Review of the new Honda Accord 2.2 i-CTDi Range

Hindsight's a fantastic thing. Looking back, Honda's decision to ignore the fledgling diesel market and instead concentrate on petrol engines with intelligent valve timing systems must have been one of the costlier management decisions in recent automotive history. Maybe it wasn't up there with BMW thinking Rover looked a sound bet but it's not far short. As medium-range diesel sales in Europe skyrocketed, the Honda Accord was left high and dry with no product to offer. Eating humble corporate pie, Honda belatedly ushered in Accord diesels. You might expect them to be a couple of years behind the game. Think again.

This is Honda after all, a company that can - and does - do miraculous things with engines just because it can. You want an engine that revs to 9,000rpm and sounds better than an F1 car? How about a high-tech petrol electric hybrid that offers punchy acceleration and almost negligible fuel consumption? Again, not a problem for Honda. Therefore when it comes to producing a very clever diesel engine, they've managed to muscle in among the front rankers with very little bother. This time around, however, things have become personal. The man in charge of the turbo diesel engine project is Honda's Senior Chief Engineer Kenichi Nagahiro. He's the same man who created the VTEC concept that ultimately led the company up a slight dead end in this corner of the market, so Honda are putting a lot of faith in his engineering genius to pull them through. First impressions are that he's proved a safe pair of hands.

The engine that powers the Accord 2.2 i-CTDi - to use the full nomenclature - is also available in the Civic, the CR-V and the FR-V - an indication of how highly it's regarded at Honda. No longer is the Accord regarded as Vectra/Mondeo/Laguna fodder, instead Honda are pitching it as a superior quality proposition going against rivals like Audi's A4 and the BMW 3-Series. Available in both saloon and Tourer body styles, the 2.2 diesel cranks out a hefty 138bhp at 4,000rpm and is one of the more refined powerplants of its type. Extensive soundproofing and thicker window glass help to isolate the diesel grumble and it's genuinely tricky to aurally differentiate it from a petrol engine at normal cruising speeds.

"When it comes to producing a very clever diesel engine, they've managed to muscle in among the front rankers with very little bother."

You'll know it's a diesel when you put your foot down. The 340Nm of torque means that it's the most torquey Honda engine currently available and it even puts the legendary NSX sportster in the shade. Mid-range acceleration is very crisp and typical motorway speeds see the engine revolving at a very restrained gait. The sprint to 60mph will detain you for just 9.2 seconds in the saloon or 9.9 seconds if you're hauling the additional bulk of the Tourer. Emissions are another area where the Honda excels, complying with the tough Euro IV regulations. The figures of 143 and 153g/km for the saloon and Tourer respectively are excellent given that the Accord is such a substantial feeling vehicle.

Diesel prices start at £18,600 and there's a choice of SE, Sport GT and EX grades. In recent times, the Accord has had a few styling tweaks, the most obvious of which is the wide chromed bar running across the front grille where before there was none. The front and rear bumpers have also been subtly resculpted and the sides of the car look a little swoopier, thanks in no small part to the fitment of side skirts. The Tourer estate model gets a little more chrome around the rear end to give a more upmarket look and there are some revised alloy wheel designs along with an expanded palette of colours to choose from. Hardly major reasons to beat a path to your Honda dealer.

It's what's happened under the surface that's a whole lot more interesting and represents the reason why Honda have really differentiated this Accord. Basically they've thrown a whole bunch of technology at it, allowing customers access to some seriously advanced features, the like of which were the stuff of show cars only a few years ago. Some other inclusions we're getting used to on plenty of other cars but are welcome additions. The Vehicle Stability Assist (VAS) and Drive-By-Wire (DBW) throttle system are just a couple of acronyms to get you started. There's also the option of VASN. Any guesses on that one? Voice Activated Satellite Navigation is your answer there although how it will cope with the profanities I end up directing at most sat nav systems is still open to conjecture. Next up is HFT. That's a Hands Free Telephone kit. The really interesting stuff comes with Honda's ADAS system.

It's vaguely unsettling at first. Relax your hands on the wheel of Honda's ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance System) equipped Accord at motorway speeds and you'll feel the car taking over. The steering nudges the car into the centre of its lane all by itself while the accelerator modulates itself, keeping a respectable distance between you and the car in font. It may not drive itself, but it's enormously impressive.

The Accord is the most convincing pretender aiming to make the leap from mainstream to premium product positioning and this diesel engine does its chances no harm. With its aura of quality, reputation for engineering excellence and sharpened styling, the Accord is off to a good start. Factor in an engine that's a sure fire hit and you end up with nothing less than a five-star car.

TOP 5 ACCORD DEALS

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Honda Accord 2.2 i-DTEC ES 4dr Diesel Saloon
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