Road Test : Honda Accord Euro Luxury Manual

Review by Anthony Ziella - 17 January 2012

On the front page of the spec sheet that accompanied the Honda Euro it says that Honda’s dream is to create the most advanced smart sports sedan that’s thrilling to drive.

Big call, particularly in one of the most competitive markets in Australia, the sports sedan. 

With competition from the usual suspects (Mazda, Ford and Toyota as well as the relative new comers of Subaru and Hyundai) it’s going to be a tough ask.

The good news is that the 2008 wheels car of the year has received some significant luxury and safety upgrades, but does the new edition Honda Euro live up to the dream? Lets find out.

Drive: 4/5

Coupled with the engine this is easily the car’s best feature, the Honda Euro is definitely a true drivers car. The ultra slick six-speed manual (that I cannot recommend highly enough) is exceptional, exhilarating, exciting, but most of all, really enjoyable to drive.

The shifter is so slick and so light and the clutch pedal is very nicely weighted.

Light is probably the best adjective to describe the Euro. The steering is light and the car overall is too. Whether inner city driving or cruising down the highway in sixth gear the Euro handles like Derrick Rose on his way to the hoop, agile and ridiculously light on it's feet.

I know I might be repeating myself, but seriously, this car is a great drive. The suspension is perfect, it accelerates with the best of them and has power up the whazu.

Probably the only deficiency in terms of handling is the Matty Richardson-like turning circle it has, but that’s kind of expected from such a big, beefy sedan.

Engine: 3/5

Under the hood is where the Euro separates itself from its competitors.

The extremely powerful 2.4 litre In-Line 4 cylinder engine can pump out 148kW@7000rpm’s of power and 234Nm@4300-4400rpm of torque (in the VTi six speed manual). This car is a beast.

It’s also surprisingly fuel-efficient too. 

Honda’s claimed fuel consumption is 8.7 litres/100km. I drove it around for a week and managed just over 400, air conditioned kilometres and the fuel gauge was still at half tank when I dropped it off.

Exterior: 4/5

From the outside the Euro looks like an SUV trapped in a sedan’s body, it’s a big, bullish, beast of a car that sits atop four 18 inch alloys. A mate described it as a sporty, executive sedan with attitude. We are no longer friends.

The new edition has had a face lift. The re-sculpted front bumper has gone from a three-bar grille to a two bar, the rear lights have been recoloured to a ‘soft’ red (which I think is just pink) and the Bi HiD xenon headlights look great a night.

The Euro I drove was premium white and it still managed to turn a few heads, and Jeremy Clarkson says if a car looks good in white, it’s a good looking car.

Safety: 5/5

Along with the exterior, the safety department is where the Euro has received the most significant upgrades, important for a family car. The Euro comes standard with front, side and full-length curtain airbags, three point seat belts, anti-whiplash headrests and pre-tensioning seatbelts for the front.

I know it isn’t technically a safety feature but it’s worth mentioning that the Luxury Euro comes with front and rear parking sensors, they won’t save your life but they should prevent your next fender-bender.

Also standard are the stability control, EBD, ABS and brake assist which all culminate with the Honda Euro receiving the highest possible 5-star ANCAP safety rating.

Interior: 5/5

The first thing you notice from the time the huge doors of the Euro snap shut tighter than a zip lock bag, is the comfort and the quiet.

The comfort comes from the large, deep, cushy leather seats. With their eight-way power adjustments (for both the driver and the passenger), the deep footwells and adjustable lumbar support, this thing is more comfortable than my couch.

If it had a T.V in it, I could have spent days sitting in my driveway watching the cricket and if it had a fridge, I probably wouldn’t have left.

Head and shoulder room isn’t an issue either, plenty of room for the big, tall or afro endowed and the back seats are no different.

Maybe the only spatial issue is in the boot. Surprisingly for such a large car the Euro only comes with 467 litres of boot space so tell the family to pack light.

The Euro’s cabin is sealed up tighter than a U-boat and the engine is really quiet which means that once inside you can barely hear a peep from the outside world.

Deep thinkers will love cruising around town in this thing with nothing but their own thoughts in their head and if you’re into your tunes, then the ten-speaker, six disc in-dash CD stacker with USB connectivity and apple compatibility will really impress.

The Honda Euro also comes with Bluetooth connectivity, automatic headlights, rain-sensing wipers, a trip computer, duel-zone climate control and cruise control. And almost all of these features can be controlled without your hands ever having to leave the steering wheel.

Overall: 4.5 / 5

Overall the Honda Euro is a great package. It’s roomy, quiet, safe, comfortable and defiantly looks the part. It comes with all the bells and whistles you’d expect, minus a sat-nav and reverse camera (but those features are available in the top of the range Luxury Navi model).

With added bonuses like a sunroof and heated seats, the Honda Euro Luxury comes in at a competitive $37,490 or $39, 790 for the automatic. But seriously, get the manual, it is honestly one of most enjoyable rides I’ve had... Wait, that came out wrong.

* Prices are manufacturer list prices only, for the drive away price please contact your local authorised Honda dealer.