Test Drive: HONDA Accord Tourer 2.4 i-VTEC - 2010

Manufactured since 1976, the Accord has become one of the main stars in the Honda lineup over the years. Initially presented as an entry-level hatchback in the mid-size segment, the Accord has evolved into two separate entities, depending on the market it's being sold on. To be more explicit, the North american Accord is now completely different from the car bearing the very same name in Europe and Japan.

We're going to center on the European version of it, the one which has entered its eighth generation for almost two years now. Unlike the North American variant, the European one is still competing in the mid-size segment, albeit in the larger half of it.

In other words, the latest Euro Accord is almost as long as a previous generation 5 Series or an E-Klasse, but its main competitors are still the mid-size Volkswagen Passat, Ford Mondeo, Mazda 6, Peugeot 407, Citroen C5 and Renault Laguna. The longer length and wheelbase are obvious advantages in the competition for who has the largest interior space, and the new Accord has plenty of it.

For a car that's not exactly luxurious, the Accord can now be even better equipped than some of the German triumvirate of mid-size premium sedans (Audi A4, BMW 3 Series and Mercedes-Benz C-Klasse). To put it differently, the Accord can now pose some real premium aspirations, but without the premium image.

To see how the latest mid-size offering from Honda stacks against it competition (and not only), we took a fully decked-out Accord to the test. With the intent to make it even more interesting, our test car was a Tourer and it was equipped with the most powerful engine in the line-up, the 2.4-liter high-revving four banger. Read on to find out what we really thought about it.

After the Honda Civic took everyone by surprise with keeping more than 99% of the concept's appearance in its production form, most people were expecting a similarly bold take on design from the Accord as well. Sadly, the latest Euro Accord sports more of a an evolution of the old one than a groundbreaking design line.

Sir May B. Bach's Opinion

So, now you've started a crusade in order to... ahem... discredit me. A hearse? From Honda? Are you kidding me? Why would I ever be caught driving a thing like this? I mean, even after I eventually die, I don't want to be driven in a hearse. I've already instructed my heirs not to bury me, nor cremate me. I want to be... ahem... cryogenized!
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Despite having more "premium car" aspirations, the latest Honda Accord doesn't quite make the grade when it comes to the interior, or at least not in absolutely every chapter. The quality of the plastic bits found on the center console is a bit questionable when comparing it to an Audi or a Mercedes-Benz, albeit similar to a BMW. The quality and the softness of the leather trimming on the seats and on the inside of the doors, on the other hand, sure beats the standard leather option found in the 3-Series.

3D Interior Panorama

>> Click to view the interior panorama

Since our test car was equipped with the highly-acclaimed 2.4-liter four-cylinder VTEC engine, but with a rather old five-speed automatic transmission, we didn't expect much from its in-city mileage In theory, coupling a high-revving engine that has little low-end torque with an "old-school" automatic transmission is not the best idea to achieve a good fuel economy in heavy traffic.

Lou Cheeka's Opinion

Well, this is an inappropriate color for a station wagon, wouldn't you think? I know I'm not the most fain-hearted person around here, but come on now. A black station wagon? Didn't it look like a hearse enough, it had to raise a couple of flags and yell at the audience?
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The open road is where the fun should begin whenever talking about a Honda with a VTEC engine that achieves its maximum power at a stratospheric 7000 rpm. As you probably guessed from reading the other chapters, we weren't exactly impressed with the car's five-speed transmission, especially from a sporty point of view.

Mary's Opinion

And to think that I first wanted to get in the back instead of jumping at the wheel. Hearse-looking, black, tinted windows? Can someone actually blame me for not wanting to get at the wheel? No, I don't have a death wish or anything, it's just that I'd better be behind the tinted windows of a car like this than be seen actually driving it.
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After experiencing the highly comfortable and ergonomic seats in the Opel Insignia, which by chance sits in the same segment as the Honda Accord, we were thinking there's no way that another car at a similar price could be the same. Turns out we were wrong, since the Accord we drove also benefits from spectacularly comfortable front seats.

They provide an unusual compromise between supportive and plush, while at the same time benefiting from electrical adjustments and two-stage heating through the perforated leather. So, without getting the seal of approval from an international orthopedic organization like the Opel Insignia, the Accord can provide similar seating comfort without forgetting sportiness and lateral support.

As we mentioned earlier, the interior space is more than enough for four or even five fully-grown adults and their luggage, as long as they travel light(ish). There are also enough interior pockets for depositing various stuff required for long-distance traveling, while the glove compartment can be cooled via the dual-zone automatic climate control system.

The suspension setup provides a nice mix between comfortable driving and subtle dynamism, while the 17-inch wheels with "adequate" tire side walls are also a compromise between looks, sportiness and comfort. On the whole, the Accord Tourer equipped with the Executive trim level is in a class of its own when it comes to comfort, especially when thinking it only costs 30,000 euros in most European countries.

After first experimenting the Accord Tourer Executive first from press brochures and then in the dealer's parking lot, we weren't exactly impressed with the level of premium features found on it, so naturally we assumed that most of the R&D money went in the mechanical and electronic bits you can't actually see on the spot. Man we were right!

