HONDA ACCORD 2.2 i-CTDi EX 5dr [Sat Nav + HFT] (2006)

Honda does it again

I've had five Hondas over the years, and my only deviation was a company car that I didn't have very much say over as I was working for Fiat at the time. The difference was shocking and you couldn't pay me to get back into a Fiat. I always take extra care when driving near one as well, who knows what might give out.

So the Honda Accord I bought partly as a gift to my partner and partly as we did need a second vehicle after she got a job with a long commute. She's always said it's amazing for that, really eats up the miles. From my point of view the fuel economy is outstanding, and it still gives out plenty of power. It's easy to forget that it's a diesel really.

The Honda reliability reputation is well deserved, and the Accord is no exception. I bought this second hand at about 18 months old and with 20 thousand on the clock. We've done another sixty thousand on it, and not so much as a brake pad has needed doing. We're keen on the services, and making sure chips don't turn into rust patches, that sort of thing. But if you take care of it, the Honda Accord will take care of you.

Now, I've marked down the handling. That's because the dimensions of the car are a bit hard to gauge. Basically the boot is very large (which is a good thing in itself) and the bonnet is very long, so parking can be difficult, and manoeuvring about in traffic can be tricky.

I did knock a car doing that once and they raised a claim against me. It was surprisingly expensive, I suppose bodywork can be quite long work, and new panels are expensive. That also caused the insurance to go up, which is already quite high on the Honda Accord. So just be careful with the size and you'll be fine.