobes, fridges and timber into this car where others would fail. I have also got in all my camping equipment without a top box, where the Merc needed every inch filled plus the largest top box I could buy. The boot is like a black hole it just takes in everything!

The ride itself is comfort personified and the seats give support and a feeling of being at one with the car.

Economy is excellent and I have achieved a range of 600 miles on a tank of petrol once the air con is turned off and I use a light touch.

The cruise control has calmed my nerves whilst going through 10 miles of average speed control on an M4 contra flow and yet once that is released and the open road beckons the car roars away with a performance I thought was impossible from a diesel engine.

The CD player is a 6 CD shuffle and the sound quality is excellent, though I wish there was an I-pod attachment hole. The sat nav is good though the software could do with up dating as I traverse across supposed open fields and my passengers find the touch screen difficult to use when picking out letters.

Down sides are minimal, but I was disappointed to find that there was no first aid box even though a compartment was provided. I also found the glove compartment small, and the idea of putting a powerpoint inside the elbow box in the central dais of the car bizarre, especially as no point is available in the rear passenger section. Later on I found the leather on the drivers seat started to crack and wear thin, but this was replaced under the 3 year warranty with no gripes.

The final gripe is the lack of a spare and although I acknowledge the foam pump system may be smart, what happens if the tryre shreds? I would rather have a spare.

On the plus side lockable storage compartments both in the cabin and the rear of the car give extra security and storage areas keep revealing themselves like the tardis.

I would say this car is a must to consider, for people with busy lives, and sales people who carry samples, or even just people whio want to move pets around. It is stylish, smart and functional.

The length of times between services is 12500 miles and when I eventually went in for a service, I found it reasonably priced and the person by the counter when he booked me in said "I assume nothing needs doing, there never is" and that about sums up this car.