OK, so the engine hood has to sit up with the help of a prop instead of a gas or oil strut like almost any other "executive" vehicle out there, but every other mechanical bit is downright in "premium" territory. Let's start with the engine, which is probably the car's main high point from the technical point of view.

With 201 horsepower at 7000 rpm and a torque figure of 234 Nm (172.6 lb ft), the 2.4-liter four-cylinder doesn't waste any time informing you it has Honda racing pedigree. High revs, intelligent VTEC (Variable Valve Timing and Lift Electronic Control) and a sound that's completely inappropriate (in the good way) for a family station wagon.

Sure, it doesn't have direct injection or some other fancy system found on more modern contraptions of its kind, but the biggest four-cylinder in the Honda line-up is no bad apple. Keep in mind we're talking about Honda here, who is currently still leading when it comes to most internally-combustion engines manufactured per year.

We didn't find too many nice things to say about the five-speed automatic transmission on the other hand. Long(ish) gearshifts, slow kick down feature, high fuel consumption and pretty power hungry. Considering it's also been coupled with an engine that goes best when kept above 4-5000 rpm - and automatics don't exactly like high revs - the five-speed auto isn't the best choice of transmission.

Other than that, the Accord Tourer 2.4 Executive is a little above average when it comes to technology, but it doesn't quite excel since at this chapter we're not taking into account the CMBS and LKAS systems.

If we were to only talk about the "regular" gadgets found on our test car it probably wouldn't receive too much of a good mark at this chapter. Sure, it has HID-xenon headlights with a light sensor, rain sensor, a dual-zone climate control system, electrically adjustable and two-stage heated front seats with memory and a nice electrically-operated sunroof. When talking about a car in this segment, this kind of gadgetry list is no longer impressive but common.

What really makes the Accord Tourer we tested really stand out are two safety systems which almost take over all driver functions while on the highway. In other words, both of them can be regarded as really helpful gadgets which can really lift the Accord above the "popular" cars in its segment, like the Ford Mondeo, Mazda 6 and/or Volkswagen Passat.

The first one is called the Honda CMBS (Collision Mitigation Braking System), which is somewhat of a lesser auto-braking feature that could only be found on executive cars like the Mercedes-Benz S-Klasse, Lexus LS or even the Honda Legend/Acura RL until a couple of years ago.

It works by using a small radar which continuously scans the road up ahead for slower cars, at which point it uses up to three stages of warnings to get you out of a more serious impact. If a slower car cuts you off on the highway the CMBS (if activated) will subsequently resort to audible and visual warnings in order for the driver to "wake up" and jump on the brakes. If the first warning is ignored, the second stage will call for the driver's seatbelt pretensioner to tug a couple of times as a tactile warning.

If the collision becomes unavoidable, the CMBS system will automatically tighten the front seat belts and start applying the brakes on its own in order to minimize the severity of the impending impact. In other words, at the final stage it acts as a so-called virtual crumple zone. Pretty neat stuff, especially in this segment!

The second useful safety gadget is called LKAS (Lane Keeping Assist System), and, if activated, can use up to 80% of the car's steering torque to keep the car in its lane during highway driving, To do this, it uses a windshield-mounted camera which monitors the road looking for the white lines used to divide lanes. To calculate how much steering input is required it uses a small computer which uses factors such as vehicle speed, steering input and yaw angle.

As we mentioned before, in a perfect world these two systems wouldn't even require driver input in order for the car to take a drive on the highway, but we wouldn't suggest to anyone to trust on them with their lives.

Being technically a family car with just a pinch of testosterone under the hood, the Accord Tourer should also be safe in order to be considered by heads of families, right? Right. Well, the Accord doesn't disappoint at this chapter. It passed the new and improved EuroNCAP crash test with flying colors (read: five stars) and top marks.

With a sturdy body and intelligent crumple zones, the Accord is also equipped in standard with six airbags (two dual-stage frontal ones, two side/thorax airbags in the front and two head airbags that go from the front to the rear of the car). So, as far as passive safety goes, the car has plenty of features.

Apart from those, the active safety bits make it much, much safer than your average station wagon. Of course, the usual anti-lock braking system and electronic stability control are present, but our test car was also fitted with the CMBS (Collision Mitigation Braking System) and LKAS (Lane Keeping Assist System), which are the ones that really make the difference.

So, a car that has five EuroNCAP stars, it's packed with airbags and has the best active safety systems currently available on the market could only score very well at this test drive chapter. Which it obviously did.

Offering a pretty good mix of very Honda-like invigorating handling, a cool, high-revving engine, good comfort and great safety, we couldn't have asked for many more things from a family station wagon. To make things clearer, what really stands out in the Honda Accord Tourer we tested is the overall package, giving you safety and comfort without forgetting the fun part in driving.

As we mentioned earlier, the five speed automatic transmission our car was fitted with isn't exactly the best we ever drove. It's not exactly sluggish, but judging from the amount of power available at the crank and the car's pretty slim weight, the performance should have been much, much better. And we're talking about both acceleration times and fuel consumption.

The only ugly bit we could find with the Accord Tourer was probably its design and color. Well, not the design per se, but considering it was a black station wagon you couldn't win too many hearts with it. As you probably also saw in our guest editors' opinion sections, the "hearse jokes" got old pretty fast.