inGEAR:
Words & Photos by Francois Steyn
inREVIEW:
Honda Accord
Tourer 2.4 Exclusive When I was little there was this one TV commercial (that was in the year 2000) that showed what cars of the future would look like. They floated above the ground and drove themselves, and looked absolutely amazing. Well, we’re in the future now and the luxury cars still have wheels that touch the ground, but the new Honda Accord Tourer (the station wagon) looks stylish from every angle and drives itself like they promised when I was young.
The Tourer is available with two engine variants, a 2.2 i-DTEC diesel and the 2.4 i-VTEC petrol mill. I tested the petrol model, which delivers 148 kW at 7 000 r/min and 234 Nm of torque. The six-speed manual gearbox, with its stubby lever, is amazingly accurate and offers a short throw through the gate. If you wind up the motor it has more than enough punch, but the atmosphere inside the luxury cabin inspired the more grown-up side in me. Electrically adjustable full leather seats that are heated in the front, with memory for the driver’s side, and a steering wheel that fits so perfectly in your hands makes you feel like spending the whole day driving it. With upmarket and reserved instrumentation and leather everywhere – the steering wheel and door inserts – you really feel as if you’ve arrived.
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