2009 Honda Accord Euro Review
January 21, 2009 by Matt Brogan
2009 Honda Accord Euro Review & Road Test
A feeling of refinement that is very hard to rival
Model Tested:
- 2009 Honda Accord Euro (Base), 2.4-litre, four-cylinder, six-speed manual, sedan – $33,990 (RRP)
Options:
- Metallic Paint $395
Pleasing performance & economy; excellent value; sporty look & feel
Lower rearward visibility; poor rural in-glass antenna reception
CarAdvice Rating: 
The second generation Accord Euro is one of those cars that you find more to like about each and every time you drive it and, funnily enough, this is true even when stepping down from the range-topping Luxury Navi model into the base model tested this week.
There’s almost nothing I don’t enjoy about the Euro. The looks are modern, angular and fresh but not in a way that will date rapidly.
Clean lines, high shoulders and an upright rear, although common enough, come together with all the right proportions no matter the angle from which the car is viewed.
As well, a lot of thought seems to have gone in to the design, which is something I’ve come to expect from Honda in general, further proving the Euro’s worth in the value for money stakes.
Inside, the comfortable driving position of the Euro’s cockpit feels slightly sporty, which compliments the car’s on road abilities nicely, and with all functionality falling readily to hand, your involvement in the drive can be assured – and enjoyed.
The front seats are of a good size and are very supportive without being tight. Adjustment is by manual control in the base model and offers lumbar support for the driver.
While proportions are generous up front, rear leg room is a little compromised if the front seat passengers are above average height, so if you’re a taller family, taking the kids along on a test drive is strongly advised.
Accord Euro also offers a generous standard feature list, considering the base model’s standing, which includes dual-zone climate control, remote central locking, cruise control, chilled centre console, power windows (all auto up/down), power heated mirrors, height adjustable headlamps, tilt/slide steering wheel and 17-inch alloy wheels.
As well, Honda’s premium audio system with MP3 and WMA compatible six-CD tuner and auxiliary input jack is an excellent unit with great clarity of tone, ample bass (thanks to a parcel shelf mounted sub-woofer) and adequate volume. It also comes equipped with steering wheel mounted controls as standard.
Road holding is above average for the class, and although overly enthusiastic driving will see a hint of understeer creep in to the equation, normal country touring is very pleasant, generally enjoyable and surprisingly comfortable given the more sporty ride Euro offers over the larger, standard Accord.
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*****PRIMO!*****
I still ptefer the Mazda 6
Cheers
F-0
Wheels car of the year. What can I say? Honda is one of those car companies that seldom make a dud car. The fact that Honda still sell luxury versions with a manual option is an added bonus as in my honest humble opinion too many car companies in Australia don’t offer a manual option for their luxury version. I need a medium wagon otherwise this car would be in the garage already… perhaps the next generation Subaru Liberty… but only if they offer a 6 speed manual version on the atmospheric 2.5
Love the attention to detail such as boot hinges that are hidden behind cladding, park brake offset to the right (as it ergonomically should be for ALL thoughtfully designed right hand drive vehicles), door ajar indicator that actually tells which door isn’t closed.
Requiring 95 RON premium is no disadvantage unless you can’t get access to PULP in your local area. During my working holiday in the UK, they ONLY serve 95 and 98 RON PULP. Cars run more efficiently and you get better response. Well worth the 13 cents a litre difference.
I run a Liberty sedan which also has the antenna embedded in the rear windscreen and am also finding poor radio reception in certain rural areas. Perhaps it’s an inherent design fault of that type of antenna system although I usually switch over to the CD stacker when that happens
A very good review.
The car isn’t perfect but it’s one of the more “muscular”looking cars on the road.
Although you commented on the speedo having too many increments the dials,(including the tacho.) seem quite legible.
Why would u buy a Camry?
Bonus that it looks like an Alfa.
What happened to the good old days when hondas where the best japanese cars available? I do think the Euro is a very good car but it should be better than it is. A 4 star safety rating in 2008 is hardly worth car of the year. Perhaps that is an error as the Euro NCAP website lists the diesel as 5 star but after reading the disapointing ANCAP report on the Honda Civic maybe the accord is not as safe as it should be in 2008.
9.4 l/100km from a manual is ok but not great.
I think i will save myself $10 000 and go with the Mitsubishi Lancer with its strong 5 star safety rating, better ecconomy and awesome warranty, even with its plain plasticy interior it is by far a better buy
WOW! Seeing it in red has totally changed my perception…
Im still not a BIG fan of the rear end. Looks a little over done but the front end, the interior, the dynamics, the drive… For this money you wont do better.. Unless GM fall into enough trouble that they start selling HSV clubbys for 30k haha……….dont laugh.
260kmh might be a tad optimistic.
Crouchy, brand new SS utes were going for 36 a few months ago… so they arn’t too far off. I’m pretty sure you could pick up a SS sedan for under 40.
Good car, however not sure too many will be sold in manual variant.
@pasthondafan
Yeah,you go ahead and buy that brick on wheels I’m sure the re-sale value will suprise you down the track and I’m not saying in a good way!
