Honda is a company that likes to do its own thing. Just as the trend for sleek, 'sportback' style estate cars seems to have waned, the company pitches in with its Accord Tourer, perhsps reasoning that with most manufacturers looking to build big holdalls, a gap in the market may open for something slinky and stylish. They may well have a point.

Despite the seeming lack of logic that surrounds an estate car that can hold less bags than its saloon sibling, it seems the public bought into the concept. For some years, this was a very modish sector for car manufacturers to be in but then the wind seemed to change, indulgence and style became dirty words and solid practicality was once again what sold medium range estate cars. Honda believes that this needn't be the case and in the rather sassy silhouette of its Accord Tourer, it clearly believes that there remains a market for stylish albeit rather limited estate models.

Of course there have been estate versions of the Accord before and the outgoing model was a rather ostentatiously styled thing, but the latest car aims to be a vehicle that buyers could choose instead of an entry level BMW 3 Series Touring or Audi A4 Avant. That may be a stretch.

If you're going to buy an estate car, chances are that it will need a decent engine and the big story with this generation Accord is an all-new diesel unit that Honda calls the i-DTEC. Generating 149bhp at 4,000rpm, it's more refined than the old 138bhp i-CTDi engine and also beats it in terms of emissions and fuel economy. With a peak torque figure of 350Nm, it's also extremely punchy. Otherwise there are two petrol engines, starting with the 155bhp 2.0-litre i-VTEC with its revised valve lift and timing and better gas flow. Or there's a 198bhp 2.4-litre i-VTEC unit which has also had a good deal of internal revision to make that power figure without recourse to turbocharging. All engines are mated to six-speed manual gearboxes, while the petrol units have the option of a five-speed auto.

"This Tourer's rising window line gives it an edgier, more dynamic look."

Honda benchmarked the BMW 3 Series Touring in the development of this Accord, but then most manufacturers benchmark BMW. It's how close they come that matters. The centre of gravity of the latest Accord is lower, the track across the axles is wider, body rigidity is improved and variable rate damping and revised multilink rear suspension also assist agility. A quicker ratio steering rack also features. These are all solid improvements but none are ground breaking. The Accord differentiates itself from the opposition in other ways.

If you were expecting a state of the art loading system at the back of the Accord Tourer, you may well come away disappointed. Load space is actually reduced by some 14 per cent compared to the outgoing car and the rear suspension also intrudes at the sides of the floor, robbing the Tourer of a clean, square bay. The tumblehome - the amount the side windows angle inwards - is also quite marked. The exterior isn't going to shock too many customers. The latest generation is lower and far wider, has a more aggressive, hunkered down stance, and more pugnacious wheel arches. The V-shaped front grille and sculpted headlamps give the Accord some serious rear-view mirror presence and the Tourer's rising window line gives it an edgier, more dynamic look.

The cabin has been improved, ridding the Accord of the rather reedy, lightweight feel of older versions. The dashboard extends from the centre console to sweep around the front seats, giving the Accord's interior some character. The dash features floating backlit instruments with an LCD information screen housed in the middle of the speedometer dial. The dash could use a central controller to rid it of all the buttons though. Honda has spent a big proportion of the budget on the front seats, being at the same time more supportive and better able to dampen vibration.

The Honda Accord Tourer range is priced from around £20,000 and kicks off with the entry-level ES model. The version that most customers will buy, the ES GT, comes after that - which includes 17-inch alloy wheels, half-leather seats, cruise control, aero kit, sports suspension and climate control. Meanwhile, EX grades come as standard with DVD sat nav, Bluetooth hands free telephone, full leather seats, electric/heated front seats, rear parking camera and a premium 6CD stereo. Continuing Honda's quest to bring E-sector advanced technology to lower segments, Honda's hi-tech ADAS Pack is available as an option, adding Collision Mitigation Braking (a first for this D-sector), as well as Lane Keep Assist, Advanced Cruise Control and HID lights. Comparing prices? Well, model for model, you're looking at a saving of around £2,000 on a comparable Audi A4.

Honda's ace in the hole with the last Accord was its high-tech equipment and myriad of options that sounded as if they'd just rolled straight off the floor at the Consumer Electronics Show. This version is no different. The Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA) and Collision Mitigation Braking System (CMBS) are just a couple of acronyms to get you started. Then there's that optional ADAS system, at its best when combined with the Lane Keeping Assist System (LKAS).

While British car buyers have become accustomed to hearing manufacturer assertions that their latest generation engines are more powerful but at the same time more economical and cleaner, Honda's can't claim a clean sweep on that score. A combined economy figure of 50.4mpg for the i-DTEC Accord means it's a couple of miles per gallon thirstier than its predecessor, but it is more powerful and the car it's propelling is a good deal larger. Besides, 50mpg is a very decent return, the benchmark car in this sector, the BMW 320d Touring, not quite managing this despite its EfficientDynamics measures.

The i-DTEC diesel engine is claimed to be so clean it meets the US's stringent 'EPA Tier II Bin 5' emissions standards with out requiring special (and expensive) modifications such as the NoX-reducing urea injection system that Mercedes needed to fit to its US-bound Bluetec diesel engines. This, however, translates to carbon dioxide figures of 148g/km which are relatively mediocre. By contrast, an Audi A4 Avant 2.0 TDI SE, a car Honda likes to benchmark, emits a markedly superior 128g/km and the BMW 320d Touring the same 128g/km. Honda is clearly off the pace in this one key area.

The overriding question with this car is that if you're buying an estate car for style purposes, do you buy one with a Honda Accord badge on the back? I would expect that most style-conscious buyers would prefer something with a premium German badge on it and be prepared to pay more for the privilege. That's not to denigrate Honda's technical achievement with the latest Accord in any way, merely to ponder for a moment their understanding of buyer dynamics. The Accord Tourer is smaller but better to drive than its predecessor, helped by a great diesel engine. Its styling will do it no harm either.

In the final assessment, Honda is campaigning in a market sector that some others have abandoned. It sits midway between mainstream cars like 407s and Mondeos and the premium compact executive models like the Audi A4 Avant and the BMW 3 Series Touring. It's a car built around compromise. A worthy and interesting car, but one that's not perhaps as focused as it could have been.

TOP 5 ACCORD DEALS

The results below show the top ACCORD deals on buyacar

	Honda Accord 2.2 i-DTEC EX 5dr Tourer Estate
	ETR	Mthly £448	Saving £1,910	Price £23,485
	Honda Accord 2.2 i-DTEC ES GT 5dr Tourer Estate
	ETR	Mthly £403	Saving £1,717	Price £21,528
	Honda Accord 2.0 i-VTEC ES 5dr Tourer Estate
	ETR	Mthly £361	Saving £1,476	Price £19,119
	Honda Accord 2.2 i-DTEC ES GT 5dr [Sat Nav] Tourer Estate
	ETR	Mthly	Saving £1,816	Price £22,529
	Honda Accord 2.4 i-VTEC EX 5dr Tourer Estate
	ETR	Mthly £436	Saving £1,833	Price £22,762

typical 11.67% APR

PCP finance quote over 48 months,  10,000 miles pa,  deposit of £1000