The Honda Accord Tourer is a practical and versatile estate that manages to look good and be family friendly. Honda’s designers were given a brief to come up with a sleeker profile and they’ve succeeded with a classy looking tourer with a purposeful face and a tapering rear end.
Honda Accord Tourer Car Review Summary
The latest Honda Accord Tourer marks a change of direction with style joining substance at the top of the list of priorities for the Japanese company’s designers. They have managed to achieve this without losing the practicality that was one of the previous model’s main virtues. There are four powerplants to choose from – 154bhp 2.0-litre and 198bhp 2.4-litre petrols, as well as the 148bhp and 177bhp 2.2-litre diesels. They are all smooth and strong linked to either a six-speed manual gearbox or a five-speed automatic optional with either of the petrol engines or the less powerful diesel. The diesel engines in particular pull like a train and are pretty nippy away from the traffic lights.
Practicality
Most of the elements that made the previous Honda Accord Tourer such an easy-to-live with motor – such as the vertical tailgate operated at the touch of a button – have been retained so the estate remains a practical option for family motoring. The cabin is a pleasant place to spend a long journey with the coupe-like shape not impinging on headroom. There is an effect on the amount of luggage space however as the Accord Tourer can’t match the huge boots of some rivals.
The dashboard looks and feels solid but the blizzard of buttons on the centre console means it takes a little while to remember where everything is.
Visibility is good thanks to slim pillars while the comfortable seats are fully adjustable ensuring a decent position can be achieved behind the steering wheel.
The Accord Tourer is a reliable beast maintaining a reputation for trouble-free ownership that Honda has nurtured over the years. Indeed various surveys have shown that Accords by and large don’t break down or start to fall apart as the miles mount.
Life Style
The Honda Accord Tourer builds on the aggressive shape of the saloon with an athletic stance that owes a lot to its defined haunches while sleek headlights and cleverly integrated tail-lights complete the look.
The Tourer is a large car but is still suitable for a jaunt into town as the steering is light, thanks to electronic power assistance, which helps when it comes to squeezing into that last city centre parking space. It is equally at home cruising on the motorway – where Honda reckons Accord owners will spend a lot of their time – or tackling country lanes thanks to a suspension that gives the estate excellent handling characteristics making it an agile beast. The ride is smooth and relaxing as Honda have achieved a decent trade off between comfort and driveability.
Inside you get the same good-looking dashboard as the saloon and the components have a solid feel to them.
The Honda Accord Tourer is an easy place to spend a lot of time as it is a refined beast with an impressive absence of road and wind noise so long journeys are no chore for driver and passengers.
Security and Safety
The Honda Accord Tourer comes with an alarm, immobiliser, deadlocks, central locking, remote locking, unique fit stereo, marked parts, locking wheel nuts and visible VIN to deter the criminal element.
Safety is covered by driver and passenger airbags, side airbags, curtain airbag, anti-lock brakes, side impact bars, traction control and electronic stability programme. There’s also anti-whiplash front headrests as you go up the range plus the option of a lane-change warning system and cruise control that brakes the car in emergencies.
The Finishing Touches
The Honda Accord Tourer gets a raft of kit including powered and heated folding door mirrors, electric windows, climate control, power steering, a radio/CD player plus MP3/iPod connection, alloy wheels, Bluetooth hands-free phone kit. Step up to the EX version and satellite navigation plus a powered tailgate are thrown into the mix. The GT model adds a sporty bodykit. We are constantly pushing out New Car Media so check back for all the reviews and information you need.