WE’VE heard it all before and we’ll hear it all again. Car companies saying they benchmarked their latest model against the BMW 3 Series – funny how it’s never the Kia Credos – and so it is with the all-new Accord Euro. So where does the all-new Honda sedan fit in the New World Order? If the tactile Ford Mondeo drives like a cut-price BMW and the Mazda6 has the roundedness of a Mercedes, then the base Euro II is all about detail and finesse – much like an Audi, you might say, but at Skoda prices. Ladies and gentlemen, at $32,990 plus on-roads, prepare to be impressed by the base model.
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Honda Accord Euro
Released: June 2003
Ended: May 2008
Family Tree: Accord EuroTHIS was a breath of fresh air for Honda. After generations of fat, American-focussed Accords, the Accord Euro felt like the fit, exquisitely engineered Japanese-made prestige sedan we always expected the series to be.
Far from being bloated, the Euro’s almost small-sedan proportions lent it an athleticism that – combined with the wedgy, edgy styling – gave Honda its most convincing BMW-beater since the 1977 original. Aside from the sharp handling, quality interior and superb six-speed manual gearbox (the five-speed automatic is also nice to use), the Honda impressed with its super-smooth 140kW/223Nm 2.4-litre VTEC four-cylinder petrol engine. Two well-equipped models were offered – the base and Luxury, with Sport and Tourer editions also introduced later in its life.
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