Category: Large Family 
Price Range: £18,893 to £24,422
Great diesel engine; comfy seats and smooth ride; much-improved and more dynamic to drive than ever before.
Uninspiring petrol engines; confusing and fussy dashboard layout; dull looks; more expensive; Tourer less spacious and versatile than before.
A good car, but not a great one.
Honda may not have created an ultimate driving machine here - and there are no plans for a Type-R version, apparently - but the Accord is still a pretty fine drive.
The steering has more feel than before, with quicker ratios lock to lock, and the car is better balanced and more agile thanks to a lowered centre of gravity, wider track, improved body rigidity and new suspension layouts (double-wishbone at the front and multi-link at the rear).
The Accord's not necessarily an easy car to drive, however: there are several blind spots (the rear windscreen is shallow and strangely angled in both saloon and Tourer) and the new dashboard layout is confusing and over-complex. The driver is faced with banks of switches, LEDs, dials within dials, display screens, electronic gauges and levers - it's a case of information overload. The integral sat nav is quite simple to fathom, thankfully.
The diesel engine (150bhp/258lb-ft) is the most appealing option by a considerable margin. It delivers 131mph and 0-60mph in 9.6 seconds (9.8 for the Tourer) and has loads of mid-range strength; it pulls well in every gear, yet always remains quiet and civilised. It's particularly good at motorway speeds, but it's fun for fast B-road progress as well. Now with a particulate filter, its emissions have been much-reduced, too.
With the diesel so good, there's little cause to choose a petrol: the 2.4 (200bhp/187lb-ft) is clearly initially quick off the mark but it sounds rough and coarse when pushed, and it lacks the flexibility of the diesel. The 2.0 (156bhp/142lb-ft) is adequate, but not terribly inspiring. Both petrol engines can be ordered with an automatic gearbox; this seems to work better with the 2.0-litre for relaxed cruising than with the 2.4, which is best enjoyed with the six-speed manual 'box.
The automatic gearbox is a straightforward five-speed auto; there are steering wheel-mounted paddleshifts, but the transmission software doesn't allow for anything too imaginative or daring - the 'manual' gearchanges are only a kickdown-type function to shift down a gear for extra revs when desired, rather than an imitation of the stick-shift experience. An auto 'box will be optional with the diesel engine from early 2009, too.
