28th Jul 2005, 10:55

Those wheels and tyres, 225/45 Yokohoma's 17" rims - look nice, but not as grippy as I expected, alarming in the wet, and make the car VERY lively on uneven surfaces. I find that tram lining is common on anything other than billiard-table smooth roads, better hang on if you're on anything else, and I since I drive in the UK mostly, I know about uneven and rutted road surfaces.

You know what, I think I'm going to give this car back. There are just too many niggly points that are detracting from my overall enjoyment. It should be fantastic, but it just isn't.

28th Jan 2006, 11:54

The Honda Accord is excellent, sure you have niggling problems, but surely you would be used to that coming from a Renault. I reckon it will be 100% once the dealer sorts out the problems. Oh and 44mpg for the size and power of that car is superb.

16th Jun 2006, 13:55

To the writer of the last comment : Yes, I was used to niggling problems in the Renault, but it's about expectations. I expected the Honda to be a lot better - and simply, it's not. Also, I expected better service from Honda generally - my local Renault dealer is and was exceptional, the Honda dealer is some way behind.

Having said that, the car has now improved, windows no longer squeak, suspension is sorted, economy improves if I don't push the loud pedal as much (but still can't get the 53mpg claimed, and I'm generally happier with brakes and suspension since parts have been replaced due to wear. I still have an untraced engine stutter problem, at around 2000rpm, but I'm learning to live with that. Recent service completed by a non-main-franchise non-local dealer, turned out to be better service than main dealer across the road.

So, overall I'm happier, and interestingly, having recently driven a 2006 model, I think there are significant and worthwhile improvements. I might even consider another in 18mths time.

9th Oct 2006, 14:18

You can never expect to get the claimed mpg figures with any car. Although the tests are allegedly carried out under normal driving conditions I'm sure that careful choosing of both the road and driver goes some way to upping the figure. 10% below claimed seems to be the realistic figure. My clio claims 65mpg I can manage 62 but 57 is more realistic on a normal day.

1st Jan 2008, 16:44

53000 miles covered now, still going well. No major mechanical problems, certainly nothing that has left me stranded. Recent change of job now means 1500 miles a month behind the wheel, and it's a nice place to be on a cold morning - heated seats, heated mirrors, CD-stacker, effective ABS and traction control; those motorway miles just get munched up.

I'm still feeling the engine hesitation, and I'm still not getting anywhere near the claimed 53mpg. Noticed recently that Honda have now downgraded that claim on the newer car, despite having a 6sp 'box.

Looking with interest to the new car for 2008, i-DTEC (?), especially as this car will be going back in September. I could be tempted into another Accord.

A couple of things that continue to niggle me: there's no memory setting on the electric seats, which is a pain when it takes so long to find a good driving position. There's no trip computer; it might help me to eke out a few extra MPG if I had an instantaneous readout. The paint quality is low. I have a patch of rust showing on the bonnet now, and stone chips/car-park dings all show through very easily. I've had to discard the "quality" floor mats on the drivers side which disintegrated earlier this month. Subsequently the standard fit cream carpet is getting very badly marked up now. Front and rear screens are very hard to clean, due to the proximity of the dash/parcel shelf. Rear screen is at such an angle that means that rain water doesn't quickly disperse as the airflow over the car is diverted away. Opening the boot during rain will mean that rain water will pour in, especially if the car is parked on a slope - bad design there. Clutch is becoming very aggressive, crawling in heavy traffic is very hard work, and the action is creaking too! Alloy wheels are very easy to kerb, and due to their dark colour, scrapes show up very readily in bright shiny silver. Rear seating is actually quite cramped; consider this carefully if you have a need to transport people regularly, and accessing the rear seat can be awkward for the less mobile. Boot is also a bit tricky to access due to the small opening, but is actually a good size for the car. Lack of storage up front is a pain - my cupholders are utilised for tissues, pens and a box of tic-tacs, and that's all I can get in there.

Good fun to drive though, responds well to being pushed hard, and in 4th on a motorway will leave pretty much anything else behind - most amusing!

21st May 2008, 14:21

65000 miles on the clock now, almost due for a new set of tyres on the front. Other than that it's been a trouble-free 10000 miles. My daily commute along the M27 to Bournemouth is easily absorbed, and despite the tricky clutch, even sitting in traffic is relatively OK thanks to all the little toys fitted as standard on this model.

I'm now less than 3 months from parting from this Accord, and it's becoming a real struggle to find anything as good for the money, in fact I'm contemplating a very much more expensive 5-series BMW as the only real alternative. It looks like the i-DTEC Accord won't be available until autumn, and that's too late for me, plus it looks like that new car is going to be £2500 more than the current car, which puts it into 5-series lease money. Even with the standard equipment on the Accord (although this appears to be reduced on the new car), I don't think it will really match a 5-series for ownership appeal.

The other consideration for me is an Octavia, but having recently had a play in one, it soon becomes obvious just how they manage to sell it for £17k - it's really grim in that cabin, a VW parts-bin, and not all of it looks or feels very solid.

I do have the option of buying out my car from the leasing company, and that's pretty tempting, but a few niggles will stop me from splashing my own cash, many of which I've mentioned before, but the biggest concern is the engine hesitation, and more recently it's reluctance to start on the first turn of the key. Something isn't right in the engine room, but no-one can determine what the problem is.

However, I would still say that this is a worthy alternative to main-stream rivals, and especially in estate form really does make an excellent all-rounder.