I must say what a strange comparision you’ve made.I may as well say “I think the Jazz is a better buy than the Lancer”because it’s cheaper,more fuel efficient and practical and most likely,just as fast.Whoa!!I’ve just realized that the Jazz is a better car than the EURO Accord.!!!.Your reasoning sucks big time.
Oh! before I forget,a statement from the Euro NCAP result
for the Euro Accord.
“The new Honda Accord achieved the best combined safety rating in its class, in the latest Euro NCAP crash test results. The Accord was awarded the first-ever three star pedestrian rating in the large family class, along with 5 star adult protection and 4 star child protection”
I think the above statement is quite clear.
Real Cars, exactly how does it look like an Alfa Romeo? It has lots of points and creases for one thing, something the 159 doesn\’t have. I know I\’d never mistake one for an Alfa Romeo.
This is a very good all rounder. I don\’t think the space age design from the Civic converted quite as well to a big car and the front is a touch gawky but over all, I like it. I especially like the door handles. I drove a manual diesel one in the UK and I was very impressed. Very high quality interior and very refined. Australia would do well to bring the diesel here. They should also bring the wagon here. The 6 wagon seems to sell well, I think this would aswell.
I also like that the base model looks very high class, not cheap at all. Well worth the money if this is the segment you are looking in.
Nice. Hondas are such great cars eh. Good value these days too. Great value compared to that Mitsubishi Lancer VRX that was reviewed the other day. Far superior car I would suspect for a couple of grnad extra.
Pasthondafan, The Lancer and Accord are in completely different size classes. The Lancer is in the Focus and 3 class, the Accord is in the Mondeo and 6 class. You would save ten thousand only if you bought the base model which doesn’t come with many of the features in the Accord and only a four star safety rating. The Accord gets a five star Euro NCAP rating so you have nothing to worry about.
CA, where did you get the four star crash test from? According to ANCAP, they haven’t tested it. And like Fasthonda wrote, Euro NCAP gave it a glowing report so where do you get your information?
Strange, I personally cannot stand it in Red. No-one here buys flat Red cars except Hilti reps.
Also the UK Honda website gives a towing capacity braked at 1500KG and unbrakes at a low 500Kg.
Still nice anyway and the diesels improved now with better flexibility and I think a little more power.
the boot is big enough for a lpg.does anybody know any information about lpg conversions for hondas especially this model?????
Realcars…
People buy Camrys because its roughly $7,000 AUD less if you compare base prices. Mid spec is about 8~9 grand…
I just want to emphasize that Camry and Accord Euro is not marketed in the same category.
In the US, Honda sells this vehicle under Acura… which is competing with the Lexus, Infinity, BMW, Audi range…
Here in Oz they sell this car under Honda and looking at the price… it is a “premium” 4 cylinder sedan.
With that said, it is really only competing with Mazda 6’s mid spec to high spec models….
Also… I really love this vehicle… I think it is Honda’s best outside of the sporty lineups.
@ Realcars
I think most people who buy camrys know that it is a bland car, but it serves their purpose from going to A to B with a little comfort for much much less. We got ours for $25.5k DA and the Euro is at least $35k+ for an auto. For us, getting an A to B car for $10k less was a no brainer (not filthy rich so that money goes into the housing loans).
Uhh, just read what james wrote. I ditto that.
HANS…. I do believe the next gen liberty will have a 6sp manual std aswell as upgraded engines and specs. I have also been told it will be bigger with more aggresive styling!, ie pumped out gaurds, so will definately be worth waiting for, should be here by december this year..
@ Hans
Our camry which has an inglass antenna suffers from poor reception too, but I also blame the mountain beside us and the hills and small valleys.
Also, I thought this car was a 5-star. Guess I was wrong?
The Euro’s a great car, however I don’t know what Honda’s positioning is with this car when they’ve endowed the new V6 Accord with over 200kw. Sure it might be tad a heavier and less agile but it’s hell of lot quicker too, and cheaper. Plus it’s a pretty handsome car to boot.
I have just finished reading the latest Wheels Magazine for the Car of The Year award, which went to the Honda Accord Euro. It is a good report. The top-spec model has the disadvantage of a space saver spare wheel; and the car is very heavy. Honda should try to reduce the weight (use an aluminium bonnet, perhaps) for its mid-term upgrade.
@ Realcars
Why would you buy a KIA?
Honda builds quality cars. Now if they can get the servicing and spare parts costing down, they will get more sales.
Um, excuse me it got a 5 STAR SAFTEY RATING!!! Please correct your review!
I rather the Mazda 6, it comes in hatch, sedan and wagon also DIEsel if your stupid enough.
MPS to follow?
The accord has stupid boot goose-neck, should be a strut type.
The accord back seat is useless if you have legs.
The accord needs PULP.
The accord looks like the front and rear where designed by 2 different teams, and they met in the middle.
The accord is overpriced.
The sccord like all haondas is purchased by cocks.
The accord rear door is smallish.
The dash/gauges are hard to look at and understand quickly
FAIL!
