Honda takes Accord upmarket

Honda is moving upmarket with its new Accord and setting its sights on cars such as the Audi A4, the Alfa Romeo 156 and the Volvo S60. Keen to distance itself from the mainstream fleet entrants such as the Opel Vectra and Ford Mondeo, it even has aspirations to compete with BMW and Mercedes

It's a tough task and calls for some sacrifices and repositioning.

Yet it should not be scoffed at. This is after all a car whose predecessors have been among the most popular passenger cars in the US.

As part of the move upmarket, Honda has chosen to remove the base 1.8-litre engine unit from the range.

Now built solely in Japan and shipped to Europe, the seventh generation of the Accord model, which debuted in 1976, is now available with only 2-litre 155bhp and 2.4-litre 190bhp units. Prices at present begin at €32,595, though an "entry-level" version costing €31,495 will be available in April. Prices for the 2.4-litre version range from €37,450 to €40,725.

The move away from the 1.8-litre market will come at a price to Honda, in terms of a reduction in sales, due largely to the fall-off in demand by fleet and rental customers, for whom the 1.8-litre unit was their engine of choice.

Honda is hoping that the base prices for the 2-litre will attract some of these customers to move up with the Accord to the premium end. However, its Irish distributors says market research has shown there will be a drop of in sales.

According to Frank Kennedy, marketing director of Irish distributors Universal Honda, he is expecting to sell about 450 units for the rest of the year, of which 325 will be 2-litre saloons, 75 will be 2.4-litre saloons and 50 will be Tourer estates (available from late July or early August and launched at the current Geneva Motor Show). Hopes are for sales of 550-600 Accords for the full year. At present there are no plans for the performance Type R version.

The move upmarket is also expected to result in an increase in the number of automatics sold, with Kennedy estimating automatics to make up 25-30 per cent of overall sales.

We tested both petrol versions of the saloon and found the the 2.4-litre version particularly sharp with a firmer suspension than the 2-litre option. On the windy mountain roads of Wicklow we found it impressive and the engine works particularly well with the nice short-throw 6-speed gearbox, standard on all 2.4-litre Accords. Overall, we found the larger-engined version a more appealing prospect.

The new car features a completely revised suspension and a new chassis.

In terms of design, the new Accord bears a striking resemblance at the front to the Mazda6 while its square rear carries certain Saab 9-3 or even Alfa Romeo 156 characteristics.

It also looks larger, too, although it's only a tenth of an inch longer and about an inch wider than its predecessor.

Internally the layout is within fighting distance of its new premium competitors and the LED instrumentation is easy to read.

Rear boot space is large, though loading is impeded slightly by a high sill.

Honda has clearly decided to focus on creating a car with Germanic build quality and said as much at the car's Irish launch.

Time will tell if it can steal some share from the higher end of the market.