Faults:

Only thing wrong is, I had to get the rear brake discs machined. But I tow a heavy trailer, so that could have something to do with it.

Nothing else, perfect.

General Comments:

I drive a lot and this car has not missed a beat. It is a comfortable car with a luxurious type feeling interior.

The performance is good, the car flies up any hills on the freeway or around town. Acceleration is also good and even though it is a smaller engine than a Falcon, it is probably quicker, although does require higher revs towards the 3000rpm mark, as opposed to a barely over 2000rpm for a Falcon.

The gearbox is fine; it switches very smoothly and is always in the right gear. There is no Tiptronic like on the Accord Euro. However the good thing is it uses unleaded fuel instead of premium unleaded like the Euro does.

However, this is not a sports car and is not an enthusiast's car.

Fuel consumption: 12L/100km in the city and 10L/100km on the freeway.

If quality, comfort and good resale value are what you're after, then this is the car for you.

Faults:

Brake shudder during prolonged light application of brakes descending long declines. The shudder becomes progressively worse the longer the brakes are applied - difficult to solve while trying to stick to the speed limit. Obviously the heat build up (due perhaps to insufficient sized rotors) is a factor.

General Comments:

Overall the car has met expectations, albeit the inability of the manufacturer to rectify the brake shudder problem belies Honda's image as a "quality" manufacturer committed to the highest standards.

The fact that replacement rotors & pads have not rectified the problem indicates an engineering fault - Honda have refused to acknowledge this.

Otherwise value for money is good.

The difficulty now is to find a replacement that still offers the same level of luxury, but with better fuel economy (note that this is more to do with the current price of fuel than the V6 being overly thirsty)

Any suggestions?

Faults:

Rattle/squeak in the passenger side pillar.

Nothing else.

General Comments:

After driving a Commodore for 5 years I am in love with the Honda! It's a great driver's car and makes driving enjoyable.

The ride is firm with good feel from the suspension. The steering is direct with a great turning circle.

I upgraded my wheels to 17 inch with better tyres, the standard tyres I found too noisy and intrusive noise entered the cabin. On 17 inch wheels the car handles far better. I think also that the car also has improved with a slight lowering of the front suspension. The gap above the tyre in the wheel arch was too big and made the wheels look even smaller. I think the original setup was mainly for headlight height specifications for Australia.

The interior is sophisticated and functional, but the downside could be the amount of fake woodgrain... I chose the dark interior to take the focus of the woodgrain.

My only gripe is the throttle has a lag which can't be changed, makes the cruise control a little jerky when going down slight hills. It also makes it difficult to control the throttle in first gear... you can't get a smooth ride.

The cost of PULP going up makes filling the tank a little expensive at the moment.

All in all though it's a great looking well built car, looking forward to the turbo model!