Honda ACCORD TOURER RANGE
There Arent Many Desirable Medium Range Estate Cars That Compile Style With Sense. Is Hondas Accord Tourer One Of Them? Jonathan Crouch Decides.
Hondas Accord Tourer. That name gives it away doesnt it? You would expect this to be one of those compromised lifestyle compact executive estates, a car with little more room to offer than your average family hatchback. Well, lifestyle it is, but compromised it isnt.
Its about time someone came up with a car like this one. Surely its not beyond the wit of the average auto designer to create something thats both stylish and practical? Until this car arrived, wed begun to wonder. Buyers either chose something practical like a Mondeo Estate or opted for a sleeker hatchback with a backpack like an
Audi A4 Avant. Lots of manufacturers claim to be able to offer estate cars with the best of both worlds but almost all disappoint, if not aesthetically, then against the tape measure.
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So lets judge this one. Well leave assessment on the styling to you but most will probably feel more than comfortable with an Accord Tourer gracing their driveway. It has a distinct, almost
Alfa Romeo 156 Sportwagon look though without that cars severely compromised loading capacity. Mind you, were not talking grandfather clocks here.
The wheelbase of the Tourer has been increased by only 50mm over that of its saloon stablemate and the increase in overall body length is only an extra 85mm. No use expecting a van-like loading bay then. Still, a load volume of 576 litres with all the seats in place is no mean achievement for this class of car: thats over 100 litres more than the more ordinary
Renault Laguna Sport Tourer can manage for example. This has been achieved through changing the design of the 5-link rear suspension so that both dampers and springs are positioned separately: as a result, the width between the wheel housings is dramatically increased. The total volume of 921 litres with the rear seats folded is rather less impressive, but compensation does come in the form of a clever One Motion system for easy access of what space there is. The idea is that collapsing everything into a folded position should be a simple, quick, one-action, one-handed operation. As most estate car owners will know, thats not usually the case.
To access all of the loadspace, youve to detach the rear head restraints and pull up the rear
seat cushions before you can fold the rear backrest forward. Its a fiddly, time-consuming operation.
"Life and Style dont have to be incompatible"
But not here. Positioned on top of the 60:40-split rear seat backs are the operating catches, one either side of the car. To fold either seat section, you simply pull the lever forward which simultaneously releases the seat back lock and automatically flips the headrest forward via an interlocking cable. You then continue to pull the seatback forward and, since this is interconnected with the seat base via a sliding linkage, the effect of this action is to flip the seat base up automatically into a vertical position behind the front seat. Since the headrest is flipped forward, it comfortably clears the seat base.
Theres no messing about with seatbelts and anchor points either, since everything is integrally designed into the seat mechanism. Easy. Mind you, as
Honda well knows, the One Motion system will be called into operation quite rarely (one reason why the relatively low total seats folded luggage capacity of this car shouldnt hurt sales too much). Buyers in this sector attach greater emphasis to the size and versatility of the estate compartment itself.
Fortunately, considerable thought has been given to this too. Take the 49-litre compartment set into the rear half of the luggage floor. Its covered with a flush-fitting lockable lid that rises automatically 45 degrees so that you can easily access the contents. On either side of this compartment are two further lids that cover additional storage space.
There are a couple of tricks missed here though: the tailgate glass doesnt open for easy storage of smaller items. Nor, a la
BMW 5 Series Touring, does the loading floor slide out on rollers for easy access or impromptu tailgate picnics. Still, you cant have everything or at least thats what we thought until we came across the power-operated tailgate, standard on plusher Executive models. All right, so this is perhaps a bit extravagant, but you can easily see the likely benefit were you to arrive back at the car fully laden in a wet and windy carpark.
No need to place your shopping in a puddle while you filthy your hands on the tailgate catch: just click a button on the keyfob and the tailgate will open or close in between five and ten seconds. Should you activate it from some way away and fail to notice that a car is parked right behind, then it doesnt matter: sensors reverse the motor should the tailgate meet any resistance. Moreover, should the motor fail, you can open and close manually as normal. In fact, you might choose to do that anyway, only using the motorised part of the operation for the final section of closing a useful feature if, for example, you dont want to wake a sleeping child by slamming the tailgate. As with the Accord saloon, theres a somewhat restricted engine choice on offer just at present.
No entry-level 1.8 and no petrol V6. Buyers have to decide between 154bhp 2.0-litre, 188bhp 2.
4-litre units and 138bhp CTDi diesels priced from £17,730. Whether you see this as a bit pricey or impressive value for money will depend on whether you end up mentally positioning the car against Mondeo Estates and Laguna Sports Tourers or lifestylers like BMWs 3 Series Touring or Audis A4 Avant. No prizes for guessing what perspective Honda has. Mind you, take into account both power and equipment and you can make a decent argument for an Accord Tourer even against humdrum opposition.
All models are fitted with alloy wheels, dual zone climate control, a 6-speaker CD-based stereo and front, side and curtain airbags. Nice touches like the outside temperature indicator and the 3D dashboard illumination are also welcome, as are sensible ergonomics. The grouping of the stereo and air conditioning controls is exemplary and the multiple storage bins are similarly easy to access. Overall, this Honda makes probably the best fist yet of combining style with sense in this sector of the market.
Life and Style dont have to be incompatible.
FACTS AT A GLANCE
CAR: Honda Accord Tourer range
PRICES: £17,730-£22,730 - on the road
INSURANCE GROUPS: 11-14
CO2 EMISSIONS: 176-216g/km
PERFORMANCE: [2.4] 0-60mph 7.9s / Max Speed 141mph
FUEL CONSUMPTION: [2.0] (urban) 28.0mpg / (extra urban) 47.9mpg / (combined) 28.2mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin front, side and curtain airbags / ABS with EBD
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: length/width/height 4665/1910/1415 mm
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