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our test drives or view them all

Honda Accord Tourer 2.0 i-VTEC ES GT Nav auto

THE petrol-powered version of Honda’s big Accord Tourer is something of an enigma.

You’d expect it to rival cars like Vauxhall’s new Insignia Tourer and Ford’s Mondeo estate for cargo carrying – but it’s in a different league. The Honda, for all its size, is well down the capacity when it comes to cargo space.

Where the Vauxhall and Ford will swallow between 1530 and 1733 litres with the rear seats folded, the 4.74 metre long Accord can only manage a puny 672 litres.

Even with the seats in place the boot area is smaller than the big players’ 540 litres with only 406 litres available from the Japanese estate.

But if you dismiss the Accord Tourer you’re missing the point.

This is a refined estate – more lifestyle that repmobile. It’s a low-key cargo ship with chunky good looks that drives well with a feeling of quality and good engineering. The car’s style has improved and the latest Tourer, launched last September, is a far more balanced shape than its predecessor. Designers have cleverly camouflaged its undeniable bulk by dramatically highlighting it in profile with extensive use of brightwork on the roof rails and window surrounds.

Honda is renowned for reliability and efficient design. The Accord Tourer reflects that with a tough central core skinned with weight-saving external panels to maximise fuel economy and deliver good handling.

At 1.5 tonnes it’s slightly lighter than both the Mondeo or Insignia estates – but retains an amazing feeling of solidity on the road.

The Accord is best recognised for its four 2.2 litre diesel versions – but the ES GT Nav trim level test car was a rarer beast equipped with a 154bhp two-litre four-cylinder i-VTEC petrol. As standard the ES GT Nav gets a large-screen DVD navigation system along with a questionable rear parking camera and a good radio and six-disc CD player.

It’s not the most popular choice, but has advantages over the 148bhp or 189bhp diesels and the bigger 198bhp 2.4 litre i-VTEC petrol that will appeal to a specific buyer.

From outside it’s difficult to tell the two-litre from its 2.4 sister. There’s no badging to differentiate the two but if you look at the back and see just one exhaust pipe it’s a two-litre. The 2.4 i-VTEC gets twin exhausts.

If you are in the market for a smooth, responsive and quiet petrol heart that will tow reasonably well, the two-litre i-VTEC is worth a look. My ES GT example was fitted with Honda’s five speed sequential automatic that changes like a hot knife through butter. It’s smooth, silent and, if you feel the need to play on a twisty road, the steering wheel mounted paddle shifters come as part of the package.

For most of the time I left the autobox to get on with what it does best – choosing the right ratio for cruising or kicked down for a rapid overtake.

Thanks to the surprisingly powerful petrol engine the bulky estate was a comfortable and confidence inspiring drive. Able, relaxed and refined.

Noise levels are impressively low. Apart from some minor tyre rush from the GT’s 17-inch alloys and 50 section covers, the interior was serene – even at 70mph.

As a mile-eating carry-all the Accord may fall down on cargo appetite, but in petrol guise it makes up for it in overall refinement. It’s an easy car to drive and can still handle a fairly sizeable cargo.

And if you want a little less chutzpah from your £21,545 two-litre GT you can save £850 and get the ES model. But my sporting GT packs good value – compared to the ES it gets 17-inch alloys instead of 16-inchers, part leather seating, sports suspension, a sharp body kit, front fogs, Bluetooh and a USB port.

The individually folding rear seats flip forward in seconds and leave a flat floor that’s 1.7 metres long and over a metre wide – more than enough space for four sets of golf clubs. The car rides well too with a supple, bump-absorbing ride.

If you need more power and want to stick with petrol, take a look at the two-litre’s big sister –the £24,695 2.4 i-VTEC. I also drove this 198bhp model and found it no slouch. It’s good for 138mph and even in auto guise gets off its mark quickly from rest to 62mph in just 9.5 seconds – 7.8 seconds in six-speed manual form.

Overtaking with the 2.4 is effortless. The responsive engine will rev easily to 7000rpm with maximum pulling power kicking in at 4200rpm. That’s right in the zone for passing slower A9 traffic on the many sections where overtaking opportunities are few and far between.

In the cruise both petrol Tourer models are eerily silent. The two-litre wafts along, easily soaking up bends and corners with little roll and hangs on well through its front wheel drive. It’s not the sharpest drive in the book and falls short of both the Mondeo and Insignia's behind-the-wheel experience, but as a mile-eating cruiser it’s perfect.

Open the bonnet and you might be surprised at what you find. The two-litre i-VTEC may be an ultra-advanced Honda – but not to look at. The transversely-mounted engine is small and looks lost in the Accord’s vast under bonnet space. But it makes up for its lack of visual presence with outstanding ability.

If you constantly run up higher annual mileages or need to carry a lot of cargo, the more expensive 2.2 i-DTEC RX turbodiesel might be better for you. It’s punchy and while not nearly so refined, will average 49mpg.

Whatever model you go for you can be sure of Honda quality. The interior is generously appointed and the seating was supportive and well trimmed on my GT-grade test car. But the dashboard is something of a curate’s egg – well built and finished in soft-touch plastics, but fussy with too many buttons that all look the same. Honda could have done a better job here.

However there’s little to fault. The two-litre GT i-VTEC automatic is a quality choice for the buyer looking for a combination of intelligent design, careful construction, safety and petrol smoothness but who is not totally sold on the need to have a huge estate car in the mould of Mondeo and Insignia.

The Honda Tourer is more of a large lifestyle estate – useful, but not cavernous. Its cargo area with a restrainer net would make an ideal dog carrying space and in practical terms there is more than enough room for most estate owners’ cargo-shifting requirements.

Like the rest of the latest Accord, the Tourer is a sensible and well-built choice from a manufacturer with an untarnished reputation for building good cars.

And if you need any reassurance about reliability just think about the standard warranty – a three-year guarantee with no mileage limit.

Rating: 7.5/10

FINAL THOUGHT: Honda’s eight-model Accord Tourer estate family is best known for its four excellent diesels – but the lesser-known two-litre petrol is a smooth alternative that makes sense if you value refinement and response. The two-litre and its beefier 2.4 -VTEC sister petrol are a lot quieter than the turbodiesels and offer great value.

Honda Accord Tourer 2.0 i-VTEC ES GT Nav auto

• Price: £23,945
• Capacity: 1997cc
• Power: 154bhp
• 0-62mph: 10.7 seconds (9.3 manual)
• Maximum speed: 130mph
• Economy: Combined 36.7mpg; Urban 26.4mpg
• CO2 emissions: 183g/km
• ESP: Standard VSA
• Insurance: Group 10