Get a Mazda 6 and enjoy the superior vehicle
Cheers
F-0
Yes i have just come from seeing one of these and compared it to falcon and commondore and lets just say that sitting inside the honda it leaves commondore for dead and falcon is not to bad either, but that interior in the holden are thay serious looks crap and feels crap so dated dont know how there going to keep offloading them
Don’t know where u get your Camry pricing from but is only marginally cheaper than a Euro say 2 to 3k at best.
Then again Toyota prices vary wildly from dealer to dealer.
The Kia Grand serves a purpose for a price Varster.If u want to pay another 25k for a Tarago good luck to u.
Taragos are really Fugly as opposed to acceptable looks for the purpose in the KIA.
Alex 156,156!!
IMO the Euro is excellent value for money. Actually get a desirable car at a reasonable price.
What is desirable about a Camry?
In a perfect world the Euro should cost the equivalent of two Camrys.
A rating system in Camrys instead of stars. What a novel idea!
Honda Euro
Handling……………2 camrys
Style………………5 camrys
Interior…………….6 camrys
Performance………….3 camrys
Economy……………..1.5 camrys
That “Milano Red” paint colour is the oldest colour offered by Honda – it’s been around since at least 1989 and was offered on the Integra at the time. Don’t get me wrong, it still looks good, for a solid (non-metallic/pearl) shade, but nearly 20 years? Time for retirement I say.
How can it get 4.5 steering wheels for a rating. It’s not AWD.
Did CA get inspiration for this after you guys read wheels?
The car looks big on the outside. But the space at the back is tiny. The standard Accord seems like 10x bigger at the back.
Hans – ” in my honest humble opinion too many car companies in Australia don’t offer a manual option for their luxury version”
This is a major gripe for me too. I don’t want the manual option only offered on base configurations. Unfortunately discussion on it will hijack the thread on the Honda.
However i do believe CA should help us understand where the problem is – if a company was going to do a ‘batch’ run for Australian compliance, do the local importers simply take the easy option and say we will have all in auto please?
Have Australian drivers completely made the change to slushboxes – the stop start traffic issue is only Sydney/Melbourne’s pain not the rest of Oz.
Interesting
Honda is a non friendly Gay employer…it does not offer partnership benefits that nearly all other automotive employers do. I’d rather look at the VW/Skoda/Audi stable…
Realcars gets my vote for this months petrol voucher :) CA should lose the steering wheel ratings and use the Camry rating system. Maybe we could extend this to include little barinas instead of ANCAP stars?
Simply the best car Honda has ever made. Great styling too… wish subaru would learn a few lessons.
How about the engine knocking/pinging issue. Have they fixed it? Did they release a new engine computer firmware for it?
I believe that some of the cars have an issue with the cam chain tensioner which has been falsely diagnosed by some people as a knocking / pinging issue. My understanding is there will be a fix within the next month.
i think its a great buy. quality is quite a bit better than the average honda. great price for base model. wish it were cheaper.
Pace is pretty much the only flaw of this car. It’s slower than the previous model due to excessive weight gain with only marginal power improvements. While there’s more useful torque now than past Hondas, the auto still struggled on a hillclimb carrying four people. A V6 or the 2.3-litre turbo in the Acura RDX would be greatly appreciated.
This is an otherwise a car well screwed together. It’s something you’d love to take home after a long hard day at work, with comfortable seats, fantastic dashboard and pleasant ride. It’s no BMW in dynamics, but offers more space, power and what-have-you than the cheapest 3-Series, which costs around 20K more. It’s not inferior in design to the Europeans and is a sight to behold parked in South Yarra.
Have to agree Al Juraj. I have a new Euro and love it, but if they had a low pressure turbo engine like Volkswagen or Skoda, it would be perfect.
Anti spam word FORD – The Falcon should have won coty FULLSTOP
The Falcon is bigger, more spacious and way quicker than the Euro, but isn’t as well built and while better hands down than that Commodore, still has some noticeable flaws. The driving position is anything but sporty, and cost-cutting measures are visible given the fact that it doesn’t have rear adjustable headrests and door pockets. The dashboard also isn’t as nice as it could have been.
It is a fine effort from Ford Oz but up until they sand the car’s rough edges, it will have to remain a runner-up.
This car looks so much better in the flesh.
I think the Honda Euro is a good car but there are two big negatives for me.
1) It only runs on premium fuel which is about 10% more expensive.Taking this into account its fuel running costs would be about as much as a Falcon whilst having less Power/Performance than the Falcon
2) Services are every 10,000 km/6 Months,when 15,000km/12 Months is becoming the Norm.
Taking these two things into account the running costs of the medium size Euro will be very close to a large size Falcon/Commodore.
Engine pinging, cam chain tensioner, whatever. I just wish Honda would hurry up and fix it.The car has been returned 3 times for this issue in 6 months, and there have been a number of excuses, which have included blaming the type of petrol used. I read today in a Sydney newspaper that Honda has said it is caused by ‘fuel and air igniting as the piston travels down the cylinder – the ignition should occur at the top of the piston’. I cannot help but think this is just another excuse.