SINCE 1976, Honda has sold more than 19 million Accords around the world, meaning the Japanese company has been doing something right.

But while the car is a popular choice all over, Australian versions (as well as those over the Tasman) now compete with a foe not found in any other markets where the car is sold – and it’s a foe from within Honda’s own stable.

For nowhere else does Honda offer both the Accord and its edgier Accord Euro cousin (the latter is designed for Europe, the former for the US) simultaneously.

The two have historically been delineated, but the smaller, sharper and glitzier new ‘wide-body’, or ‘US’, Accord (actually made in Thailand for Australia) appears to blur the line closer than ever.

But don’t be fooled, for this Accord is still a comfy cruiser rather than a sports sedan, one with an excellent interior, top-notch active safety features and much-improved NVH

We don’t like the price increases, though – the current economic climate favours importers, and most car brands are sharpening their pencils – and the entry four-cylinder engine feels old hat.

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