Honda has updated its upper medium Accord to keep pace in a competitive segment that includes the Audi A4, BMW 3-series, Ford Mondeo and Vauxhall Insignia.
For the Accord, that means lower CO2 emissions across all derivatives including a sub-140g/km 2.2 diesel that will be the biggest fleet seller, and a sub-160g/km 2.0 petrol iteration. The carmaker has also refreshed the exterior with a new front bumper, grille and lights, revised ride and handling, and introduced active cornering lights and high-beam support. The facelift is expected to uplift corporate Accord sales by 20% to 70%, with diesel accounting for nine in 10 of these.
The top-selling fleet model is expected to be the 2.2 i-DTEC saloon, and the revisions have resulted in a 9g/km drop in CO2 to 138g/km for the manual and an 11g/km reduction to 159g/km for the automatic.
BusinessCar was given the opportunity to drive the diesel manual ahead of its 1 July on-sale date.
One qualm we had with the outgoing model was poor levels of noise, vibration and harshness, but this has been a key focus for Honda, and improvements include thicker glass, bonnet insulation, floor carpets and insulation under the car. NVH is certainly better but there is still room for improvement. Aside from this, the Accord is impressive with excellent steering, decent power and a good ride quality.
The mid-range ES-GT will be the most popular trim, with prices for the 2.2 i-DTEC costing £24,695. The ES-GT includes cruise control, part-leather seats, Bluetooth and 16in alloys. It will appeal to business drivers who want to avoid the ubiquity of brands like BMW, Audi and Ford.
Whole-life costs are not yet available, but RVs are expected to be around 32%. Despite its sub-140g/km CO2 and improvements, it will be hard-pressed to keep up with rivals; the Audi A4 (below) emits 120g/km and the BMW 318d emits 119g/km while their RVs are 34.9% and 34.5% respectively.
It’s likely, then, that whole-life costs will be dearer for the Accord – still, fleets with 140g/km restrictions on choice lists are now able to access this pleasing alternative model.
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