Honda Accord saloon

Drive

There's a choice of two petrol engines - 2.0- and 2.4-litre - or a 2.2-litre turbodiesel. The 2.0 petrol has 154bhp and is quite smooth, while the 2.4 is similar but it's much more powerful with 198bhp, so it's very brisk. Our choice is the 2.2-litre i-DTEC diesel engine, though. It's one of the best diesel engines on sale, as there's loads of pulling power and 148bhp available, but it's quiet and smooth at the same time. The Accord is very agile with precise steering and minimal body roll. It's not quite as impressive as the BMW 3 Series to drive, but it's a fine alternative.

Comfort

The cabin is very hushed: wind noise is virtually non-existent and the engines - particularly the diesel - are extremely quiet and smooth. The ride is comfortable on the motorway, though it is slightly firm and there's a small amount of judder over rough surfaces, but for the most part the Accord is very impressive.

Reliability

A five-star Euro NCAP rating makes the Accord one of the safest cars in its class. It also comes with electronic stability control as standard, as well as six airbags and anti-whiplash front headrests. Build quality is excellent, as is reliability. The Accord is too new to have featured in 2010's Driver Power survey, but its predecessor finished 16th out of 100 cars. Honda came an impressive second in the 2010 JD Power Satisfaction survey, while the Accord ranked fifth out of individual cars, which underlines its reliability.

Practicality

The boot has 467 litres of space available with the rear seats in place, which is good, but far from the class best. The boot opening is quite narrow too, so it restricts access more than rivals do. The rear seats split and fold in a 60/40 configuration and there are large door pockets up front as well as a storage area in the front arm rest.

Value for money

On the face of it the Accord is priced keenly, as it undercuts executive rivals like the BMW 3 Series and Audi A4 by a fair bit, but it's quite pricey in comparison to cars like the Ford Mondeo and Volkswagen Passat, which are also competitors. Resale values are relatively strong, so it's a decent long-term investment. All Accords are well equipped and even the entry-level ES model gets automatic climate control, cruise control, electric windows, electric heated mirrors, a CD stereo with MP3 player connection and remote central locking.

Running costs

The 2.4-litre petrol engine is quite expensive to run at 32.1mpg, and with emissions of 209g/km you're looking at £245 per year to tax it. The 2.0 petrol is more acceptable with 38.7mpg and 174g/km (£180 a year), but the diesel is by far the cheapest of the lot to run with 50.4mpg and 148g/km, so Road Tax is much easier to swallow at £125 per year. Insurance is average and ranges from group 22 to 27.